Announcing the Native, Aboriginal, and Indigenous Coalition

On June 16, 2018 during the June Leadership Meeting in Boston, MA the Native, Aboriginal, and Indigenous Network was approved by the leaders of the Coalition & Network assembly to become the Native, Aboriginal, and Indigenous Coalition (NAIC). Also, the Indigenous Student Affairs Network was approved to officially become a network of the Native, Aboriginal, and Indigenous Coalition thus maintaining the commitment of NAIC to provide a network for and support to Indigenous student affairs practitioners. This structural change is the fruition of a decade of leadership from many dynamic Native, Aboriginal, and Indigenous members advocating for the needs, interests, and concerns of Native and Indigenous people within ACPA and higher education. Leading up to the 2010 convention in Boston, MA the Native American Network (NAN), the previous name of the Native, Aboriginal, and Indigenous Network, initiated conversations with the ACPA governing board to bring awareness of barriers in the organizational structure of ACPA and to examine NANs place within the association structure. The NAN membership sought to establish more direct communication with ACPA leadership and committees, increasing engagement within the broader association given the small number of members, and collaborate in an ongoing review of initiatives to become a more culturally competent association.

The NAIC maintains our cultural integrity and core values that made our network a welcoming space within the association. We look toward to building a future with emerging initiatives, collaborations, and advocating for the Native, Aboriginal, and Indigenous voice, and continuing to operate through our values of shared leadership, consensus, and respect. As we move from a network to a coalition we are committed to strengthening our relationships with other entity groups through support and collaboration of activities to carry out goals shared other entity groups and the association.

The mission of the Native, Aboriginal, and Indigenous Coalition (NAIC) is to provide our members a coalition of support in developing and achieving professional development within ACPA for advancing educational opportunities and support of Aboriginal, Indigenous, and Native students in higher education. The Native, Aboriginal, and Indigenous Coalition is particularly interested in creating partnerships with Tribal Colleges and Universities as well as organizations and higher education professionals serving Aboriginal, Indigenous, and Native students.

The Native, Aboriginal, and Indigenous Coalition is a community within ACPA of professionals with a desire to actively participate in opportunities that provide resources and support to its members, both personally and professionally, with care, respect, and encouragement.

NAIC promotes the values of shared leadership, advocacy, support, and community as we work to:

• Provide counsel to the ACPA governance on topics related to Native, Aboriginal and Indigenous college students and Indigenous/Native student affairs
• Create opportunities for new scholarship to be showcased related to Native, Aboriginal, and Indigenous college students and Indigenous/Native student affairs
• Bring forth current trends and topics that affect Native, Aboriginal, and Indigenous college students and the field of Indigenous/Native student affairs
• Represent ACPA’s voice through the National Coalition for the Advancement of Native Higher Education

Symphony Oxendine, Chair – Native, Aboriginal, and Indigenous Coalition

Cori Bazemore-James, Chair – Indigenous Student Affairs Network