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By D. Shayne Christie
Arizona Daily Wildcat
September 19, 1996
The American Indian Studies department is set to offer a doctorate degree which will be the first of its kind in the United States.The doctorate will be offered beginning fall 1997, and this semester the department will add a joint law and master's degree in the hopes to attract "exceptional students into American Indian Law and American Indian Studies," according to the department's promotional literature.
"We have, in the last four years, quadrupled the number of students," AIS Director Jay Stauss said of the department's recent growth.
Stauss said he believes there is more of an interest in American Indian cultures, and cultural issues in general, throughout the United States.
"You can't even turn on the TV nowadays without a new interpretation of the West," Stauss said.
"Many colleges want to start American Indian Studies courses and programs," Stauss said. "The impact we hope to make in part is on American Indian Studies programs that are being developed throughout the country."
Stauss said he has already been contacted by several universities who are interested in developing similar programs.
"We're sitting right in Indian country, that is why this is important to the UA," Stauss said.
There are 21 federally recognized tribes in Arizona, and one-quarter of the state's land base is allocated to various tribes, Stauss said.
"The UA is uniquely equipped to handle this program," he said.
Glenn W. Johnson, director of the American Indian graduate center, expressed excitement about the doctorate offering.
"Undoubtedly people with this degree and the knowledge will be able to meet the educational needs, the governmental consultant needs for many communities across the country," Johnson said.
The AIS department has a total of 14 American Indian faculty members, Strauss said.
Johnson also said the UA has more American Indian faculty members than any other university in the country.
"There's a strong and vital American Indian community on campus," he said.
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