Corn Stalks

American Indian & Indigenous Studies at Cornell

Our Mission

As Cornell University's American Indian and Indigenous Studies Program (AIISP), our mission is to aid the development of new generations of educated Indigenous and non-Indigenous people who will contemplate, study and contribute to the building of Indigenous nations and communities on a global scale.

We are extradisciplinary.

AIISP boasts a unique multidisciplinary minors available to undergraduate and graduate students in all programs at Cornell. Developed by a diverse array of faculty across subjects from anthropology to fiber science to natural resources, American Indian and Indigenous Studies (AIIS) courses allow you to explore the complex histories and contemporary situations of North American and other Indigenous communities. Further, AIIS courses incorporate community-approved dimensions of Indigenous knowledge, which typically are more holistic than Western disciplinary models for research. Beyond being interdisciplinary, AIIS coursework is extradisciplinary.

We support Indigenous students.

As a student support unit, AIISP continues to develop recruitment and retention practices to enable North American and other Indigenous students to complete their academic programs at Cornell and reach their educational goals. Along with a full-time student support specialist, our diverse faculty and staff provide unique opportunities for research, engagement and social connection throughout students' academic careers and beyond. Our program house, Akwe:kon, serves not only as a residence but also as a cultural and community center.

We provide student leadership opportunities.

As a cross-college program, we have experience and access to prestigious opportunities like the McNair Scholars Program, the Udall Undergraduate Scholarship and the Newberry Consortium in American Indian Studies. Along with the rich resources that come with the world-renowned Cornell network, we offer a peer mentoring program, community tutoring program, Leadership Development Spotlight Series, enrichment and experiential funding, student employment opportunities and encourage involvement with the many AIISP-affiliated student organizations.

We aid the autonomy and sustainability of Indigenous communities.

We continually work to build the intellectual foundation for the resurgence of Indigenous Nations and communities through scholarship and research. Our community outreach programs facilitate learning through community partnerships and a dialogue grounded in Indigenous culture.

Who we are, and what we do...

Let's connect

American Indian & Indigenous Studies Program

121 Reservoir Ave, 450 Caldwell Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853

Located on the Ag Quad. Fourth floor of Caldwell Hall
Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm

Email: aiisp [at] cornell.edu (aiisp[at]cornell[dot]edu)

Socials: @AIISPcornell
Phone: (607) 255-6587
Fax: (607) 255-6246

Photograph of a man in traditional oneida attire standing next to a woman in a blue suit at a podium signing papers.
Our Faculty

AIIS faculty's expertise spans multiple fields from anthropology to art to natural resources. Faculty expertise clusters in Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) studies, and in a variety of other historical and contemporary Indigenous issues across the globe.

Photo of one woman talking to a group of young students all wearing sweatshirts in front of a large gray house.
Our Staff

The American Indian and Indigenous Studies Program staff, with offices located on the fourth floor of Caldwell Hall, facilitate community with an array of programs and events, provide support, and aid in the academic success of our students.

Alumni at the CNAAA breakfast
Our Alumni

Our alumni network is an ever-expanding community of scholars and professionals in a plethora of fields. While our alumni are located all across the world, they are continually connected through their shared Cornell experience.

Support AIISP

To support AIISP, please submit the gift form following these instructions:

  1. Fill-in required information.
  2. On "gift designation," select College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.
  3. On "other gift designation," type American Indian and Indigenous Studies Program.

Latest news

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Medicinal garden at Onondaga Nation School grows opportunity

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Members of the Onondaga Conservation Club standing in front of Temperance Hall on the Onondaga Nation, circa 1919.

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Indigenous women in home economics featured in exhibit
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Student model simulating water circulation and leachate movement at Seneca Meadows landfill. Photo by Angel Selenis.

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Michael Charles ’16, a citizen of the Navajo Nation and assistant professor, outside Akwe:kon, a residence hall devoted to Indigenous cultures, where Charles lived as an undergraduate at Cornell. Photo by Jason Koski.

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With research and data, professor empowers Indigenous communities

For Michael Charles '16, citizen of the Navajo Nation, his research and advocacy are inseparable – and his lab is generating data to help Indigenous communities advocate for and govern themselves.

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Two men, in a green and grey jacket, speak with two students.

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Through community, Indigenous students thrive in STEM

Indigenous students in STEM are creating community and working to increase representation and visibility – all while bringing valuable cultural insights and a community-focus to their academic work.

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Cornell's Commitment to Indigenous Communities and Nations in North America

Education

As a leading research university with a mission to “discover, preserve and disseminate knowledge, to educate the next generation of global citizens,” Cornell has established educational programs and partnerships specifically geared toward meeting this goal for Indigenous students. These include pre-college programs for high school youth and dedicated university staff to assist prospective students navigating the admissions and financial aid process. Once enrolled, Cornell offers Indigenous students academic guidance and support from a committed community of staff, faculty and peers from across campus, including those affiliated with the American Indian and Indigenous Studies Program (AIISP). To recruit Indigenous graduate students, the university also actively partners with AIISP and the Graduate School. Cornell participates in off-campus programs, such as the national and regional conferences of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES), and has hosted on-campus programs for Indigenous students from across the United States to preview the graduate experience.

Research

The university’s commitment to inquiry and research conducted by Indigenous scholars and related to Indigenous Nations and communities, both local and global, is evident across the university. Recent examples range from using radiocarbon dating methods to revise the chronology of Indigenous settlements between the 15th and 17th centuries in what is now New York state, to examining Alaska’s Indigenous history, to studying Indigenous textiles and apparel.

Engagement

From efforts focused on preserving and documenting endangered Indigenous languages in New York state, to developing culturally appropriate landscapes for Indigenous community housing, to understanding how traditional ecological knowledge can inform sustainability solutions, Cornell faculty, staff and students actively engage with Indigenous community partners to identify needs and develop solutions together.

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