University of Arizona Center to Help Lead National Indigenous Language Revitalization Efforts

By Kyle Mittan

Photo courtesy of AILDI

A new center at the University of Arizona is one of only four designated by the U.S. Department of Education (Department) to lead a collective effort to empower tribal communities across the country to revitalize and maintain their languages.

A five-year grant of $1.7 million from the Department began funding the new West Region Native American Language Resource Center in the fall. 

The new center, administratively housed in the university’s American Indian Language Development Institute, is one of four inaugural centers doing similar work at other institutions. The others are a national center at the University of Hawaii and three regional centers at the University of Oregon and Little Priest Tribal College in Winnebago, Nebraska. The U of A center will primarily serve Indigenous communities in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah.

College of Education Program Serving Arizona’s Native American Communities Gets $1.2M Boost

By Kyle Mittan

Chris Richards/University of Arizona

A University of Arizona College of Education program that provides mentorship and educational resources to Arizona’s Indigenous communities will extend its reach thanks to a $1.2 million grant from the Arizona Department of Education.

The Native Student Outreach, Access and Resiliency program, better known as Native SOAR, emphasizes Indigenous teaching and knowledge. Over the course of 10 weeks, the program allows UArizona students from any major to spend about three to four hours a week mentoring middle and high students across Arizona and teaching them about attending college, cultural resiliency, leadership skills and identity exploration.