What We Do
Established in January 2012, the Indigenous Governance Program (IGP) at the University of Arizona is an educational partnership between the Native Nations Institute (NNI) at the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy and the Indigenous Peoples' Law and Policy Program (IPLP) at the James E. Rogers College of Law. The IGP offers on-campus and online courses to UArizona law and graduate students, tribal leaders, citizens, legal practitioners, scholars, and other professionals who are interested in developing a deep, practical understanding of Indigenous governance and rights. Students may enroll in an accredited degree program, earn a Continuing Education Certificate or Continuing Legal Education credit, or take classes on a not-for-credit basis.
COURSES AT THE UNIVERSITY
Each year, the IGP hosts its flagship January in Tucson (JIT) event - a three-week, intensive education session offering 3-day courses on Indigenous governance-related topics. The extensive global diversity of the program provides participants with new perspectives on familiar governance challenges and helps make JIT a truly unique educational experience.
Beginning in 2016, the Native Nations Institute has provided free governance education opportunities for citizens of U.S.-based tribes through NNI's Tribal Professionals Cohort (TPC). The TPC covers the cost of 3 JIT courses, travel, and accommodation for successfully admitted candidates.
To date, JIT has attracted 1,008 participants from more than 190 Indigenous nations on six different continents, who have earned over 600 continuing education or academic credits.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ONLINE COURSES
Rebuilding Native Nations: Strategies for Governance and Development (RNN Online) courses provide self-paced, non-credit, professional development opportunities to examine critical, Indigenous governance and development challenges and survey Native nation-rebuilding efforts across Indian Country. RNN Online courses have been integrated into tribal college and university (TCU) curricula; used as a professional development resource for recently hired tribal employees; and are an integral part of the Native Governance Center's Native Nation Rebuilders Program.
To date, over 500 tribal citizens representing more than 100 U.S. Native nations have completed over 969 RNN Online course modules.
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