Washington State University Native American Studies Program Records, 1965-1977

In Spring 1969, amidst a growing awareness of Native American students, Washington State University (WSU) instituted the Native American Studies Program (NASP). Initially, the program focused on hiring qualified instructors and administrators, locating and recruiting Native American students, providing those students with financial assistance, and giving guidance regarding various education and employment opportunities. In its formative years, the NASP went through various stages of uncertainty including successive semesters when no Native American Studies courses could be offered. However, in 1974, under the directorship of Richard Bellon, the department offered a minor in Native American Studies.

NASP sponsored or was closely associated with a number of related organizations, including the WSU North American Indian Students Association (NAISA), the Indian Affairs Coordinating Council (IACC), and the Steering Council on Indian Affairs (SCIA). For a while it also coordinated and planned Native American social and curricular activities at WSU, including the Visiting Indian Artist Series sponsored by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, a Visiting Professor or Lecturer program, workshops on racism, and many conferences on aspects of Indian education.

From Fall 1975 to Spring 1976 WSU led the Bilingual Bicultural Training Institute which aimed to provide teacher-aide training, teacher training, and administrative workshops for school districts with high Chicano and Native American enrollment. The American Indian Teacher Aide Program (AITAP) component was coordinated through B.A. Nugent, the Dean of the Division of Social Sciences and Humanities, with Florence Haggerty as the project director. It received funding from Title I and the Johnson O’Malley Consortium. In 1975, AITAP administered a Summer Institute which supplied teacher-aides with topical information ranging from Native American history to student alcoholism. Subsequently, AITAP offered monthly day-long workshops to address specific issues teachers faced in the classroom.