- Details
- By Tribal Business News Staff
- Higher Education
Sacramento State University will become the first California State University to launch a Native American College.
The College in question will provide Native students with a “more fluid path through the university,” per the College’s website. That pathway includes Native-centered student cohorts, specialized career and leadership-focused training, and more accessible advising opportunities.
Indigenous students can apply for the Native American College upon being accepted into Sacramento State, either as first-time or transfer students up to their junior year. The College will make an effort to pool its students in cohorts for general education classes, and all students will minor in Native American Studies, with an emphasis on leadership, per the College’s website. (Students remain free to major in whichever program they choose.)
Once admitted, students will have opportunities for mentorship by Native American faculty, a centralized meeting space with computer and classroom access, and on-campus housing tied to their cohorts. The school also plans to offer leadership training through speakers, workshops, and other events, as well as internship opportunities.
“This is a historic moment for Sacramento State and a unique partnership with the Native communities to support Native American students,” Dr. J. Luke Wood, president of Sacramento State, said in an interview with DiverseEducation.com. “We have come an incredibly long way as an institution and are committed to continuing to work on restoring past, present and future Native relations."
The Native American College at Sacramento State will begin accepting students in the Fall 2025 semester. The incoming dean, Annette Reed, Ph.D. (Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation), told local news station Fox40 the college was a way to “value” Native American knowledge and traditions in higher education.
“We are creating a learning environment that values Native American knowledge systems and traditions while preparing students to address the challenges of today and tomorrow,” said Reed, who also serves as chair of Sacramento State’s Department of Ethnic Studies, according to the department’s website.
The school sits at an intersection of a number of regional tribes, such as the Shingle Springs Band, United Auburn, Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, and the Wilton Rancheria, which made other news in Sacramento recently. The Rancheria announced last week it acquired a majority ownership stake in the city’s United Soccer League team, the Sacramento Republic Football Club.
The acquisition reportedly makes the Wilton Rancheria the first Native American tribe to hold a controlling stake in a men’s professional sports team, according to a recent Tribal Business News story.
