Whitman College’s programming through our Native American Outreach office is established by our Memorandum of Agreement with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) and centers the leadership and priorities of the CTUIR community.

We have collaborative and advisory structures that ensure our work is fully informed by the CTUIR, including annual reporting of the Whitman College President and Special Assistant to the President for Native American Outreach to the CTUIR Board of Trustees and the CTUIR Education and Training Committee.

We also work collaboratively through several councils and committees with CTUIR leaders as we design and implement our programs, such as the Pášx̣apa Elders Advisory Council for Education, the Pášx̣apa Powwow Committee, the Pášx̣apa Advisory Council for CTUIR Collaboration, as well as specialized CTUIR experts who directly inform and guide particular programs and events.

While we welcome the engagement and participation of many people in our programs and treasure the relationships with other tribes in our region, our decision-making is centered on the guidance, priorities, and leadership of the CTUIR and the Weyíiletpuu (Cayuse), Imatalamłáma (Umatilla), and Walúulapam (Walla Walla) people, on whose traditional homelands Whitman College was established and exists.