McNeil building partnerships to help advance research in North Dakota

An important part of Sheridan McNeil Oyate Ohowicada Win (Respects the People Woman)'s position is to build and strengthen collaborations involving tribal communities and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) to further competitive research in the state.

In her work as director of tribal partnerships she knows that advancing research involves building partnerships, not only via the North Dakota Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (ND EPSCoR) Office, but also with the North Dakota State University faculty more generally for the NDSU Office of Research and Creative Activity (RCA).

McNeil has been in her position since June 2023, and she leads strategic engagement initiatives, special projects, and other efforts involving North Dakota’s tribal nations and Tribal Colleges and Universities to increase research opportunities.

Experiences are key influences

McNeil’s work and life experiences are key influences on what she brings to the tribal partnerships position.

“Sheridan has been such an impactful leader in North Dakota, bringing a strong base of knowledge of TCUs from her prior positions to NDSU and ND EPSCoR and her strong relationships statewide,” NDSU vice president for research Colleen Fitzgerald said. “There’s a reason why she was inducted into NDSU’s Tapestry of Inclusion – she plays a critical role in the state’s higher education landscape in strengthening the TCU-research university partnerships that are vital for our entire state.”

As a Standing Rock and Sisseton Wahpeton/Dakota Oyates member and a descendant of the White Earth Anishinaabe and Spirit Lake Dakota Oyates, McNeil lives in Fort Yates, N.D., where the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe is headquartered. Fitzgerald saw a clear added benefit of having a tribal member in the director position: strengthening existing relationships and building new ones.

“Sheridan is deeply committed to uplifting Native voices and remains a strong advocate of the North Dakota Tribal College System (NDTCS),” said Tracey Bauer, North Dakota Tribal College System executive director. “She is incredibly knowledgeable about Tribal Colleges because of her past leadership roles at United Tribes Technical College, which have assisted in her current role. Sheridan has strengthened relationships between Tribal Colleges and the broader research community, and I'm confident she will continue to advocate for Indigenous-led research initiatives that reflect our viewpoints and values within NDTCS.”

McNeil noted how Fitzgerald knew it would be important for this person to be a tribal member and for them to live in their community to maintain their connections. “I want to help provide better opportunities and access for our tribal and rural communities. It’s really making those connections about research and potential proposals they might be talking about,” she said.

“A major responsibility of my job is education for people, primarily faculty on the NDSU side, who are interested in working with or developing tribal partnerships,” said McNeil. “I do a lot of education in that area regarding best practices and making connections for different research topics.”

Working with ND EPSCoR

North Dakota EPSCoR collaborates with 10 institutions of higher education across North Dakota—including five tribal colleges and universities—to design, implement, fund, and manage various STEM-focused programs for students statewide. The North Dakota EPSCor Steering Committee oversees and guides the tribal partnership program.

“I’ve had the privilege of working with Sheridan McNeil over the past two years as Chair of the ND EPSCoR Steering Committee,” said Curtis Biller, also a North Dakota State Board of Higher Education member. “Sheridan has been an outstanding member of the committee, bringing not only a wealth of knowledge but also a deep commitment to strengthening connections with North Dakota’s Tribal Colleges. What impresses me most is her consistently positive demeanor and her remarkable ability to build meaningful relationships and create opportunities. Her efforts play a vital role in advancing research and promoting STEM education across the state.”

A history of building partnerships

Before becoming director of tribal partnerships, McNeil worked seven years as the director of career and technical education and dean of instruction at United Tribes Technical College. Before that, she provided public health and education on the Standing Rock Reservation. She holds multiple degrees in education, including a master’s in curriculum and instruction from Sitting Bull College.

However, McNeil notes that her work experience has been the most valuable training. “My experience with tribal colleges has been the most helpful,” she said. That experience gave her a critical perspective, making sure many different groups and voices had a chance to be heard.

“I learned pretty quickly about that need for better representation, no matter what the field,” McNeil commented. “My philosophy of seeing and experiencing that, through my different careers -- the more diverse we can have those voices sitting at the table, helping inform decisions and creating and designing programs, it really brings different perspectives and thoughts. That helps create these more comprehensive, better-informed programs to meet the diverse needs of our communities, because our communities are truly diverse.”

McNeil said a primary focus for her regarding tribal colleges and communities is STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) topics, which have been essential parts of scientific discoveries from tribal communities. Examples, McNeil said, include the medicinal use of plants and astronomy.

“There is much our communities have to offer and so much ancestral knowledge that we carry, especially in the STEM fields,” McNeil said. “There is much that could be shared, but we need to be careful not to exploit. We want to be respectful, whether it’s a tribal community or another group sharing their knowledge and experiences.”

There are successful programs today that TCUs want to continue, McNeil added, like Sunday Academies (NSF-funded programs aimed at generating interest in STEM among American Indian High School Students) and NATURE University Summer Camp (a two-week learning environment for ND TCU students 18 years old or older that provides participants the opportunity to work with researchers from NDSU and the University of North Dakota.

“The TCUs see the value in and want to continue the NATURE programming,” McNeil said.

Looking forward

McNeil is currently building a tribal resources webpage that is targeted to help educate local researchers about how to work with tribal colleges and communities.

“One project I’m going to be really proud to deliver is the tribal partnership resources page,” McNeil said. “I hope it is a really good resource for those who want to learn about our tribal communities within North Dakota, as it also gives some history and background of tribal colleges, and our tribal nations here.”

McNeil plans to launch the tribal partnerships resources page in summer 2025. It will be accessible from the NDSU Office of Research and Creative Activity page.

McNeil sees future value in building more capacity within her role. As her work is aimed at building and strengthening relationships, she worked with an intern from a tribal college and would like to continue to create such ties. “I’ve tried to educate everybody about meaningful relationships,” McNeil said. “Building trust with tribal communities and TCUs is a huge thing for our communities. That helps everything.”