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More than 60 directors and managers representing Native nations in Arizona and First Nations in Canada participated in NAU’s most recent Tribal Leadership Initiative (TLI) executive education session April 16-18.

Work session topics included interactive lectures and case studies on “Indigenous Nation-Building Renaissance: Keys to Success,” “What Really Works: Achieving Sustained Business Success,” “Effective Negotiations: Dispute Resolution Strategies” and “Making Tribal Programs Work” for strategic thinking, problem-solving and decision-making.

“Tribal directors and managers play an integral role – each and every day – in strengthening Native nations and communities. The TLI session provided additional tools for them to use in the nation-building process, tools that contribute to an ever-expanding circle of sovereignty and self-determination in Indian Country,” said Chad Hamill, vice president for the Office of Native American Initiatives.

NAU established the TLI 2014 in response to indigenous leaders’ requests for a leadership institute to help strengthen Indigenous leadership now and in the future. The TLI is a multi-component program dedicated to expanding the capacities of Indigenous communities. It aims to strengthen political, economic and educational structures during a time of unprecedented self-determination across Native nations and to develop and support leaders.

The next executive education session is scheduled for July and will be geared specifically toward Native chief executives, chairmen, presidents, chiefs and council members. Native nations may request separate seminars by contacting Manley A. Begay Jr.  at manley.begay@nau.edu. For more information on TLI executive education sessions, visit the Office of Native American Initiatives website.

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A need to develop leaders who can navigate the fast-changing landscape of higher education has led to a new partnership between Northern Arizona University and The Chair Academy, a Mesa Community College-based organization that offers leadership development programs for college and university faculty and administrators.

Under the partnership agreement, participants who complete The Chair Academy’s Foundation Academy Program can apply the credits to a graduate certificate or a master’s degree in community college and higher education leadership at NAU. The partnership brings together two organizations with a long history of developing cutting-edge leadership programs in higher education.

“This agreement is a natural next step for our very productive relationship, which is based on a shared passion for training the higher education leaders of tomorrow,” President Rita Cheng said. “The new generation of presidents, deans and chairs must be well-equipped to lead and thrive in an era where rapid change is truly our new normal, and the shared dynamic and rigorous curriculum of this program recognizes the complex issues we face.”

According to the American Association of Community Colleges, half of the 1,100 community college presidents in the United States may retire during the next decade. Leaders at all colleges and universities face challenges as traditional higher education business models change due to disruptive technologies, increased demands and limited public funding.

“The Chair Academy is honored to partner with NAU and share our mission of advancing academic and administrative leadership,” said Rose Marie Sloan, chief executive officer of The Chair Academy. “Our goal is to provide relevant, learner-centered training and professional development for higher education leaders that is engaging, meaningful and practical. This agreement is a positive step forward in implementing our collective vision of developing transformational leaders globally and influencing positive change.”

Students completing The Chair Academy may be eligible to enroll in up to six credit hours of NAU graduate education credit. For more information on earning NAU graduate-level credit for Chair Academy leadership training, contact Richard Heath at richard.heath@nau.edu or call (928) 775-4567.

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Kudos to these students

 Do you have a spotlight item to share with the NAU community?

E-mail your announcements to Inside@nau.edu, or use our online submission form.

  • NAU Track and Field's Ashley Taylor and Tyler DayOn Monday, Tyler Day and Ashley Taylor were named the Big Sky Conference men’s and women’s track athletes of the week for their performance at the Payton Jordan Invitational. Day recorded the best time in the nation in the men’s 10,000-meter race while Taylor recorded the second-best time in the Big Sky Conference in the women’s 800-meter dash.
  • Undergraduate student researcher Austin Dikeman received four awards last month: the Barry Goldwater Scholarship, NAU award of excellence in undergraduate inquiry and creativity, a Paul A. Sciame scholarship and a third-place finish at NAU UGRADS for her bacterial infection research with the Pathogen and Microbiome Institute. Dikeman will also be completing an internship in Paris this summer at the Marie Curie Institute.
  • The Cline Library research librarians recognized presenters at the Undergraduate Symposium for their outstanding efforts. Those recognized are Zachary Barrand, James Potvin, Daniel Valencia, Julian Herring, Naser Alosaimi, Justin McCallin, Matthew Sussman, Jalando Edison, Selena Arandia, Amanda King, Jennifer Luzader, Ryane Jerger, Gage Holcomb, Madison Anglin, Dulce Alfaro, Rene Quinteros and Elora Palmer.
  • Daniel Berzins won the Bachelor of University Studies award for outstanding capstone presentation at the Spring 2018 Undergraduate Symposium held on April 27. His poster presentation reviewed research on plants and naturally occurring compounds that can be used to reduce the risk of cancer.
  • Northern Arizona men’s tennis juniors Tim Handel, Lucas Taylor and Thomas Fisher garnered All-Conference accolades after concluding the season 9-2 and finishing with a second-place mark. Handel, a Reutlingen, Germany, native, also was voted the Big Sky’s Most Valuable Player for the second straight year.

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Kudos to these staff and faculty

 Do you have a spotlight item to share with the NAU community?

E-mail your announcements to Inside@nau.edu, or use our online submission form.

  • History professor Michael Amundson’s book “Talking Machine West: Tin Pan Alley’s Western Recordings, 1902-1918” received the Ray and Pat Browne award for best reference/primary source book of the year in popular and American culture from the Popular Culture Association. His article “Seeing Arizona, Imagining Mars: Deserts, Canals, Global Climate Change, and the American West” was awarded the C.L. Sonnichsen award for best article of the year by the Journal of Arizona History.
  • Christopher Taylor, coordinator for the Beasley Art Gallery foundations, was selected to participate in the Serlachius residency program in Finland. He will spend one month in residency during 2019, where he will collaborate with local artists, researchers and curators on community-based projects.
  • Edith Copley, director of choral studies, recently conducted a 350-voice National Youth Choir at Carnegie Hall’s Isaac Stein main stage. Copley will travel to Kansas City in February to serve as the interest session chair for the American Choral Directors Association’s national conference before returning to Carnegie Hall in March.
  • Comparative cultural studies professor Zsuzsanna Gulácsi received the Getty Residential Scholar grant. She will work at the Getty Villa during the summer of 2019 on her project: “DURA FROM THE EAST: Iranian impact on the formation of religious arts across the trade routes of the Asian continent during the 3rd-6thcenturies CE.”
  • Fredericka Stoller, professor of applied linguistics, and William Grabe, regent’s professor of applied linguistics, had their book “Teaching English to second language learners in academic contexts: Reading, writing, listening, speaking” published. The pair co-edited the book, which features articles written by both of them.

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Several Northern Arizona University faculty members have completed the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) certificate in effective college instruction.

NAU offered the program to further enhance faculty’s members’ teaching skills. Thirty-nine participants completed 25 rigorous modules equivalent to a 3-credit graduate course. Participants were provided with transferable tips and tools to improve different aspects of teaching. This training is part of a partnership between ACUE and NAU.

“Congratulations to the successful participants, whose dedication to this intense curriculum alongside existing responsibilities is impressive,” President Rita Cheng said. “It speaks to their commitment to strengthening teaching and learning as we strive to enhance our students’ success. ACUE continues to be a great partner in NAU’s mission of providing a high-quality education to our all of our students.”

Program participants spanned multiple departments across various aspects of NAU.

College of Arts and Letters

  • Cathryn Ellis
  • George Speer
  • James Leve
  • Stacy Murison
  • Yuly Asencion Delaney

College of Education

  • Ishmael Munene
  • Marti Canipe
  • Rebecca Campbell

College of Engineering, Forestry and Natural Sciences

  • Adonna Rometo
  • Ana Araya-Anchetta
  • Bruce Fox
  • David John
  • Fethuye Ozis
  • Mar-Elise Hill
  • Mohamed Elwakil
  • Sharon Cardenas
  • Xi Zhou

College of Health and Human Services

  • Holly Aungst
  • Jeffrey Foucrier
  • Kortney Zesiger

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

  • Amy Dryden
  • Janina Fenigsen
  • Jason Whetten
  • Leila Monaghan

The W. A. Franke College of Business

  • Eric Yordy
  • Jenny Staskey
  • Kevin Aguas
  • Leonard Hostetter
  • Lisa Hewes
  • Margaret Dunfee
  • Mark Molinaro
  • Shirley Navarro
  • Theresa Bierer

Honors College

  • Cassandra Dakan

Extended Campuses

  • Jason Myrowitz
  • Rosalicia Cordova
  • Ruth Whisler

E-Learning Center

  • Flower Darby

Academic Transition Programs

  • Shawna Bowen

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Did you know about 9 percent of trips in Flagstaff are made by bike, which is much higher than the national average of just .8 percent? During Bike to School and Work Week, which runs May 20-25, you are encouraged to contribute to that high statistic by leaving your car parked and dusting off your bike for your work or school commute.

Participate in various fun events throughout the week to celebrate bicycles and the biking community. Shop the Bike Bazaarin Heritage Square, take advantage of sponsored breakfast stations across Flagstaff, conquer the Lowell Observatory Mars Hill challenge ride or take it easy with Bike to Beer and be entered into a raffle!

For a full list of events, visit Flagstaff Biking’s website. Raffles will be running all week long. The more days you ride, the more chances you have to win!

Those who plan to park their bike on NAU’s campus must pick up a green tag for their bike to prevent accidental collection during the annual abandoned bike roundup.