Honoring Our Heritage

Originally founded as the Cherokee National Female Seminary in 1846, Northeastern State University has maintained close ties with the Cherokees throughout its history. Distinctive Cherokee interests in education, community health and well-being, economic and ecological sustainability, and Cherokee language and culture are reflected in NSU’s curriculum and cultural engagement. As the regional university located in the Cherokee capital, NSU contributes directly to the Cherokee Nation’s mission-based goals of “preserving and promoting Cherokee culture, language and values, and improving the quality of life for the next seven generations of Cherokee citizens.”

With its original campus in Tahlequah, Northeastern State University nurtures sustainable partnerships with the Cherokee Nation and United Keetoowah Band. Campuses in Muskogee and Broken Arrow are located within the Muscogee Creek Nation. These two campuses embody a growing, and vital partnership with that nation.

Beyond the Cherokee and Muscogee peoples, Northeastern State University serves a region that includes citizens of dozens of American Indian nations. This is reflected in NSU’s student body, which consistently has the largest number of American Indian students of any public university in the United States, representing approximately 30 different nations. Northeastern State University seeks to continue and enhance this distinction as a university of choice for American Indian students.