UND working on tribal consultation policy

Delaney Otto / Grand Forks Herald By Delaney Otto Today at 1:48 PM Listen Comments Share Share this article News Reporting News Reporting Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trust Project What is this? GRAND FORKS — The University of North Dakota is working on a tribal consultation policy in an effort to properly engage in research with North Dakota’s Native American communities. Dave Wilson, associate vice president for health research, professor and chair of the Indigenous Health Department, said the hope is for the policy to go live in 2027. ADVERTISEMENT “It’s upon the coordination of the tribal councils,” he said. Wilson spoke about the policy at the University Council meeting on Thursday, Nov. 12. He said the policy came from UND leaders feeling the university needs a formalized way to engage tribal communities and involve them equitably and ethically in research. UND President Andrew Armacost kicked off the process with a letter, followed last year by each tribal chair appointing one or two people to sit on a writing committee, led by Cynthia Lindquist, the former director of tribal initiatives and collaboration. The draft of the policy was completed in August. Two weeks ago, Wilson spoke in front of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Tribal Council to present the semifinal policy. The council expressed a “tremendous amount of enthusiasm because of how comprehensive this policy is written,” Wilson said. “And the policy is written in a way where they feel like it’s going to enhance collaborations not only with the tribes, but also with UND,” he said. He is looking forward to engaging with the other communities to have all five tribal communities endorse it. The policy will also provide some comfort to UND’s research investigators, he said, who are interested in working with the tribes, but want to do it the right way. Also at the University Council meeting: ADVERTISEMENT Armacost gave highlights from the fall semester, including events, partnerships and successes. He spoke about the upcoming legislative session and some of UND’s focuses, including strong state support for higher education, the higher-ed funding formula, supporting programs, the health professions addition building project and deferred maintenance. Sarah Heitkamp, curator of UND Art Collections, spoke about creative infrastructure on campus. She highlighted the use of UND’s collections on campus for education, research and community cultural enrichment. She also shared that, this year, 205 countries engaged with the art collection via 328,470 digital downloads. UND Art Collections has three goals for sustainability — funding, policy and accessibility. AI Instructional Manager Anna Kinney gave updates about AI on campus and nationally. She said MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) published AI principles in August, which include putting humanity front and center and thinking beyond the classroom and campus. She encouraged attendees to share UND’s work, be transparent about what works and doesn’t work and invest in the faculty and staff expertise UND has. Leaders from the University Senate, Staff Senate, student government and SBHE Council of College Faculties gave updates on their work this fall, including legislative priorities, establishing policies for AI and other emerging technology, celebrating staff members and holding events, success of new student vouchers like the Uber voucher, and discussions of the next NDUS strategic plan. Comments Share Share this article News Reporting News Reporting Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trust Project What is this? Tags Tags UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA By Delaney Otto Otto is the University of North Dakota reporter for the Grand Forks Herald. Listen to this article Conversation ADVERTISEMENT What To Read Next Breaking News Health Mayo Clinic selects Dr. Matthew Callstrom as new president and CEO 54m ago · By Dené K. Dryden Local Grand Forks woman honored with city's Griggs Award 6h ago · By Pamela Knudson Local Ribbon cutting held for renovated Northwood Deaconess Health Center 19h ago · By Staff reports ADVERTISEMENT Get Local Must Reads Subscribers Only UND Hockey Live updates: No. 8 UND at St. Thomas 1m ago · By Brad Elliott Schlossman Prep Harvey-Wells County spoils Langdon Area-Munich's Dakota Bowl repeat bid with early strikes 20m ago · By Maxwell Marko The Vault The Forensic Investigator episode explores relationship between law enforcement, journalists 3h ago · By Staff reports College UND linebacker Mike Devereaux growing in role as defensive leader 4h ago · By Tom Miller