What's next for our Native Students in Education?
8:30-9:30 am
Plenary
Mbish
Ballroom D
After spending 40 years in Higher Education, seeing all kinds of programs come and go, seeing all kinds of students growing and becoming more than they thought they could, what have I learned from the past that will help us as educators plan for the future? Join me for a lively discussion of what we have seen in the past that has worked, gone away, and maybe even come back. Bring your ideas for improving the educational world. Things that can be remembered and passed down through the Generations. Let's take off the guardrails that may bind us to conventional thinking and start preparing for a new future for our students. One filled with not only learning reading, writing, and arithmetic, but also including culture, tradition, and values.
Lead By:
Eva Menefee (Oneida of the Thames Band), President, Michigan Indian Education Council (MIEC)
Eva Menefee has spent her entire career working in Higher Education. After she completed a BA in Elementary Education at Michigan State University (MSU), she started her career at MSU as an Assistant Director of Admissions. During her10 years at MSU, she spent five years in Admissions, one year in Academic Advising and four years coordinating the Michigan College University Partnership between MSU and Lansing Community College (LCC). During that time, she was one of the Founders of the Michigan Indian Youth Retreat, which later became the Michigan Indian Leadership Program. Until recently, this program has seen thousands of students find their way to Higher Education. Leaving MSU in 1994, Eva became the Lead Faculty Advisor at LCC. There, she worked with all students, getting them on the correct path to their careers. In her spare time, she was an advisor to the Native American Student Alliance, Chair of the Indigenous People Committee, and worked with many programs in the Multicultural Center.
Now Eva has begun her next journey. She retired from LCC in 2025 and is currently the President of MIEC, a Board member at the Nokomis Cultural Heritage Center, and is the Resident Elder at Michigan State University. Every now and then, you might see her in the Anishnabe Meejim food booth that she has with her husband, Robin.