Dear Orange Friends:
This Monday is Indigenous People’s Day at Syracuse University. Our students are marking the day in various ways on campus, including some that are noted here. Syracuse University’s main campus is located on lands that were originally part of the homeland of the Onondaga, one of the six nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. This important heritage is now acknowledged in speeches at major University events, and by the placement of a Haudenosaunee flag both on our Shaw Quadrangle and in the Carrier Dome.
This past November, many University citizens and departments joined with the Haudenosaunee community to contribute time and talent to the opening of Skä•noñh—The Great Law of Peace Center on Onondaga Lake. I was honored to attend that memorable event. The center is an interactive and multi-media educational institution whose exhibits and activities help narrate Haudenosaunee culture and history and its contributions to the world today.
I am so grateful to the Haudenosaunee and the Onondaga Historical Association for their hard work in creating this Haudenosaunee Heritage Center. I thank our academic partners in the effort: Le Moyne College, Onondaga Community College, Empire State College, and SUNY-ESF.
Finally, I appreciate the vital support of faculty and students from across the University. This includes the Renée Crown University Honors Program, the Humanities Center, the Department of Religion, the Native American Studies Program and the Women’s and Gender Studies Department, all based in the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Museum Studies Program in the College of Visual and Performing Arts.
There is much to celebrate on Monday at Syracuse, including the continuation of the Haudenosaunee Promise scholarship program, our minor in Native American Studies, our Certificate in Iroquois Linguistics, and the support and engagement provided by our Native Student Program on Euclid Avenue. So many people at this University have made these—and many other programs—possible.
On Indigenous People’s Day, I particularly thank each of them.
Sincerely,
Kent Syverud
Chancellor Kent Syverud