Haskell Indian Nations University Informations

Haskell Indian Nations University is a federally operatedtribal university in Lawrence, Kansas. Founded in 1884 as a residential boarding school for American Indian children, the school has developed as a North Central Association-accredited university that offers both associate and baccalaureate degrees. The college was founded to serve members of federally recognized Native American tribes in the United States.

Enrollment at the campus is nearly 1,000 students per semester, representing approximately 140 Tribal nations and Alaska Native communities. Haskell is funded directly by the Bureau of Indian Education as a U.S. Trust Responsibility to American Indian Tribes. While it does not charge tuition, students are responsible for paying yearly fees.

Twelve campus buildings have been designated as U.S. National Historic Landmarks. Haskell is home to the Haskell Cultural Center and Museum, the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame, the Indian Leader, the oldest American Indian student newspaper in the country, and numerous student clubs and organizations. Faculty and students built the Haskell Medicine Wheel Earthwork in 1992, and the Haskell-Baker Wetlands are important for migrating birds. The renowned Rinehart Collection is housed in the Haskell Cultural Center. Numerous sculptures and murals are located throughout the campus. Haskell also is a member of the American Council on Education, the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, the Higher Learning Commission, and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.

The university hosts cultural and academic events that attract visitors (both American Indian and non-Indian) from across the country and abroad. Such events include the annual Haskell Indian Art Market, the Stories-n-Motion Film Festival, and the Haskell Commencement and Pow-Wow. These public events are held along with numerous educational conferences, workshops, and presentations.

The history of Haskell Indian Nations University reflects both U.S. Indian policy and self-determination efforts by American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Haskell was founded during an era when the federal government believed that Native Americans needed to assimilate into the majority culture in order to survive. To do this, the US government took Native American children from their families and sent them to Native American boarding schools to be educated. In the late 19th century, the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, in Pennsylvania, was seen by many as the epitome of such a school, and so when the United States Congress decreed in 1882 that three new boarding schools should be made in Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma (a plan that would cost $150,000), it was the Carlisle school that served as the model for these soon-to-be-constructed institutions, including Haskell. When Haskell opened in 1884, it went by the name United States Indian Industrial Training School. According to many source, living conditions during the 1880s and 1890s were bad, and students were often physically punished if they failed to follow the rules of the institute.

During the close of the 19th century, according to the university, the early trades for boys included tailoring, wagon making, blacksmithing, harness making, painting, shoe making, and farming, reflecting skills needed in their rural home environments. Girls studied cooking, sewing and homemaking. Most of the students' food was produced on the Haskell farm, and students were expected to work at the school.In 1887, the school changed its name to Haskell Institute in honor or Dudley Haskell, the U.S. Representative from Kansas's 2nd district responsible for the school being located in Lawrence. Under a semi-military system, students wore uniforms, marched to classes and exercised regularly. A few years later, in 1889, Charles T. Meserve was appointed the fifth superintendent in Haskell's five-year history. His discharge of many employees (including the principal teacher) brought criticism from the president of the National Education Association, and his harsh treatment of the students caused them to send four protesting petitions to Washington. A Special Indian Agent, appointed to investigate the incident, whitewashed the whole situation.

By the onset of the 20th century, Haskell had begun to evolve. During this time, after the school applied for and received accreditation as a Kansas high school in 1927, it became famous for its football teams. During the 1960s, the civil rights movement encouraged many at the school to take the reins and reconfigure the school's pedagogical approach to better serve Indian country and Alaska Native communities. In 1965, Haskell graduated its last high school class, and two years later, the school became Haskell Indian Junior College. In the late 1980s, planning began to develop the institution as a bachelor-degree granting university. In 1993, the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, Ada Deer, approved the aforementioned plan, and the institution was once again renamed Haskell Indian Nations University. Haskell offered its first four-year baccalaureate degree program in elementary teacher education. Within a few years, Haskell had developed its own, specialized bachelor's degree program in American Indian Studies; Business Administration and Environmental Sciences degree programs soon followed. At the turn of the 21st century, Haskell had become a Tribal-based university with a curriculum serving general Native American and Alaska Native goals. Today, Haskell's alumni work in numerous areas to serve Indian country and Alaska Native communities.

The Haskell campus has 12 buildings that have been designated as U.S. National Historic Landmarks. In addition to its historic architecture, Haskell is recognized for its collection of public sculptures, murals, photographs, and paintings. Examples include the well-known sculpture, Comrade in Mourning, by Allan Houser.

The Haskell-Baker Wetlands span approximately 640 acres (260 ha) on the south side of the Haskell campus. These wetlands are home to 243 species of birds, 21 species of fish, 22 species of reptiles, and 26 species of plants. This area serves as a feeding and breeding ground for the migratory birds that breed in Canada and migrate to Mexico and South America. The Northern Crawfish Frog is an endangered species and its critical habitat is the wetlands.

Constructed in 1978, Blalock Hall was named in honor of Margaret Blalock, Chippewa,a Haskell alumna, and long-time employee at the college, who was committed to serving the students at Haskell. It is a residential hall for freshman (first year) men and male students transferring from other colleges and universities.

Originally constructed in 1898 and dedicated on March 12, 1899, Hiawatha Hall was named after the historic Onondaga leader of the same name. The hall was built by the United Methodist Church to serve as a campus chapel (although it has also served as a general auditorium and as a girl's gym at various times in the school's history), and today it is the oldest building still standing on the Haskell campus. Hiawatha Hall is currently owned by the federal government and has been closed for decades because the government has not allocated money to pay for necessary repairs—despite the building being on the National Historic Landmarks list.

Osceola and Keokuk Halls are collectively known as "O-K Hall." Constructed in 1884, Osceola and Keokuk served as dormitories for men and women, respectively. Osceola was a famous Seminole warrior, whose name means "Rising Sun." Keokuk, a Sac and Fox whose name means "Watchful Fox," was not a hereditary chief, but recognized for his skillful leadership, force of character, and brilliant oratory. O-K Hall is currently a residential hall for both women and men.

Pocahontas Hall was built in 1931 and was named after the daughter of Powhatan, paramount chief of the Powhatan confederacy. She married English colonist John Rolfe, and they were ancestors to many descendants of First Families of Virginia. It serves as a residential hall for freshman women and female students transferring from other colleges and universities.

Built in 1934, Pontiac Hall was named after an Ottawa chief. It is located immediately south of the main quadrangle.

Powhatan Hall was constructed in 1932 and named after the paramount chief of the Powhatan Confederacy, made up of 30 Algonquian-speaking tribes in coastal Virginia. Originally used for classrooms, it has been adapted as a residential hall, housing Student Residential Assistants (SRS).

Completed in 1997, Roe Cloud Hall was named after Dr. Henry Roe Cloud, a member of the Winnebago Nation. He was the first American Indian superintendent of the Haskell Institute, serving from 1933 to 1935. Dr. Roe Cloud later served in the presidential administrations of Herbert Hoover and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He was a spokesman for American Indian issues and education throughout his life. It is a residential hall for both men and women.

Sequoyah Hall was built in 1961 and named for Sequoyah, the Cherokee who developed a syllabary writing system for the Cherokee language in the early 19th century; this was the first known independent development of a writing system. It lies on the eastern edge of the main quadrangle area.

Built in 1915 as a gymnasium, Tecumseh Hall was named after the Shawnee chief who led an effort to repulse the European-American settlers from Indian territory west of the Appalachian Mountains. It houses the Campus Shoppe, offices of the Student Senate, Student Activities, and the Indian Leader (the campus newspaper).

Originally constructed in 1897, Winona Hall was rebuilt in 1962. The name Winona in Lakota tradition is for daughters who are the first-born child of the family. Winona Hall currently is a co-ed honors residential hall, serving both women and men.

Haskell is home to the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame, which recognizes noted athletes such as John Levi, Jim Thorpe, Moses Yellow Hair, and Billy Mills.

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