Our History
As current Native students of Purdue University, we firmly believe that the creation of a Native American student center will collectively contribute to Native student success, Purdue's mission to enrich the student and cultural dynamics, and most critical, students will have the capacity to become lead candidates in contributing to Tribal needs and cultivating the notion of Tribal sovereignty.
- Purdue University Native American graduate students Kimberle Davis, Jeremy Garcia, Hollie Kulago, Aleeah Livengood, and Valerie Shirley (Spring 2006)
The NAECC was created to develop new generations of educated Native students who will make positive contributions in their tribal communities and to educate non-Natives who will appreciate Indigenous cultures, histories, and traditions. The foundation of the NAECC is credited to Native graduate students and Native and non-Native faculty and staff who collaborated to form the Tecumseh Project.
NAECC Timeline
| Date | Project |
|---|---|
| 2006 | Formation of the Tecumseh Project |
| March 2007 | NAECC established, doors opened on (insert specific date) |
| Spring 2007 | SIGP Program established |
| January 2010 | NAECC moves under the Division of Diversity and Inclusion, Office of the Provost |
| August 2016 | NAECC moves to new location at University Street & Fifth Street |
| 2017 | NAECC celebrates 10 th Anniversary on campus |
Tecumseh Project
In the spirit of the great Shawnee leader, Tecumseh, and his vision of a coalition of Native people that control their own destiny, the Tecumseh Project was developed through grass-roots effort by Purdue students, faculty and staff to create a community of Native scholars at Purdue University. This initiative focused on building partnerships between Purdue University and Native communities as well as Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) and other Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs). The mission of the Tecumseh Project was to assist graduate students in developing research projects on Native lands and within their tribal communities.