BEMIDJI, Minn. – Bemidji State University’s American Indian Resource Center hosts Dr. Dean Chavers for a lecture entitled “Modern Native American Leaders” at 7 p.m., Wednesday, April 30.

The lecture will be held at the Gathering Place at the American Indian Resource Center, and is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be available.

Chavers, who resides in Albuquerque, N.M., is an author and founder of the Native American Scholarship Fund, which is now referred to as “Catching the Dream.” A decorated military veteran who served in Viet Nam, Chavers has a diverse background which includes time in academia as a faculty member at California State University, Hayward and a stint as president of Bacone College in Oklahoma, and has spent 35 years as a consultant in Indian education. Chavers currently leads the Exemplary Programs in Indian Education movement and is a former member of the board of the National Indian Education Association. He also spent 27 years as a newspaper columnist and participated in the famed Indian occupation of Alcatraz Island in 1969.

Chavers earned a Ph.D. from Stanford University in 1976, and has authored more than 20 books including “The National Indian Grant Directory,” “Tribal Economics Development Directory” and the two-volume “Modern American Indian Leaders” which profiles nearly 90 Indian leaders of the modern age including Roger Jourdain, Wendell Chino, Jim Thorpe, Billy Mills, Pat Locke, Lucy Covington and Jack Montgomery.

For more information, please contact the American Indian Resource Center at (218) 755-2032.

FOR YOUR CALENDAR
April 30 – 7-9 p.m. – Bemidji State University American Indian Resource Center presents Dr. Dean Chavers, lecture “Modern American Indian Leaders.” Location: AIRC, Bemidji State campus. Admission: free. Information: (218) 755-2032.

About the American Indian Resource Center
The American Indian Resource Center, located in the heart of the Bemidji State University campus at the west end of Chet Anderson Stadium, was constructed to create a space where American Indian students and members of the community could gather for learning and socializing.

Constructed following a $2 million allocation from the Minnesota Legislature in 2000, the AIRC opened its doors in fall of 2003. The AIRC assists American Indian students to achieve greater success, graduate in higher numbers and develop skills to benefit themselves, their families, tribes and society. The AIRC also serves as a regional and national resource for research, training and outreach in such areas as planning, management, gaming and regulatory issues.