We facilitate research that contributes to the decolonization, sovereignty, and self-determination of Indigenous peoples by providing initiatives that support such research endeavors and by providing a forum for interdisciplinary conversation between and among Native and non-Native faculty and students committed to such issues;

We promote community-inspired, service-oriented scholarship that will link the university to Native American Nations and communities and generate discussion of Indigenous issues both within the university and in the surrounding area;

We recruit and retain American Indian faculty members and graduate students and nurture American Indian intellectuals at every level;

We generate intellectual and financial resources for the Institute;

We support all initiatives of the Native American Studies Program (NAS) and to coordinate new initiatives with NAS and other existing and future Native Programs, Institutes, etc.