Program Coordinator/Contact
Rachel Lindvall, Program Coordinator
College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences
Wizipan Leadership and Sustainability Program
605-394-2236
Program Information
The Wizipan Leadership and Sustainability Program of The Indian University of North America® Crazy Horse Memorial®, Black Hills, SD is a unique partnership between The Indian University of North America®, the Crazy Horse Memorial® Foundation and South Dakota State University. This semester long, immersive program allows students to earn a certificate through SDSU. Based on the Lakota term – Wachante Hecha Wizipan (The Heart of Everything that Is) – the Wizipan program uses experiential education, Indigenous narrative, language, culture, and kinship to land as its primary learning tools. This program finds connection between Indigenous land-based knowledge and sustainability. The certificate offers coursework in American Indian studies, Natural Resource Management, Global Food Systems, and Leadership. Courses will provide students with the skill sets needed to understand the potential of their leadership roles in their own communities. Students are encouraged to evaluate and understand the relationship of care of self (trauma, mental, physical, spiritual health), care of community (kinship and family), care of environment (land, food and sustenance), and care of culture (language, narrative, ceremony).
Student Learning Outcomes
Students completing the certificate in Wizipan Leadership and Sustainability will be able to:
- Identify personal leadership style, conflict management, and approaches to team building and strategic planning.
- Demonstrate critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
- Identify critical sustainability issues for self, community, environment, and culture.
- Lead sustainable change initiatives.
- Combine Indigenous knowledge and environmental science to rebuild a better world.
Course Delivery Format
Classes will be taught in an innovative, interdisciplinary, hands-on style emphasizing Indigenous experimental learning. The program includes field trips, mentorship, group discussions, and collaborative inquiry projects.
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