UIC Native American Support Program marks 55‑year legacy
UIC Native American Support Program marks 55‑year legacy
The Native American Support Program at UIC is one of the longest‑running student‑support programs on campus. Now it’s expanding its reach by building on decades of leadership, community connection and student success.
The program, founded 55 years ago, has formed strong partnerships with local and national organizations, including the Chicago American Indian Community Collaborative, a network of 17 Native American organizations in the Chicago area whose founder, Louis Delgado, was a UIC alum.
On campus, the Native American Support Program is a central gathering space for Native students from many tribal nations. The program’s office is in the Student Services Building, 1200 W. Harrison St., Suite 2700.
The program offers academic and career coaching, plus culturally relevant activities on campus such as its annual Heritage Days, powwows and regular lectures.
To celebrate its legacy, the program has begun an oral history project that will document its 55‑year history through interviews and extensive archives.
“There are hundreds of tribes represented here in Chicago,” said Zoë Harris, interim associate director of the program and a citizen of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe. “We’re a very intertribal community, so that means that people are always bringing different perspectives to the work that we do.”