Grand Canyon Times

The University of Arizona opened its first tribal microcampus to serve the Pascua Yaqui Tribe on Sept. 6.

The microcampus allows tribe members to complete degrees and certificates and access the university's technology, research and tutoring services. The microcampus is east of the tribe's reservation. 

The curriculum includes the College of Law's Indigenous Governance Program's Masters of Professional Studies degree and the Native Nations Institute's Continuing Education Certificate in Indigenous Governance. There are plans to offer a Bachelor of Arts in Law.

"I'm happy to say that at Pascua Yaqui, we have world-class higher education right in our backyard," Serina Preciado, education director for the tribe, said in a news release. 

The University of Arizona's president also commented.

"This new University of Arizona location designed to serve the Pascua Yaqui Tribe represents a significant milestone in our ongoing commitment to Native American communities – especially those whose traditional homelands include Southern Arizona," University of Arizona President Robert C. Robbins said. "It has been a goal of mine for years to establish a campus for every tribe in the state, and I hope this will be the first of many."

Tribal officials also claimed the campus as their own. 

"This is home, and now this is your home here at the microcampus, right here by our reservation where our ancestors have lived for a long time," Pascua Yaqui Tribal Chairman Peter Yucupicio said. "Let's make this the best place to come and study."

Arizona's officials for Native American advancement were also pleased.

"That intergovernmental agreement set the foundation for more partnerships with the tribe, and that was one of the most significant steps to getting this microcampus up and running," Levi Esquerra, the university's senior vice president for Native American advancement and tribal engagement, said. "Today is a celebration, but there's so much more coming after this. This has opened the doors wide open for more collaboration between the Pascua Yaqui Tribe and the University of Arizona."

Tribal education officials also commented.

"Today, we celebrate bringing this opportunity home to the reservation, so that no one has to leave if that's not what they choose to do for themselves," Preciado, said. "We advance the narrative of what it means to be from 'the rez' today."

Academics say it is important for tribes to have control over their education.

"Control over education is so critical for the survival and identity of Indigenous tribes," Robert A. Williams Jr., a regents professor of law and faculty chair of IPLP, said.

Williams also believes that this will help with inequality in educational opportunities.

"The microcampus bridges that gap," he said. "Because of the incredible investments we've made in distance learning and the great relationships we have with tribes, I don't think there's a more relevant set of curricula than what we have at the University of Arizona for Indigenous peoples."