Montana State University Northern

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Action Plan
Recommendations Action Plan Next Steps Person Responsible Implementation Date

Recommendation 1:
Establish and share American Indian student retention and completion goals

Utilize current assessment process to determine goals for next year’s retention and completion.

Evaluate goal attainment for the 24-25 academic year.

Identify areas of improvement.

Develop institution-wide goals for 25-26 academic year that are in alignment with those of LRI.		 Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management November 2025 (following Fall 2025 census)

Recommendation 2:
Senior Point of Contact

 Identify a senior leader on campus to provide context and advocacy related to the impact of university policy on American Indian students. Conduct a needs assessment for Northern’s American Indian students given the loss of the Center for Diversity Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management Fall 2025

Recommendation 3:

Assign departmental points of contact who have the unique cultural perspective to serve American Indian students most effectively in the areas of:

  • Financial Aid
  • Residence Life and Housing
  • Students Health
  • Registrar
  • Human Resources
  • Advising
  • Employment and Career Services
  • Library

and provide resources to these individuals so they have the tools needed to best serve Northern’s American Indian students.

 

 Make available a tool kit of resources for points of contact on campus. Begin populating the tool kit with currently available resources.

Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management

Points of Contact

a) Financial Aid: Director, Lourdes Caven

b) Residence Life and Housing: Taryn Wallon, Interim Dean of Students

c) Student Health: Wanda Meredith

 Fall 2025

Recommendation 4:
Collect/Share/Analyze quantitative and qualitative data to guide and improve American Indian enrollment and student success

 Develop a strategy among stakeholders across campus for addressing one identified gap in American Indian student success. Student success indicators of focus may include credit accumulation, credit completion ratios, retention and persistence, or completion.

Utilize dashboards posted at https://www.msun.edu/ir/PDP-About.aspx to identify areas for improvement in student success as compared with benchmark institutions.

 

Align with activities in Recommendation 1.

 Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management September 2025

Recommendation 5:

Include American Indian voice in the search process when hiring campus leaders and assess leadership candidate’s knowledge and experience working with American Indian students, faculty and staff.

 Provide increased opportunities for American Indian student, faculty, and staff to serve on search committees and/or attend search candidate presentations and receptions. Develop an outreach plan to encourage participation in search committees among American Indian members of the campus community as well as American Indian individuals across the region and within tribal communities  Director of Human Resources September 2025

Recommendation 6:
Professional Development in the areas of Indian Education for All, American Indian culture and cultural sensitivity and the history of Montana’s First Peoples

 Provide access to educational resources through the Human Resources page. Identify opportunities for live presentations/professional development. Identify presenters from the local community and discuss educational topics to be presented. Director of Human Resources December 2025

Recommendation 7:
Incorporate professional development in all new employee orientation – including faculty.

 MSU-Northern’s provides American Indian-related professional development through a presentation given to all employees at faculty and staff orientation each Fall. This includes new and continuing employees. Fall 2025 Workshop led by Amy Stiffarm, Director of Native American Initiatives at Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies – “Cultural Safety for Educators in Montana” Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management August 2025 - Completed