TESTIMONIALS

Institute Participants' comments on their experiences:

• NINLHE has been such a positive experience in my professional career. I tell everyone who works with American Indian students that they should consider attending at least one Institute. To be honest, I have learned more attending the three years of the Institute, than I have in the eight years of being in my position. There is not alot of practical information available when it comes to working with American Indian students, there is the basic information but not the details that I desire.
• NINLHE puts Native American front and center in the context of academic and student affairs.
• An essential! This is the only institute of its kind and it certainly fills a need!
• I did not feel I was qualified or "in touch" enough with the Native population. NINLHE helped me be more prepared for my role on the recruitment committee.
• NINLHE plays a crucial role due to the lack of other professional conferences and institutes. It provides a great platform for Native professionals to gather ideas and share information.
• It's the only conference I go to where I don't feel left out.
• NINLHE enriches participants with pragmatic and relevant educational theory and practices regarding Native American students, thus developing leadership and agents of change at each individual institution.
• I believe the most practical outcome for me is confidence. I am now better able to do my job.
• It is inspiring to meet and interact with Natives who are involved, educated and capable.
• Attending the Institute was a tranformative experience as a non-Native ally. It offered me a chance to learn more about Indigenous theories, models, and perspectives. It also helped me be more clear and focused about my own cultural perspectives.
• The network of people I met at, and through NINLHE, has been invaluable. This group of friends and colleagues are doing some truly amazing things. The Serving Native American Students: New Directions for Student Services (NDSS) monograph, and the Indigenous Peoples Knowledge Community (IPKC in the National Association of Student Personnel Administration or NASPA), and the Summit at the National Museum of the American Indian were all directly products or heavily influenced by those who have had the opportunity to take part in the Institute.
• The NINLHE Institute provides non-natives with a gentle, cultural introduction to Native higher education and Native higher education professionals. The inclusive and collaborative atmosphere empowers and inspires them to work with us and for Native students.