Academic Service
Professor Shaawano Chad Uran (White Earth Anishinaabe)
AIISP bids a fond farewell to Dr. Shaawano Chad Uran (White Earth Anishinaabe), who will be departing Cornell for a position as Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at Bemidji State University in the heart of Ojibwe territory. Dr. Uran has taught a myriad of courses in AIIS, Anthropology, American Studies, English, Jewish Studies, and the Prison Education Program since joining Cornell in Fall 2015. He has been particularly dedicated to the teaching of first-year writing seminars; matters of Indigenous representation in film, music, and imagery; and exploring the use of zombie fiction to understand Indigeneity and colonialism. Dr. Uran also led an anishinaabemowin language teaching circle and served as AIISP faculty fellow. We wish Shaawano the best success and fulfillment in his new position!
Professor Jonathan Butcher
AIISP is greatly appreciative to Professor Jonathan Butcher for his dedication to increasing the number of Native American and Indigenous students in the STEM fields. Professor Butcher has gone out of his way to speak to prospective Indigenous undergraduate students about bioengineering and other STEM fields. He has reached out to Indigenous health and STEM leaders to brainstorm initiatives to increase the representation of Native American and Indigenous people in STEM-related initiatives at the undergraduate, graduate, faculty, and community level. Thank you, Professor Butcher!
Cornell University and Indigenous Dispossession Project
AIISP is extremely grateful to those faculty and staff members who have served on the Cornell University and Indigenous Dispossession Project: Professor Eric Cheyfitz, Professor Kurt Jordan, Professor Jane Mt. Pleasant, Professor Jeff Palmer, Dr. Meredith Palmer, Professor Jon Parmenter, Dr. Ula Piasta-Mansfield, Professor Troy Richardson, and Professor Jolene Rickard. The faculty committee has put in long hours developing content for the project’s blog site, strategizing about how to approach the Cornell administration and those Nations affected by Cornell’s past and present landholding activities, and determining the best ways to publicize Cornell’s ties to Indigenous dispossession and its responsibilities in the present.
We also thank the other people who have contributed to the blog, including Dusti Bridges, Maria Castex, Professor Paul Fleming, Kimberly Fuqua, Dr. Charles Geisler, the Native American and Indigenous Students at Cornell (NAISAC), Dr. David Strip, Dr. Shaawano Chad Uran, Dr. Fred Wien, and Professor Michael Witgen.
Director of Graduate Studies
Professor Troy Richardson (Saponi, Ska꞉rù꞉ręʼ/Tuscarora)
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Professor Eric Cheyfitz
AIISP also recognizes the dedication of Professors Eric Cheyfitz, Karim-Aly Kassam, and Jolene Rickard for their participation in the Faculty Senate’s working groups for the Antiracism Initiative commissioned by President Pollack.
Graduate Research Assistant
Dusti Bridges (PhD student in Anthropology)
Dusti Bridges has provided research assistance to the Cornell University and Indigenous Dispossession Committee throughout the 2020-2021 academic year, including acting as a Graduate Research Assistant to the project in Spring 2021. Dusti has provided invaluable help with geographical information systems (GIS) data, map-making, and research on the histories of those Indigenous Nations affected by Cornell’s actions. The project would be much less farther along without her assistance. Thanks, Dusti!
Graduate Teaching Assistants
Kaitlin LaGrasta – AIIS 1100 Indigenous North America
Nick Perez – AIIS 1110 Indigenous Issues in Global Perspectives
Undergraduate Teaching Assistants
Annabel Young (Ojibwe) – AIIS 1100 Indigenous North America
