BEMIDJI—The first thing Bill Blackwell Jr. plans to do as executive director of BSU’s American Indian Resource Center is focus on student retention. While he works on that task, he’s also going to look at revamping the AIRC web presence, implement programs for student-parents and bring new life into the aging center.

A BSU alumnus, Blackwell was hired as director in June. Blackwell succeeds Anton Treuer, who was director for three years before returning to faculty as Professor of Ojibwe at the university. Blackwell said having Treuer on campus will be a valuable resource.

“We have the utmost faith in Bill as the new executive director,” Treuer said. “He’s a dynamic leader who brings fresh vision and a great toolbox to help us elevate the institution’s efficacy in retaining native students.”

Blackwell comes to BSU from Leech Lake Tribal College, where he was the college’s director of institutional advancement. Prior to that role, Blackwell was an admissions and outreach coordinator at LLTC. Blackwell said the experience he gained at LLTC has prepared him for his new position.

“I’m going to continue working on improving our program,” Blackwell said. “But I still have Tony here to help … and he’s very passionate. My main focus is, ‘How do we keep students here?'”

Blackwell sees collaboration with tribal colleges as an instrument in recruitment and retention efforts. He will be working with Leech Lake Tribal College, Red Lake Nation College, Fond du Lac Tribal Community College, White Earth Tribal Community College and other technical and community colleges moving forward. Blackwell also wants to add tribal emphasis to some of the existing degrees at BSU in addition to incorporating the culture overall.

“I want a Native student who wants to be a chemist to think BSU,” Blackwell said.

There are currently about 220 Native students at BSU. Blackwell intends on doubling that number by next year. He noted that 50 percent of Minnesota Chippewa Tribe chairmen are graduates of BSU. Blackwell said he has been reading retention studies dating back to an article written in 1985 by Larry Aitken to a recent UCLA study with the same conclusion.

“What that tells us is we’re just not properly addressing it,” Blackwell said. “A lot of institutions have retention strategies, but they’re broad strategies. They’re not culturally based or culturally appropriate.”

Student support

Blackwell said educating the professors at the school is one aspect of serving the students on a cultural level. For instance, a traditional Native American funeral lasts four days and a student may feel uneasy about asking for five days off from class. Once faculty is familiar with students’ cultures, students may be more at ease. Blackwell sees his role as AIRC director as a bridge between the culture gap.

“I’m working real hard right now to put some retention strategies in place that are going to be a little bit more culturally orientated,” Blackwell said.

Another need Blackwell is looking at is addressing child care. He said funding isn’t secured yet, but in the future a culturally based day care could be available at the AIRC for students who need an hour or two to work on homework.

“We know that a lot of our students are parents so we’re trying to put together some parenting programs,” Blackwell said. “We’re working on an individualized approach with retaining students.”

Plans so far include a place where parents could have a meal with their children and leave the children at the center to learn indigenous arts and crafts or games—like the moccasin game—while the parents study.

“There’s no such thing as the wrong time to go back to school,” Blackwell said.

Keeping current with students, Blackwell is absorbing the role as advisor to the Council of Indian Students. He said a CIS chapter is in the beginning phase at Northwest Technical College as well. The two schools would have separate officers, but would be able to network with like-minded students who want to have an impact on the community, Blackwell said.

“We’re striving toward inclusion,” Blackwell said.

Blackwell has plans to redesign the interior of the AIRC entry to look less like a “trading post” and more modern. Long-range future schematics could include a physical upgrade or addition to the building depending on how much enrollment numbers grow.

“The decisions I make here are going to be based on what’s best for the future of BSU,” Blackwell said. “It’s not going to be what’s best for this semester or next year. It’s really going to be where the next couple decades are going to take us.”

About Bill Blackwell Jr.

Blackwell is an enrolled member of the Grand Portage Band of Chippewa Indians, originally from Grand Portage in Minnesota’s arrowhead region. A father of two sons, TJ, 9, and Brady, 2, Blackwell now resides in Bemidji.

Blackwell earned his undergraduate degree in Indian Studies at BSU in 2012 and a master’s degree in Tribal Administration and Governance from University of Minnesota Duluth in 2014. Blackwell is currently pursuing a doctorate in education from Capella University.

“I started my educational journey right out of high school and I didn’t finish,” Blackwell said. “I was 35 when I came back to school and got my undergraduate degree.”

Blackwell decided to go back to school after 12 years working in retail management because he wanted to make an impact on his community, the Native community in particular. From there, Blackwell went on to work at LLTC.

Blackwell said he was inspired by work his father, Bill Blackwell, did in language and curriculum with the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe. Blackwell added, Bill Blackwell Sr. is a well known spiritual leader.