Instructional Leadership, emphasis: K-12 School Leadership (MEd)
Native American students talk outside of the NAU Native American Cultural Center.
  1. NAU
  2. Our impact
  3. Commitment to Native Americans

Empowering Native American traditions for a better world

From local to global, NAU inspires and empowers Indigenous peoples.

Student sits on couch and looks at tablet.

Commitment to Indigenous Peoples

In honor of the unique sovereign status of Indigenous Peoples and the sacred land on which the university was built, NAU will advance intentional recruitment; culturally responsive educational opportunities and programming; support for faculty, staff, and students; and mutually beneficial partnerships that promote educational attainment and opportunities for Indigenous Peoples and communities.

The inside of the Native American Cultural Center.

NAU’s Native American Cultural Center

Located in the heart of campus, the building serves as a gathering space for Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian students. It is a place to celebrate culture and build community.

Nikki Cooley stands on a staircase

Preparing culturally relevant health professionals

Nikki Cooley, alumna and assistant director of NAU’s Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals, is an Indigenous scientist and educator. She draws strength from her ancestor’s past as she works to address future climate change challenges.

Read full story
Manley Begay holds a chart and stands with mountain peaks behind him

To build an Indigenous nation

In his nearly 30-year career, Manley Begay Jr., EdD, has worked with more than 500 different Indigenous nations spanning the globe, getting to know diverse Native leaders and helping them build the strength to face the challenges of the modern era.

Students sitting in a hotel lobby discussing textbooks.

Elevating K-12 education

Innovative teacher professional development has an impact on student success. The NAU Diné Institute for Navajo Nation Educators is a partnership with Yale University and the Navajo Nation to strengthen curriculum and culturally responsive teaching in K-12 tribal schools.

NAU student Autumn Begay looks at a native sculpture

Student grounded by roots, community

Autumn Begay, ’22, found her home away from home at NAU’s Native American Cultural Center (NACC).

Woman wearing a lab coat pouring liquid into a beaker.

Seneca biochemist working on HIV and opioid vaccines

At NAU, research leaders like chemical biologist Naomi Lee, PhD (Seneca), explore, discover, and work to find solutions to the most critical health challenges facing Arizona and the world today. Is it possible to have a vaccine to prevent HIV or treat opioid addiction?

Jonathan Martin sitting outside with his laptop.

Honoring heritage in forest management

Assistant Professor of Forestry, Jonathan Martin (Navajo/Diné), teaches about how tribes are now engaging in cross-boundary forest management treatments. Acknowledging the benefits of the land is key for good forest management, he says.

Students in lab coats working in a lab.

Hands-on research to prevent disease

Students learn alongside some of the world’s leading microbiologists and genomics experts who identify superbugs through DNA sequencing and track pathogens to study deadly outbreaks.

Jayne Sandoval sitting outside with her laptop.

Environmental science protecting Indigenous health

The Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) at Northern Arizona University was awarded a five-year cooperative agreement by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to help tribes safely manage pesticides.

Creating a home away from home

Ora Marek-Martinez sits in front of the NAU Native American Cultural Center

Ora Marek-Martinez, BA Anthropology and History, ’01; MA Applied Cultural Anthropology, ’03, offers boundless support for Indigenous students at NAU.

Land acknowledgement

Two Native American women sitting in a field.

Northern Arizona University sits at the base of the San Francisco Peaks, on homelands sacred to Native Americans throughout the region. We honor their past, present, and future generations, who have lived here for millennia and will forever call this place home.