BSU Dedicates Niganawenimaanaanig Nursing Program

Native American students in the nursing program at Bemidji State University have a new support system.

The Niganawenimaanaanig program was dedicated in BSU’s Benson Hall building Wednesday. The name is Ojibwe for “we take care of them.”

The program is being funded by a $2 Million grant from the US Health Resources and Services. Students who participate will get all the help they need to complete the nursing program.

Misty Wilkie, an associate professor of nursing and one of the main steer headers of the program, says, “We offer cultural, academic, social and financial support for American Indian students, and so we don’t really like to refer to it as a scholarship program because it’s so much more than that. We want students to be supported culturally, so if they aren’t familiar with some of the traditional customs, they can learn about those while they’re here, and if they are familiar with them they can maintain those traditions.”

The program will be working with 10 Native American students in its first year.