Rep. Mann urges federal charter for Haskell Indian Nations University to improve governance and services
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Summary
Representative Mann said years of mismanagement under the Bureau of Indian Education have harmed Haskell Indian Nations University students and faculty and proposed the Haskell Indian Nations University Improvement Act to federally charter Haskell and transfer governance to tribal leaders.
Representative Mann told the committee that Haskell Indian Nations University, located in Lawrence, Kansas, is the only tribal university with an entirely indigenous student population and has suffered "years of mismanagement" under the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE).
Mann said he and Senator Jerry Moran plan to introduce the "Haskell Indian Nations University Improvement Act," which would federally charter Haskell and separate it from BIE governance while keeping federal funding obligations. "Governance would be transferred to qualified tribal leaders from across the country," Mann said, and the change would make Haskell eligible for programs and opportunities it currently cannot access.
Mann framed the chartering proposal as a way to expand educational programs, improve campus safety and return oversight "to the hands of Indian country," and he urged committee support when the legislation is introduced. His remarks were testimony; no committee vote or formal action occurred at the member-day hearing.