Mankiller to Speak at Northeastern’s Commencement

Mankiller to Speak at Northeasterns Commencement

TAHLEQUAH -- Wilma Mankiller, the first female principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, will share insights from her distinguished career when she delivers the spring commencement address at Northeastern State University on May 16 at the 12:30 p.m. ceremony in Jack Dobbins Field House.

And in tribute to her years of leadership and service, Mankiller will receive an honorary Doctor of Science degree from NSU, to be conferred by President Don Betz.

Though she made history in the 1980s as the first woman to hold the Cherokee Nations top leadership position, Mankillers legacy extends beyond governance to a litany of projects she has championed through the years. Awareness of health care and creation of social services, along with community revitalization and economic self-sufficiency, have characterized her work for more than three decades.

Betz attributes to Mankiller a clear sense of why were here.

Wilma Mankiller is incredibly pragmatic and reflects in all that she does a belief that we are truly here to make a difference, Betz said. She understands that we must be our brothers and sisters keeper in the context of self help and reciprocity, and she models the ways for leaders both within the Cherokee Nation and around the globe.

As a former principal chief, Mankiller is a world renown spokesperson on Native American issues and an advocate for womens rights.

Prior to my election, she has been quoted as saying, young Cherokee girls would never have thought that they might grow up and become chief.

Mankiller became the first female elected deputy chief and principal chief of the Cherokee Nation in the 1980s. A native of Adair County, she moved with her family at the age of 11 to California, under the Bureau of Indian Affairs Indian Relocation Program. In 1977, she returned to Oklahoma and took a job as a tribal planner and program developer. Her ambition to be of service to Cherokee people was realized when Ross Swimmer, then Cherokee Nation principal chief, called upon her and husband Charlie Soap to revitalize traditional Cherokee communities.

Success garnered Mankiller national attention as an expert on community development. In 1983, Swimmer convinced her to run as deputy chief in what would become his successful bid for a third term as principal chief. When he resigned two years later to head the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Mankiller succeeded him as principal chief, and was re-elected in 1987 and 1991.

As a tribal leader she emphasized gender equality, economic self-sufficiency, and was an advocate for education, spearheading the revitalization of Sequoyah High School. The Wilma P. Mankiller Health Center in her native Stilwell is a tribute to her commitment to health care issues.

She is the recipient of numerous honors and honorary degrees, and is one of only a handful of American Indians to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

The happiest, most fulfilled people I know are those who are fully engaged in the world around them, Mankiller said last December, as she accepted the Presidents Community Service Award during NSUs 11th Annual Emerald Ball. We live in a world in which we are all interdependent and bear some responsibility for one another. While the issues we care about may differ, we all can find some worthwhile community effort to become involved with.

With decades of successes, a multitude of national and international honors, and worldwide recognition as a noted author, Mankiller is described by Betz as remarkably humble about her accomplishments.

I believe Wilma Mankiller represents the very best of what community service means, he noted. Her work is well-known in other countries, just as it is here. Ive had the good fortune to speak with people around the world who are familiar with her work. It is hard to measure her influence, because she has touched so many lives in a variety of ways.

Approximately 1,844 graduates are eligible to receive degrees during NSUs 100th year as a state institution. Of that number, 1,602 will earn bachelors degrees, 216 will receive masters degrees, and 26 will earn the doctorate of Optometry.

Because of forcast inclement weather, Tahlequahs commencement ceremonies will be held in the Jack Dobbins Field House and will be divided by colleges into programs beginning at 10 a.m. (Education, Optometry), 12:30 p.m. (Liberal Arts, Science and Health Professions), and 2:30 p.m. (Business and Technology).

On Monday, May 18, Rep. John Sullivan will address graduates of NSUs Broken Arrow campus in commencement ceremonies starting at 7 p.m. in the Union Multipurpose Activity Center in Tulsa. Sullivan, a 1992 NSU graduate who holds a bachelor of business administration in marketing, has represented Oklahomas first congressional district since 2002.

5/5/2009

Published: 2009-05-05 00:00:00