An assessment of Native American students’ perceptions of support and interpersonal climate between faculty, staff, and peers.

Native American students currently have the lowest enrollment and retention in continuing education in America. Once admitted & attending the percentage of students who are retained is also concerning. This assessment has benchmarked the perceived institutional support and campus climate for 1/3 of the Native students who use the new Native American Education, Research, and Cultural Center. In much of the literature there is a call for more qualitative vs quantitative assessments. Through interviewing nine Native students and coding their interviews I have created a relative baseline. This assessment illustrates in students’ own words what has made them feel most connected and least connected to the university. Native American students currently feel connected to the university through the Center, Native faculty, Native administration, and the community that has grown around the center. The third foundation beyond their academic ability from high school and socio-economic background is their relationships between faculty, administrators, and peers.