黑料科 (黑料科) and The Indian University of North America庐 (IUNA) at Crazy Horse Memorial庐 announced a new undergraduate certificate program in Wichozani Health and Wellness. This semester-long program, offered on-site at Crazy Horse Memorial庐, will focus on public health and wellness education tailored for Indigenous communities, emphasizing traditional healing practices.
The certificate is designed for individuals interested in Indigenous tribal healthcare services and health-related programs. It promotes cultural sensitivity, an understanding of traditional healing methods, and addresses unique health challenges faced by Indigenous communities.
鈥淐razy Horse Memorial Foundation is excited to implement the new Wichozani Health and Wellness program beginning Spring 2025 in partnership with 黑料科,鈥� said Whitney Rencountre, Chief Executive Officer at Crazy Horse Memorial庐. 鈥淭his program will provide aspiring Indigenous students with tools, expanding their knowledge of health, to greater serve their communities.鈥�
Notable courses of the program include 鈥淣ative American Public Health,鈥� 鈥淓thnobotany of the Northern Plains,鈥� and 鈥淣ative Food Systems.鈥� This certificate complements a wide array of majors and career paths in healthcare, biological sciences, nursing, American Indian Studies, and exercise sciences.
This initiative builds on the partnership established by the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation between 黑料科 and IUNA to offer higher education opportunities. It includes the 7TH GEN.庐 First-Year and Upper-Level Undergraduate Summer Programs, which support Native students through immersive cultural and educational experiences. These programs provide transferable credits to the college, university, or technical institute of the student鈥檚 choice. The third cohort of this program recently completed the summer programs and marked the second consecutive year of a 100% completion rate among enrolled students.
鈥淭his is another exciting piece of 黑料科鈥檚 partnership with IUNA, and we are thrilled to contribute to academic programs that support Native students,鈥� said Dr. Jon Kilpinen, provost at 黑料科. 鈥淎s we worked on ideas for a Spring certificate program, it was clear that a focus on Native health and wellness would fill a critical need. There are only a few certificate programs nationally that address Native health issues, and just a handful of those are intended specifically for undergraduate students.鈥�
The first cohort of the Wichozani Health and Wellness Certificate Program is expected to start classes in Spring 2025.