American Indian Student Services

American Indian Student Services (AISS)

About Us

American Indian Student Services (AISS) welcomes students of all American Indian and Alaska Native heritages! AISS serves both students who are tribally enrolled and those who identify but are not enrolled in their tribes. AISS provides culturally responsive educational support:

Resource Referral
Scholarship Information
Advocacy
Cultural Events & Student Clubs

CU Denver American Indian and Alaska Native students represent more than 100 different tribes. The Denver Indian Community is strong! Many families in Denver live far from tribal homelands, yet retain tribal identities and cultures. Twenty percent speak Native languages. The Southern Ute and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribes, located in the Four Corners area are the two federally-recognized tribes in Colorado.

Contact Us

Aldora "Dodie" White Eagle

Program Director, American Indian Student Services and Special Assistant for Indigenous Affairs
Pronouns: she/her/hers
aldora.whiteeagle@ucdenver.edu

Dr. White Eagle is an enrolled member of the Northern Arapaho Tribe who was raised on the Wind River Indian Reservation. As a first-generation college graduate, Dr. White Eagle's work and research is centered around Indigenous youth, furthering their educational opportunities, and retention efforts in higher education. Her work currently is aimed at recognizing and honoring each of our Indigenous peoples' historic struggles, culturally sustaining, and educational experiences.

Student Groups

The Native American Student Organization (NASO) encourages Native students to become active student leaders and give back to the community.

Together as students and as the original Peoples of this nation, our strengths will endure for many generations to come. If you would like to join NASO, please click here.

History

In 1970, students Michael Running Wolf and Jim Nelson started a grassroots movement to address the needs of current and future Native American students at the University of Colorado Denver. This movement helped to launch NASO, which promotes an environment where Native students can gather and be in community with one another.

Native student leaders maintain a high regard for traditional ways-of-life through living cultural values.

Co-Advisor

Aldora “Dodie” White Eagle, EdD (she/her/hers)

Northern Arapaho - Hinono'ei

Program Director, American Indian Student Services

Special Assistant for Indigenous Affairs

aldora.whiteeagle@ucdenver.edu

Co-Advisor

Kim McCabe (she/her/hers)

Diné, Dakota, Seneca

Director of Graduate Recruitment and Admissions

Office of Admissions

kim.mccabe@ucdenver.edu

The American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) was founded in 1977 to encourage more American Indian students to study in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and math). Most importantly, AISES is a support system for students and professionals. You can learn more about AISES.

CU Denver has students, faculty, and staff who are active in the national AISES organization, though mentoring and advising, attending conferences, and engaging in professional and cultural development. If you are interested in representing CU Denver in AISES activities or learning more about how CU Denver participates in AISES, please reach out to Dr. Timberley Roane Associate Professor in Integrative Biology (Timberley.Roane@ucdenver.edu)

Resources

The Environmental Stewardship of Indigenous Lands (ESIL) certificate is an exciting new educational opportunity at the University of Colorado Denver (CU Denver), where the term Indigenous includes Native American, American Indian, Alaskan Native, and Hawaiian Native. This first-of-its-kind program provides training, internships, and job placement opportunities for students interested in environmental issues involving tribal and non-tribal entities.

Financial assistance is one of the critical supports needed to attract and retain American Indian students. Support native students at CU Denver by making a gift to the Northern Arapaho Endowed Scholarship Fund.

CU Denver Gift

Enter Northern Arapaho Endowed Scholarship Fund in the Gift Designation field

Events

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Center for Identity & Inclusion

CU Denver

Student Commons Building

1201 Larimer Street

Campus Box 132

Denver, CO 80204

cii@ucdenver.edu

303-315-1880

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Alert: The Plaza Building will remain closed through Jan. 1, 2025.

Faculty and staff may retrieve items and use copy machines in preparation for finals week with Campus ID badges through the door on the Southwest side across from King Center. Additionally, the Auraria Health Center (link: https://healthcenter1.com) is continuing to operate at a reduced capacity.

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