Conclusions and Recommendations:

While the relationship between WCU and the EBCI is complicated by a long history of known and unknown events, it is very dynamic and multi-faceted due to the frequent changes in leadership of EBCI leadership due to its political nature as well as the less frequent changes in leadership at WCU. One of the conclusions drawn by this survey team is that cultural differences are at the core of the relationship. At times that relationship has been very positive reflecting a mutual appreciation by leadership on both sides. At other times, owing to distant or poor relationship between leadership, the relationship has vacillated between benign neglect and open hostility.

While the survey team does not contend that a complete understanding of the relationship has resulted from this work, some apparent themes and patterns have emerged.

1. There are few if any EBCI enrolled members who feel listened to by WCU representatives at the leadership level. While there are many strong relationships and friendships formed between individuals from these two entities, there are few examples of long-term positive relationships between groups from both parties.
   
   Recommendation: Implement a central gathering place at WCU for Cherokee student and faculty; Tsalagi Center would serve as student support facility and information dissemination center to WCU and EBCI communities.
   
   • The Judaculla House has been established in the Greek Village of WCU. The RA is from Cherokee and programming is being planned. Beth will get update on this for publicity. Multicultural Affairs office is also aware of planning programs more reflective of Native American culture.
   • The Tsalagi Institute is being planned as the umbrella for all initiatives dealing with the Tribe and the University. The Institute will not necessarily take action on all initiatives, but at least be informed and facilitate development and implementation of initiatives.
   • Jessica Cregger, in the Provost Office, is being charged with establishing the website for the Task Force with links to it from the Chancellor's site and the Chief's site.
     
2. At the program and faculty level at WCU, people see cause for optimism but have few examples of exemplary implementation of programs between the two institutions.

   Recommendations: Encourage the development of trust by completing small collaborative projects with the tribe.

   The Task Force create a written resource for “Best Practices” for partnering in Cherokee

   • Roseanna, could you draft this statement….what to do when there is interest for research involving the tribe? ….what to do when an idea is student generated or faculty/administrator generated.
   • Statement needs to be generated on how to approach the university with ideas on collaborations as well. (Beth?)
     
3. The EBCI is being “courted” by several other institutions for various reasons and this has given rise to questions about the absence of such “courting” by WCU.

   Recommendations: WCU should develop a satellite teaching facility in Cherokee as Montreat has. WCU should be on the lookout for a Cherokee athlete to play sports to involve the entire community into WCU sports and scholarship.

   Increase visibility of and frequency of recruiting efforts at the Cherokee School System.

   Focus efforts in the Cherokee schools to increase college prep and
   attendance regardless of the school selected.

   • Find out about the initiatives already in place (High School Courses? AFA to BFA with SCC and WCU?
   • Recruit students, beginning earlier than high school---maybe doing some prep work with students in the elementary and middle school (leave WCU marketing items with the students)
     
4. There are several reasons for WCU to seek closer ties and positive relations with the EBCI in addition to any economic incentive including the historic value of the EBCI to the region and to the United States in general, the academic value of studying and helping to perpetuate this culture as it faces modern challenges, the living “laboratory” for studying the social evolution of a people as is happening with the EBCI due to their increased economic clout.

   The EBCI currently places little value (and perhaps has little awareness) of how an institution such as WCU can help the EBCI in tangible ways. Many tribal members interviewed expressed that there is no shortage of expert opinions as to how the EBCI should conduct business but there is little track record of WCU personnel spending ordinate amounts of time seeking out the needs of the EBCI as defined by the EBCI.

   Recommendations: Schedule one-to-one visits on both sides.

   Publicize successes of specific partnerships between people (a researcher and a community member for example) let the focus be as much on the mutuality of the experience and secondarily on the results of the effort.

   Encourage visits to the council house to let either the Chief, the Vice-Chief or Council Members know that you are in Cherokee and why. If unable to find someone in person, leave a quick note to announce intent.

   • Introduce Robert Conley, Sequoyah Professor, to Tribal Council (possibly August 7?)
   • Possibly have representation from the Task Force at all Tribal Council meetings the 1 st Thursday of each month---to learn and report back to the Task Force relevant items.
     
5. Although the Cherokee Preservation Foundation is an independent entity formed from the compact between the EBCI and the state of North Carolina, it is perceived by the members of the EBCI to be money that would not be available for distribution if not for the EBCI.

   Recommendation: Develop a process to ensure that all WCU and EBCI community members are informed about which funded and/ or collaborative projects are authorized, validated, and completed and how they benefit both communities.

   • Cherokee Preservation Foundation already does this. However, there are other funded activities that need to be included in the communication.
     
6. Many EBCI enrolled members see the relationship as “one way” with little positive return from WCU. Many EBCI members who work at or attend the university share this perception.

   Recommendation: WCU needs to focus on using funding to measurably benefit the individual tribal members and not just programs and projects. Include funding other than CPFD-related.

• See #5

• Give updates and communicate existing collaborative projects such as working with the Cherokee Hospital, WCU students mentoring Cherokee students, Qualla Financial Freedom, Nursing Department Initiatives, Economic Development initiative, etc.
  
  Create a process for exploring what Cherokee people define as the economic and social needs in Cherokee and help match WCU resources to identified needs.

• Put Director of Institute for the Economy and the Future (Dan Ostergaard) in touch with Economic Development Director for the Tribe (Mickey Duvall). Ask them to attend a Task Force meeting about possible needs.
  
  Create a “culture” at WCU that replaces “here's why we cant' do that” with “here's what we will have to overcome to solve this issue or meet that need”. Create a position(s) on the Task Force that are “Problem Solvers” – their roles are to bring “out of the box” thinking to issues the Task Force identifies.
  
  Study what other Universities are doing in Cherokee and how they are making their ideas work with the regulatory environment.

• Perdue

• Montreat

• University of Tennessee
  
  There is a widespread desire from WCU faculty and administration to have a better relationship with the EBCI and little understanding of how best to do this. A major cultural difference is that WCU operates within Academia and its rules and culture and most of the things valued in that culture have much less value to the EBCI culture.
  

7. Recommendations: Develop a leadership council for regional issues initiated by either side.

   Consider an EBCI council member to be on the WCU Board of Trustees.

   Develop a “Working with the EBCI” orientation booklet / resource and require any project working with the EBCI to go through an orientation seminar.

   Develop close ties between the admissions department at WCU and the EBCI's Education and Training Department. Institute periodic “work sessions” at the Education and Training Department offices to spotlight and troubleshoot issues affecting admission of Cherokee students.

   • Possibly assigning a WCU missions Counselor to handle recruiting as well as the application process for all Cherokee students interested and applying---to build individual relationships

   • Judaculla House will also provide mentoring for Cherokee students attending WCU.

8. The EBCI places a high premium on interpersonal relationships, face to face time spent in social interaction. WCU personnel will need coaching, direction, and training on how to use awareness of this to step out of their own “culture” and meet the EBCI on their own cultural “turf.”

   Recommendations: WCU should initiate a regularly scheduled appearance before tribal council to update them on how WCU is benefiting students. Ideally, such a presentation would be made by an enrolled member who is on faculty or staff of WCU.

   • Introduce Robert Conley to Tribal Council

   • Update the Council on initiatives/collaborations

   • Thank the Council for participating in the Survey and interviews.

   Have Chancellor Bardo and Principal Chief Hicks take turns hosting a social dinner (2x per year?) to showcase different aspects of the relationship from each side's perspective. (for example, hosting a social function to introduce the new Sequoyah Professor – high visibility).

   • Plan an event during Native American month
   • Sponsor an event for the students living in the Judaculla House, as well as any other Cherokee students at WCU---invite their parents—possibly have Robert do a reading and maybe an update on the events involving the House. (of course involving the Chief and the Chancellor)

   Modify the Task Force into a Steering committee (emphasis on problem solving at the highest level) and it should consist of the WCU Provost and 5 Deans or Vice-Chancellors & the EBCI Vice-Chief and 5 Deputies. The steering committee should have co-chairs who run the steering committee for six months each.

   • Ask the Chancellor and the Chief to revisit the membership on the Task Force to possibly have representation from the Tribe and the University concerning these departments/projects:
               - Cherokee Preservation Foundation
               - Language
               - Education
               - Economic Development
               - Health Care
               - Administration
               - Culture/History
               - Arts
               - Other?

   Project teams should consist of an equal number of WCU & EBCI participants.
   
   Begin quarterly status communication reports to the Chief and Chancellor that are also communicated within each community via area publications.

9. Looking at the EBCI side of the partnership, it is certainly up to Tribal leadership to be part of defining what they want from the partnership and why. In any true partnership, both sides make efforts to make the partnership work. In this case, WCU is a vendor of services to the EBCI. The Tribe can, quite frankly, get the same services offered by WCU from myriad other providers. Therefore, the onus is on WCU to show the EBCI how and why WCU can be the provider of choice.

   Recommendations: The EBCI should be explicit in describing the way they want to interact with WCU through dialog between Chief Hicks and Chancellor Bardo (or their appointees.)

   Participation in the Task Force / Steering Committee should be focused on tribal members who have a passion for education and specifically for working with WCU and have no reluctance to specify issues that have cultural conflict or partnership conflict as causes.