This collection documents the development, administration, and programming of American Indian history, culture, and education initiatives at South Dakota State University from 1989 to 2012, with the strongest concentration from the early 1990s through the mid 2000s. The materials include planning and administrative records for the Annual SDSU Conference on American Indian History and Culture and related history conferences, such as programs, minutes, correspondence, funding and grant documentation, participant lists, themes, and historical overviews. Conference content is represented through recordings and documentation of keynote addresses, panel sessions, student paper presentations, and special lectures featuring Indigenous scholars, community leaders, and students. The collection also contains materials from the Consider the Century programs, including extensive audiovisual recordings and speaker documentation spanning multiple years, as well as curricular and outreach materials related to American Indian Studies courses, service learning programs, leadership forums, student success initiatives, and campus based Native American cultural programming. Supplementary materials include posters, handouts, brochures, syllabi, compact discs, and audiovisual media documenting discussions of history, culture, education, health, leadership, and contemporary Native American issues.
The collection documents long term efforts at South Dakota State University to support Indigenous scholarship, education, and public engagement through conferences, lectures, and academic programs. It offers valuable evidence of institutional collaboration with Native communities, the evolution of conference themes and funding sources, and the participation of Indigenous scholars, students, and leaders in shaping academic and cultural discourse. Researchers will find the materials useful for studying the history of American Indian academic programming, Indigenous representation in higher education, and the role of conferences and public forums in promoting Native history and contemporary issues in the Upper Midwest.
