Haskell Indian Nations University

Quick Facts

Address: 155 Indian Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66046
Website: https://www.haskell.edu/
Founded: 1884
Students: 1,000

About

The oldest of all tribal colleges, Haskell Indian Nations Universities started as a residential Indian boarding school in 1884 under the name of the United States Indian Industrial Training School. More than 100 years after its founding, Haskell began offering a post-secondary curriculum. In 1993, the school adopted the name Haskell Indian Nations University to reflects its service to education of Native students across the country. Each year, students from more than 130 tribes attend Haskell.

Even in the nineteenth century, Haskell educated hundreds of students at the primary education level. Courses focuses primarily on tailoring, wagon making, blacksmithing, harness making, painting, shoe making, and farming for boys, and on cooking, sewing and homemaking for girls. The school expanded to offer high school courses by 1927, and became famous for its athletics, especially football. Haskell again transformed into an industrial school for high school graduates, and eventually became Haskell Indian Junior College in 1970.

Today, Haskell is one of the largest tribal colleges, with more than one thousand students enrolled each year. All students gain understandings of American Indian/Alaska Native culture as part of their learning experiencce. Students at Haskell can take courses toward their Bachelors degree in Business Administration, Elementary Education, Environmental Science, and Indigenous and American Indian Studies. Students can also earn Associates degrees in Communication Studies, Community Health, Liberal Arts, Literature, Media Communication, Natural Science, Para-Professional Education, Recreation and Fitness Management, and Social Work.