Join us for Voices of Louisiana Indigenous Cultures
A Day of Dialogue: Healing & Reconciliation
August 15, 2023
The LSU Campus Mounds are among the oldest human-made edifice in the Americas. These two earthen mounds, at the heart of campus, are architectural remnants created by Indigenous Americans thousands of years ago.
Indigenous communities, students, faculty, government leaders, and our broader community are invited to join us to explore the history of Indigenous education in Louisiana, the past, present, and future. Our goal for the day is to learn from Indigenous peoples about their history of education as well as current educational challenges as well as gain a deeper understanding of the role of coastal erosion and loss of lands on tribal communities.
Event at a Glance:
- Friday, November 10, 2023
- 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
- Huey P. Long Field House - 50 Field House Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70803
- Reception following conclusion of the sessions
- You may register for part(s) of the day or full day
Schedule
The day will begin with a welcoming ceremony at the LSU Campus Mounds. At the heart of LSU’s campus are two earthen mounds, architectural remnants created by Indigenous Americans thousands of years ago – built by egalitarian hunter-gatherers and a subject of mystery and marvel for generations of admirers.
There will be four sessions throughout the day, break out group chats, and table exhibits including Tribal Elders from various Louisiana Indigenous groups, the LSU Native American Student Association, and curriculum issues in Indigenous education. The day will conclude with a debriefing and action plan session. All attendees and guests are invited to the reception at 4 p.m. following the conclusion of the sessions. You may register for part of the day or the full day, as your schedule allows.
| Time | Session |
|---|---|
| 8:00 | Welcoming ceremony at the Mounds Honored Guest: Secretary of Veterans Affairs Joey Strickland, Choctaw-Cherokee-Lumbee |
| 8:30 | Introductions by College of Human Sciences & Education Dean Roland Mitchell |
| 8:45 |
First Session: Brenda Lintinger (Tunica Language Program Founding Member), Tunica-Biloxi and Kylie Malveaux, Tunica-Biloxi
|
| 9:15 | Break out groups |
| 9:45 |
Second Session: Nolan Cahill, President of the Native American Student Association and student representatives
|
| 10:15 | Break out Groups |
| 10:45 | Coffee Break |
| 11:00 |
Third Session: Representative of the Point-au-Chien, Christine Verdin (Principal of Point-au-Chien French Immersion School) and Theresa Dardar
|
| 11:30 | Break out Groups |
| 12:00 - 1:30 | Lunch with Walking Tour of Mounds (Rebecca Saunders) and visit to the Archives |
| 1:30 |
Fourth Session: Jamie Billiot Dardar, Youth Programs Manager, Taproot Earth and Youth Coordinator, United Houma Nation and Dr. Channing Parfait, Houma Nation (Professor of Education Nicholls State)
|
| 2:00 | Break out session |
| 2:30 |
Debriefing and Action Plan (developing community-based research projects, student projects, Minor in Native American Studies at LSU)
|
| 4:00 | Reception |
RSVP to Attend
Indigenous communities, if you are interested in attending or having a table, please contact us at chseproed@lsu.edu. Faculty, we encourage you to attend with your students/class. Space is limited to 180 individuals, so we encourage early registration.
The LSU Strategic Plan aims to preserve our past to secure our future. LSU will continue to make substantial contributions to the unique culture and society of Louisiana, including the arts, language and communication, history, health and behavior, and education. LSU will develop the institutional strength to impact areas of the greatest need and potential for enduring benefit, including five "Pentagon" research focus areas: Agriculture and Food Security; Biomedical and Biotechnology; Coast and Environment; Defense and Security; and Energy and Energy Transition. This program directly supports LSU's Scholarship First Agenda in both education and coast priorities.
About the LSU Curriculum Theory Project
The Curriculum Theory Project is a community of internationally recognized scholars and intellectually vibrant students from a diversity of backgrounds whose primary goals are to research the role education plays in a democratic society and participate in the future of curriculum theory nationally and internationally. Curriculum Theory, as the interdisciplinary study of educational experience, aspires to understand educational practices within broad social and cultural frameworks, focusing on what counts as knowledge, and what knowledge is most valued, by whom, at what time, and for what purpose. Engaging experience, analysis and imagination, this field of scholarly inquiry seeks to articulate the significance of curriculum as lived and explore at the nexus of subject matter, society and self its generative possibilities.
About the LSU College of Human Sciences & Education
The College of Human Sciences & Education is a nationally accredited division of Louisiana State University. The college is comprised of the School of Education, the School of Information Studies, the School of Kinesiology, the School of Leadership & Human Resource Development and the School of Social Work, as well as the Early Childhood Education Laboratory Preschool and the University Laboratory School. The college is committed to achieving the highest standards in teaching, research, and service and is committed to improving quality of life across the lifespan. For news and more information visit lsu.edu/chse.
Latest College of Education News
- Louisiana A+ Schools Now Accepting Applications for the Fall 2025/2026 School YearLAA+ at LSU enables schools to integrate arts education into their curriculum. Learn more about this innovative arts education program and the 2025/2026 application.
- School of Education Faculty Host the Mandela Washington Fellows in New OrleansLSU was selected as an Institute Partner for the 2024 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders. The Fellows engaged with Louisianians to establish meaningful professional networks in the state. During their recent trip to New Orleans, Margaret-Mary Sulentic Dowell, PhD, a professor at the School of Education, hosted them at her home for a fish fry
- LSU Writing Project Participates in Place-Based Writing RetreatThe LSU Writing Project held its first place-based Invitational Summer Institute on Mallard Island in the Rainy Lake Watershed, north of International Falls, Minnesota. Margaret-Mary Sulentic Dowell, PhD, director of the LSU Writing Project, received a grant from the Ernest Oberholtzer Foundation to host the week-long writing institute.
- Ellis Puts Scholarship First- $1.2M NSF Grant to Recruit and Prepare Future STEM TeachersAt the center of the Lutrill & Pearl Payne School of Education is the desire to prepare LSU students to educate the young minds of Louisiana to ensure their future successes.Joshua Ellis, PhD, Associate Professor of Science/STEM Education in the Lutrill & Pearl Payne School of Education, is a member of an LSU faculty team that has been awarded a $1,187,387 grant from the National Science Foundation for the preparation of future STEM teachers.
- School of Education Professor Presents Research at Inaugural Joint National Council Teacher of English-National Council Teachers of Mathematics ConferenceLutrill & Pearl Payne School of Education Professor, Margaret-Mary Sulentic Dowell, PhD, recently presented cutting-edge research on writing assessment at the Inaugural Joint National Council Teacher of English (NCTE)-National Council Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Conference held in New Orleans in late June, 2024. Both professional organizations collaborated to provide the opportunity for members from both associations to come together and share research and recommend practices in both disciplines, a first for these two premier professional entities.
- Louisiana A+ Schools at LSU and Arkansas A+ Schools Receive Grant from National Park Service to fund: Bridging the Blues! Connecting Music Heritage in Arkansas and Louisiana through A+.Louisiana A+ Schools (LAA+) at Louisiana State University (LSU), a program of the College of Human Sciences and Education, in partnership with Arkansas A+ Schools (ARA+) at University of Arkansas, a program of the College of Education and Health Professions, are proud to announce they have received a grant from the National Park Service (NPS). This grant is part of the Lower Mississippi Delta Initiative (LMDI), aimed at supporting cultural heritage and educational projects in the Delta region.
