Page 31 - October 2023

GRANT PROGRAM COMMITTEE MINUTES (DRAFT) (7)
one of the shining stars of the Entrepreneurship Scholarship program. Several SKC graduates have gone on to participate in the Gonzaga MBA-AIE program. In addition to strong leadership, both ANC and SKC have had the benefit of good instructors.
h. Other potential grantees
Sherry offered a synopsis of potential grantees. Dalhousie University is seeking support to replicate its JSF- funded health science programs for Indigenous and African Nova Scotian students, this time in the Faculty of Engineering. Native Women Lead, an entrepreneurship and training organization based in Albuquerque, is also a potential grantee, along with Indspire, a Canadian educational organization that supports First Nations, Inuit and Métis students. Current and past grantees that might reapply for additional funding include the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program (ANSEP), American Indigenous Business Leaders (AIBL), American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) and Martin Family Initiative (MFI).
i. Convening plans
Sherry gave a brief update on the Indigenous Peoples Programs Convening scheduled for October 18th in Spokane. Five Gonzaga University MBA-AIE graduates from different cohorts have been invited to serve as presenters. One of them, Isabel Yasana Hawley, is the Digital Brands Manager for Nike. She is being trained to follow in the footsteps of Sam McCracken, founder of Nike’s Indigenous product line and charitable arm called N7. There was interest in having the ability for Committee members to join the Convening remotely, which staff will facilitate.
j. University of Arizona
Bobby introduced Dr. Bill Neumann, Professor of Practice in Management Information Systems, and Levi Esquerra, Senior Vice President of Native American Advancement and Tribal Engagement (NAATE) at the University of Arizona. Bill joined the meeting in person and Levi attended through Zoom. An application requesting $42,019 for 1 year with an institutional match of $16,468 to support the Indigenous Entrepreneurship Colloquium had been circulated along with notes from an August 8, 2023 videoconference.
The goal of the Indigenous Entrepreneurship Colloquium is to establish a learning community for entrepreneurs. The idea for this pilot program began taking shape after Levi challenged the University to think big and to embrace interdisciplinary projects. The school’s newly established AIBL chapter will play an important role as well as the Chen-Chow Bear Down Scholars Program, a scholarship and mentoring program for Indigenous students. The University of Arizona’s status as a land-grant institution has prompted it to begin actively reaching out to the state’s 17 tribal nations. The program will involve both the University’s main campus as well as a micro campus it established through an intergovernmental agreement with the Pascua Yaqui tribe. The Colloquium will feature business plan workshops with Indigenous mentors and participation in business plan competitions, among other activities. Levi explained that one of the long-term goals is to have the mentors feel comfortable enough to enroll at the University. Because much of the activity will take place at the micro campus, part of the expenses will be for transporting students, faculty and mentors between the micro campus and main campus.
Bill was asked about his position as a professor of practice. He said his work is heavily focused on teaching rather than research, which is his preference. He hopes to use this program to expose more students to AIBL. He was also asked whether students could earn credit from this course. Bill said that is something being considered for the future. This is a 1-year proposal because he wants to use the pilot year to make adjustments before establishing it long term. Levi was asked if the entrepreneurial aspect of the program is similar to his work at Northern Arizona University. He said there are indeed some similarities, and he is expecting big things. Both Levi and Bill left the meeting.
The Committee approved as presented an application from the University of Arizona requesting $42,019 for 1 year with an institutional match of $16,468 to support the Indigenous Entrepreneurship Colloquium.
12. Communications and Social Media
A marketing and communications update had been circulated. Hannah shared key updates on JSF’s communications and marketing efforts between March and August 2023. Highlights included:
• The launch of a monthly calendar to better track social media themes and streamline the review process.
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