Augsburg College celebrated its 6th
Annual Pow Wow on March 29 at the Augsburg campus. This year’s event
was again hosted by the Augsburg Indigenous Student Association and
the Augsburg American Indian Student Support Services Program also
receives support from various program offices within the college
including the Office of the President.
Approximately 1,500 people attended
the event, including dancers, drummers and both local and national
vendors. The bleachers were filled with families and community
members to participate, not only in the pow wow, but, in two honoring
ceremonies. Augsburg undergraduate and graduate students who
graduated were honored with a blanket ceremony.
Augsburg College also gave a ceremony
of appreciation and gratitude to the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux
Community for its most recent and generous donation of $250,000. The
donation was added to the current Shakopee Endowed Scholarship Fund,
established in 1991. To date, this fund assisted over 75 Native
American students attending Augsburg College.
On behalf of all those involved with
our request to SMSC, we are absolutely thrilled and extremely
appreciative of this most generous gift. The SMSC, once again,
serves as a shining example of its ongoing commitment in the area of
“cradle to career” educational opportunities in our native
communities, and in our case – of providing – scholarship support
to American Indian Students seeking degree completion at Augsburg
College.
Bonnie Wallace is a Fond du Lac
Band of Lake Superior Chippewa citizen, former Director of the
American Indian Student Support Program (1978-1996) and seven year
member of the Board of Regents.
