Title
Indigenous Peoples' Day Summit 2026
Date
10/12/26 - 8:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Event Location
Technical Building -
T-Plaza
Body
ID
Date(s)
2026-10-12T08:30:00 ! 2026-10-12T13:00:00
The 3rd annual Indigenous Peoples' Day Summit
Join the AIS (American Indian Success) program for this event focused on celebrating, learning, and honoring Indigenous Peoples' Day on Monday, October 12 from 8:30 a.m–1 p.m. in T Plaza.
Please note: Smudging will occur throughout this event. Campus offices will be closed for employees to attend.
Schedule:
Speaker Bio
Kelly Collins
Kelly Collins, PhD is an educator, scholar, and higher education professional whose work centers on creating more equitable, inclusive, and supportive educational environments for students, faculty, and staff. She currently serves as Director of Education in the University of Minnesota’s Office for Equity and Diversity and as an affiliate instructor in the Higher Education program in the College of Education's Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development. She is a member of the Lambda Pi chapter of Alpha Pi Omega, the oldest and largest historically Indigenous Greek-letter organization in the United States.
Dr. Collins’ work with Native and Indigenous communities in higher education includes serving as a Native American Success Coordinator at Metropolitan State University, where she provided culturally responsive advising, advised the VOICES (Voices of Indian Council for Educational Success) student organization, co-chaired the Native American Staff and Faculty Council, and developed educational and community programming focused on Indigenous sovereignty and the Native American community. She has continued this work at the University of Minnesota through her involvement with the American Indian Faculty & Staff Association, the American Indian Student Cultural Center, and the University’s powwow planning community.
Her scholarship examines student experiences, belonging, and institutional support, with particular attention to the ways higher education can better support students whose identities and experiences are historically and currently marginalized. Most recently, she co-authored Many Buds Blooming’: Lived Experience and Insights From Native American Graduate Students, published in New Directions for Student Services in 2026. The publication centers the lived experiences and insights of Native American students and contributes to broader conversations about creating more responsive and supportive educational environments for indigenous students.