The Dartmouth Tribal Sovereignty Institute, designed to solve real problems tribes face, launched in July with a focus on economic development, healthcare, and cultural vitality. “I’ve been thinking about this for 40-plus years,” says N. Bruce Duthu ’80, the Samson Occom Professor in the Native American and Indigenous studies department. Two initiatives he launched and directs—the Tribal Services and Solutions Project and the Tribal Leadership Academy—are now permanent programs within the new organization.
“This is very much an outward-facing institution. The mission is to position Dartmouth as a convener,” he says. “We use what we can leverage best, which is our deep bench.”
He has been reaching out to encourage people to apply since the national search for an executive director—endowed with a $5-million gift from ’77s Tom and Gina (Tugwell) Russo—began this summer. “We have some really impressive Native American alums.”
