After a successful first year of Centering Indigenous Knowledge, Montana Campus Compact is excited to return in 2024! The series will focus on the theme of indigenous people and place and will explore people’s millennia-spanning relationships with and the significance, history, and power of place. Much like the series in 2023, native languages, which provide the worldview to see and understand these relationships, will feature prominently in the discussions.

As part of its mission to advance the public purposes of higher education, the Montana Campus Compact (MTCC) board seeks to raise awareness of the richness of indigenous knowledge in our state and center the people and institutions who lead the movement here. With the understanding that an four-hour series will only scratch the surface, we hope to inspire people to learn more and seek ways of supporting tribal colleges and their work to advance and preserve indigenous knowledge. The series will be facilitated by the University of Montana Tribal Outreach Specialist (and former Blackfeet Community College president), Dr. Karla Bird (Amskapi Piikani), and will raise awareness of the work of contemporary indigenous scholars and efforts to advance indigenous ways of knowing and being.

This webinar series will run during March 2024 with weekly installments on Thursdays at 12:00 PM (Mountain). Registration for the series will be covered via sponsorship, and attendees are encouraged instead to support via donations to tribal colleges or the American Indian College Fund.

Sessions

Thursday, March 7, 202412:00 PM - 1:00 PM (MST)
Thursday, March 21, 202412:00 PM - 1:00 PM (MDT)
Thursday, March 14, 202412:00 PM - 1:00 PM (MDT)
Thursday, March 28, 202412:00 PM - 1:00 PM (MDT)

Who should attend?

This event is free and open to members and non-members. Administrators, Community-engaged faculty, staff, and practitioners are encouraged to attend.

Meet the Speaker:

Dr. Karla Bird

Dr. Karla Bird serves as a University of Montana (UM) liaison to tribal communities in the region, as a key adviser and partner to the campus community, and as a resource and support to prospective and current Native students. Bringing expertise in educational persistence among Native American graduate students, Bird bolsters the strength and resiliency of Native students in the UM community.
 
Most recently, having served as the president of Blackfeet Community College, Bird holds a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Montana with an emphasis in higher education. She also received an M.A. in Counselor Education and a B.A. in Psychology with a research emphasis/minor in Native American studies.

Questions? Get in touch with us at campus@compact.org.