Regents approve creation of OSU Center for Sovereign Nations; appoint director
Friday, March 6, 2015
The OSU/A&M Board of Regents today approved the creation of the Oklahoma State University Center for Sovereign Nation Engagement and Partnerships. The center was made possible because of a generous gift from the Chickasaw Nation.
The multidisciplinary center will report to the Office of the Provost and is expected to be a place of connection and relationship building among Sovereign Nation partners, students and faculty.
“As a land-grant institution, Oklahoma State University has an important role to play in creating initiatives to increase engagement and educational opportunities with members of all Sovereign Nations,” said OSU Provost and Senior Vice President Dr. Gary Sandefur. “We hope this center will not only strengthen relationships between the university and Sovereign Tribal Nations, but will also increase the number of American Indian graduates from OSU.”
OSU already is among the nation’s leaders in Native American graduates.
The center has a three-fold mission:
- Ensure that sovereignty of American Indian Nations is respected and recognized in the creation and implementation of initiatives across the OSU system
- Increase the number of American Indian graduates from OSU
- Increase the number and quality of partnerships between OSU and Sovereign Tribal Nations
In addition to approval of the center, the Board also approved Elizabeth Mee Payne, J.D. to serve as the director. Payne currently teaches American Indian entrepreneurship and serves as the Riata Fellow for American Indian Entrepreneurship. She will leave her position as strategic relationship manager in the Spears School of Business to assume the role as director of the multidisciplinary center.
While the Chickasaw Nation is the first Sovereign Tribal Nation to partner with the university in this endeavor, it is expected additional tribal nations will join as future partners.
View other OSU/A&M Regents actions: