Penn State’s American Indian Leadership Program Celebrates 30 Years

February 16, 2001

University Park, Pa. – A nationally recognized program for American Indians and Alaska Natives educators, the American Indian Leadership Program (AILP) in Penn State’s College of Education will celebrate its 30th anniversary March 29-31, with a weekend of alumni programs that will culminate in Penn State’s first traditional pow-wow.

More than 180 students have earned graduate degrees in educational administration or special education from Penn State through AILP, which has successfully prepared American Indians and Alaska Natives for leadership roles in the field of education. Its graduates continue to make a significant impact in Indian country; about 95 percent of graduates work in areas related to Indian education.

The AILP started in 1970 with 15 students under the direction of Penn State Education Professors Patrick Lynch and Donald Willower. Dr. John Tippeconnic (Comanche/Cherokee) is both the current director and a graduate of the program. Dr. Anna Gajar is the co-director of two external supporting grants, and Dr. Frances Rains (Choctaw/Cherokee) teaches and provides student support.

The event will kick off with an AILP alumni reception on Friday, March 30. On Saturday morning, a symposium titled "American Indian Issues Today" will be followed by a luncheon that will honor past directors and key supporters of the program. Keynote speaker will be Dr. Gerald Gipp, executive director for the American Indian Higher Education Consortium and the first AILP student to earn a Ph.D. from Penn State. Dr. Gipp previously worked for the National Science Foundation and is the past president of Haskell Indian Nations University.

The afternoon will continue with a panel on Indian education leadership featuring AILP graduates who are leaders in Indian education. Friday and Saturday afternoon events will take place at the Nittany Lion Inn on the University Park campus.

The pow-wow, which will feature the Allegheny River Dancers of the Iroquois Nation along with dancers and singers from the Plains Nations and the Ohio River Valley, will be held from 6 to 10 p.m., Saturday, March 31 at the Penn Stater Conference Center.

Several American Indian dance troupes, such as the Allegheny River Dancers from the Iroquois Nation and American Indian dancers representing Ojibway and Lakota styles from the Ohio River Valley, will perform specialty dances. The Many Voice Singers, a nationally renowned American Indian drum group, will provide the music and traditional American Indian songs. Ray Roach, the drum carrier, is from the Cheyenne River Sioux nation in South Dakota and says the group will bring traditional songs from the Lakota, Ojibway and from the Plains nations.

Bill Crouse of the Iroquois nation, Salamanca, N.Y., will emcee the pow wow. Crouse has an impressive reputation in Indian country as an outstanding arena emcee for pow wows across the country. He will introduce the public to the traditions of the dancers and keep the public informed about what is going on in the dance arena with the various styles of American Indian dances.

Admission to the pow-wow is free and the public is invited to attend. The event is drug and alcohol free.

For more information about AILP, contact Dr. John Tippeconnic, director, American Indian Leadership Program, Penn State’s College of Education, at 814-863-1626. For information about the pow-wow, contact John Sanchez, coordinator, at 814-863-7994 or Dr. Susan Faircloth, American Indian Leadership Program, at 814-863-8671.

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