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Education briefs
Beginning in the 1870s, the U.S. government attempted to educate and assimilate American Indians into “civilized” society by placing children — of all ages, from thousands of homes and hundreds of diverse tribes — in distant, residential boarding schools. Angel DeCora,
Many were forcibly taken from their families and communities and Untitled painting, ca. stripped of all signs of “Indianness,” even forbidden to speak their own lan- 1900; oil on canvas. guage amongst themselves. Up until the 1930s, students were trained for Darling Family Collection domestic work and trade in a highly regimented environment. Many children went years without familial contact, and these events had a lasting, generational impact.
“Away from Home: American Indian Boarding School Stories” explores offreservation boarding schools in a kaleidoscope of voices. The exhibit opens Thursday, Sept. 1, at Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center.
Native Americans responded to the often-tragic boarding school experience in complex and nuanced ways. Stories of student resistance, accommodation, creative resolve, devoted participation, escape and faith in one’s self and heritage speak individually across eras. Some families, facing increasingly scarce resources due to land dispossession and a diminishing way of life at home, sent their children to boarding schools as a refuge from these realities. In the variety of reactions, Ojibwe historian Brenda Childs finds that the “boarding school experience was carried out in public but had an intensely private dimension.”
Unintended outcomes, such as a sense of “Pan Indianism” and support networks, grew and flourished on campuses, and advocates demanded reform. Boarding schools were designed to remake American Indians but it was American Indians who changed the schools. After graduation, some students became involved in tribal political office or the formation of civil rights and Native sovereignty organizations. The handful of federal boarding schools remaining today embrace Indigenous heritage, languages, traditions and culture.
Please note: “Away from Home” contains stories of resilience and revitalization, agency and honor. Please be aware that it also contains descriptions of human indignities and hardships and terms that reflect historically racist perspectives and language from past eras. In speaking the truth about acts of seemingly unfathomable violence and suffering in the lives of Native peoples, this exhibition is advised for more mature audience members, grades eight to adult.
The Mountain Heritage Center is located in the Hunter Library Building at 176 Central Dr. in Cullowhee. This exhibit will be on display from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday through Oct. 20. The exhibit will also be open select Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m. including Sept. 24 and Oct. 15. Admission is free and special tours for groups are available with advance notice. For more information call 828.227.7129.
HCC selects SGA president
Forestry student Ezra Messer has been selected as SGA president at Haywood Community College.
Messer decided to run for the position to gain leadership experience while having fun and challenging himself. It is also a way for Messer to spread the community feeling to all students at the college to ensure they enjoy their time on campus.
Messer considers himself a “local guy” as a 2018 graduate of Pisgah High School. He has spent most of his life in the Canton area, with some time in east Tennessee. He originally came to HCC to start a transfer program but soon realized his passion was for the outdoors. After one dendrology course and a call from his Success Coach while on a fishing trip, Messer realized that following his passion for the outdoors and the environment could lead him down a career path that interests him.
“I wanted to do SGA to build my leadership skills and get a taste of a professional work environment and to grow and learn,” says Messer.
Messer will graduate in May and plans to either continue his education or work for the North Carolina Forest Service.
For more information about HCC, visit haywood.edu or call 828.627.2821.
Jones, Davidson begin new terms on SCC’s Board of Trustees
lege’s Jackson Campus in Sylva.
“We’re grateful for all the men and women who serve on our board of trustees,” said Dr. Don Tomas, SCC’s president. “Mr. Jones and Mr. Davidson have both been tremendous advocates for Southwestern over the years, and I look forward to working with them in their new terms.”
A member of the board since 2010, Davidson is a retired trust banker and attorney from Alabama. Since moving to Jackson County, he’s served on multiple non-profit boards and foundations. He has been a driving force for SCC’s annual fundraising gala since its inception in 2015.
Meanwhile, Jones originally joined SCC’s Board of Trustees in 2014. The Front House manager for Mica’s Restaurant & Pub in Sapphire, Jones is a member of the Jackson County Board of Commissioners. He is also the Jackson County representative on the Fontana Regional Library Board.
The new terms for Davidson and Jones will run through June of 2026.
For more information about Southwestern and the programs it offers, visit southwesterncc.edu, call 828.339.4000 or drop by your nearest SCC location.
HCC hosts boating safety courses
Haywood Community College’s Department of Arts, Sciences, and Natural Resources and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission will offer a boating safety course from 6-9 p.m. on September 20-21 on the HCC campus in Walnut Building 3300, room 3322. Participants must attend two consecutive evenings to receive the certification.
These courses are offered as a community service and are free. There are no minimum age requirements; however, a written exam must be completed without assistance.
Pre-registration is required. Anyone interested in taking the course must register online in order to attend any session. Course registration may be completed atwww.ncwildlife.org.
Psychology program receives accreditation
Three years after welcoming in its inaugural class, Western Carolina University’s Doctor of Psychology program received accreditation from the American Psychological Association.
The APA granted the program accreditation in clinical and school psychology on contingency, meaning the program must provide outcome data for students in the program and program graduates within three years of receiving this status. APA is the only organization authorized by the U.S. Department of Education to accredit doctoral-level professional psychology programs.
“It’s a major milestone for the program,” said Jon Campbell, director of the Doctor of Psychology program. “Basically, what accreditation communicates to the public is that our program meets the professional and scientific standards that are set forth by the American Psychological Association. That’s a big deal.”
The process for accreditation began in October of 2020 when WCU submitted a self-study. Eventually, that was followed up by a site visit, followed by a vote by the commission on accreditation.
The groundwork for WCU’s Doctor of Psychology program began about a decade ago when faculty members David McCord, Candace Boan-Lenzo, Kia Asberg, Alvin Malesky, David Solomon and Lori Unruh submitted a proposal and put together the curriculum, Campbell said.
“Achieving APA accreditation is one of the final milestones for our PsyD program,” said Kim Winter, dean of WCU’s College of Education and Allied Professions. “This achievement substantiates the fact that we are preparing students to provide outstanding, evidence-based clinical service to ensure the well-being of the public.
For more information on the Doctor of Psychology program, contact Campbell at jmcampbell@wcu.edu.
