Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging

From Deficit to Possibility

From Deficit to Possibility: Indigenous Presence at K-State and the IFSA
Engagement: Introductory

This presentation, relevant to students and administrators, will discuss the data on Indigenous students, faculty, and staff at K-State and the formation, mission, and impact of the Indigenous Faculty and Staff Alliance. The presentation will include three segments: 1) an education segment on the numbers and visibility (or lack thereof) of Indigenous people at K-State and a discussion of a gradual shift that's occurred on campus and in the state with the revival of the K-State powwow, the development of the Indigenous Peoples Day symposium, and the resurrection of the Kansas Association of Native American Educators (KANAE); 2) an interactive segment will follow, which will include small group discussions on Indigenous representation at K-State and in the Manhattan community; and 3) a concluding segment in which there will be a ten to fifteen minute open discussion on the events and issues that arose in the presentation and small groups.

Presenters

Victor Andrews Victor Andrews
Ph.D. Student in Kinesiology

Victor Andrews is a member of the Walker River Paiute tribe of Shurz, NV. He is a U.S. Army combat veteran and served in the Kansas Air Force National Guard. Victor is working towards his PhD in Kinesiology with a focus on physical activity to improve health equity in disparate populations.

 

LaVerne Bitsie-Baldwin LaVerne Bitsie-Baldwin
Director, Multicultural Engineering Program

LaVerne Bitsie-Baldwin is director of the Kansas State University College of Engineering Multicultural Engineering Program. She holds an endowed chair, the Dow Directorship for the Multicultural Engineering Program. Bitsie-Baldwin is a member of the Navajo Nation and is originally from Tohatchi, New Mexico. The Multicultural Engineering Program (MEP), established in 1977 as part of the dean's office in the Kansas State University College of Engineering, is a comprehensive program designed to identify, recruit, mentor and graduate Black, Hispanic and Native American students who are enrolled in the college. Bitsie-Baldwin has held this position at K-State since 2005. Bitsie-Baldwin holds a B.A. in mathematics with a minor in secondary education from Fort Lewis College, Durango, Colorado, and an M.S. in mathematics from Kansas State University. She has also completed course requirements for a Ph.D. in the field of geometric topology. Her professional memberships include the Mathematics Association of America, American Society for Engineering Education, and the American Indian Science and Engineering Society.

Dr. Debra Bolton Dr. Debra Bolton
Director of Intercultural Learning and Academic Success
Diversity and Multicultural Student Affairs

Dr. Debra Bolton (Ohkay Owingeh/Diné/Ute) is director of intercultural learning and academic success and faculty member in the department of geography and geospatial sciences at Kansas State University, plays a key role in fostering cultural advocacy, civility and intercultural learning through education to address historical exclusions of multiple identities socially and academically. Intercultural learning and development includes LGBT Resource Center with Dr. Brandon Haddock. In addition, Intercultural Learning addresses emotional and physical safety, with campus collaborators, through Safe Zone workshops and ally training. Previously, Bolton served as an extension specialist for K-State Research and Extension for 13.5 years and as an adult educator for 12 years based in Southwest Kansas. She continues her passion for research by leading a multistate research group in community research in multilingual populations focused on leadership, education, health, well-being, community integration and social networks.

Bolton, a National Geographic Society Explorer, introduces geospatial analysis and geography to high school-aged females of color, a grossly under-represented population in the geosciences and other STEM disciplines.

Dr. Alex Red Corn Dr. Alex Red Corn
 Assistant Professor and Coordinator for Indigenous Partnerships, Educational Leadership

Alex Red Corn (Ed.D) is a citizen of the Osage Nation, where he is a member of the Tsi.zhu.wah.shtah.geh (Gentle Sky/Peacekeeper) clan, with family roots in the Wa.ha.xolin district near Pawhuska, Oklahoma (USA). In the College of Education at Kansas State University, he serves as an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership, Coordinator of Indigenous Partnerships, Co-Chair of the Indigenous Faculty and Staff Alliance, and Executive Director of the Kansas Association for Native American Education (KANAE) and Program Coordinator for the Qualitative Methods Graduate Certificate. His scholarship and service is focused on building capacities for Native nations to take on a more prominent role in the education of their citizens. As a member of the College of Education faculty, he developed a partnership program with the Osage Nation that has graduated a cohort of Osage leaders with a master’s degree in Educational leadership, and has recently coordinating a second cohort pacing to graduate in Fall 2020. Dr. Red Corn also teaches courses in qualitative methods, specializing in critical Indigenous approaches to research and autoethnography.