UVM Paper Covers Trustees’ Adoption of Land Acknowledgement
The full board of trustees meeting approved a land acknowledgement statement for official University use as well as a consent agenda containing several updates for UVM on Oct. 29.
The acknowledgement statement, created by the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and members and leaders of the four recognized Abenaki tribes of Vermont and the Vermont Commission for Native American affairs, is intended to recognize UVM’s historical acts of land usage, said Amer Ahmed, vice provost of the Division of DEI.
“Acknowledging the serious and significant impacts of our histories on Indigenous peoples and their homelands is a part of the university’s ongoing work of teaching, research, and engagement and an essential reminder of our past and our interconnected futures for the many of us gathered on this land,” the acknowledgement states.
In addition to the creation of the official land acknowledgement statement, the College of Arts and Sciences is in the process of creating potential coursework for an Indigenous studies program, said Patricia Prelock, provost and senior vice president.
The University has been in frequent communication and meetings with local Indigenous tribes to continue to engage with them, Prelock said.
“There’s a concrete element of how we can continue to foster some of those relationships and draw from [Indigenous] knowledge,” Ahmed said.