Symposium will explore how tribal nations can benefit Alaska

November 8, 2016

An academic forum on how Alaska Native communities can increase their capacity for self-government and sustainable community development will bring together tribal representatives, Alaska Native leaders and university officials this month.

The Tribal Government Symposium will run from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Nov. 15–17 at the Westmark Hotel in Fairbanks. The event is expected to draw more than 200 people from across Alaska.

The symposium is hosted by the University of Alaska Fairbanks' College of Rural and Community Development and its tribal management program, the University of Arizona’s Native Nation Institute, Tanana Chiefs Conference and the Casey Family Programs.

“We are pleased to host diverse stakeholders on a critical topic that impacts the future of Alaska communities and indigenous nations,” said Evon Peter, UAF vice chancellor for rural, community and Native education.

“The symposium will examine how healthy Alaska Native tribes benefit all Alaskans and provide opportunities for students to learn about current issues facing Alaska and its more than 200 federally recognized tribes," said UAF Professor Jessica Black, the symposium organizer. "The Tribal Government Symposium provides a unique academic arena for stakeholders to have meaningful conversations about how to integrate traditional values into modern leadership.”

Keynote speakers include Stephen Cornell, Richard (Chalyee Éesh) Peterson and Jack F. Trope.

Cornell is faculty chair of the Native Nations Institute at the University of Arizona as well as a professor of sociology and affiliate faculty in the James E. Rogers College of Law. Before joining the University of Arizona faculty, he was a sociology professor at Harvard University and co-founded the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development. Cornell was honored with the Public Sector Leadership Award of the National Congress of American Indians in 2010 for groundbreaking research and technical assistance benefiting Native nations.

Peterson is Tlingit from the Kaagwaantaan clan. After a unanimous vote of more than 100 delegates, he was elected to his second term as president of the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. Peterson has received numerous awards for his leadership and dedication to preserving culture and community, including the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development’s Native American 40 Under 40 award.

Trope is the senior director for the Casey Family Programs, where he focuses on tribal access to the Title IV-E Foster Care and Adoption Assistance programs and improving child welfare outcomes for children and families in state and tribal systems. He has worked on Indian child welfare matters since 1985.

The symposium features panels of UAF professors, tribal leaders, tribal elders, and Alaska Native corporation and nonprofit leaders. Topics include Alaska Native nation building; traditional and modern governance and decision-making; how tribal sovereignty benefits the Indian Child Welfare Act; and integrating traditional knowledge and culture into tribal governance. Small group work sessions will build solutions together.

Symposium participants can earn one academic credit from UAF’s tribal management program. For more about the Tribal Government Symposium or the tribal management program, visit http://tribalmgmt.uaf.edu/gov16. For more about the UAF College of Rural and Community Development and its more than 40 degree and certificate programs, visit www.uaf.edu/rural/ or call 907-474-7143 or 866-478-2721.

Download a flier for the event here.