Assistant professor receives ASHE award for book about Indigenous students

Amanda Tachine, assistant professor at Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton College, received the Association for the Study of Higher Education, or ASHE, Outstanding Book Award for her recent publication, “Native Presence and Sovereignty in College: Sustaining Indigenous Weapons to Defeat Systemic Monsters.” 

ASHE Awards recognize exemplary achievements and contributions to the study of higher education through research, leadership or service to ASHE and the field of higher education. The 2022 Awards Ceremony will be held on Thursday, November 17 in Las Vegas, Nevada. At the ASHE General Conference on November 19, Tachine will engage in a Fireside Chat about her book. 

Tachine’s book examines 10 Navajo teens during their last year in high school and their first year of college. During this transitional time students are expected to create connections to a community on campus. But what if, asks Tachine, there are systemic mechanisms lurking in those communities that hurt Indigenous students’ chances of earning a degree? She describes these mechanisms as monsters and illustrates how campus environments can be harmful to Indigenous students in ways related to feeling a sense of belonging. 

Tachine’s research centers on exploring college access and persistence among Indigenous college students using qualitative Indigenous research methodologies.Tachine is Diné from Ganado, Arizona. She is Náneesht'ézhí Táchii'nii (Zuni Red Running into Water clan) born for Tl'izilani (Many Goats clan). Her maternal grandfather’s clan is Tábaahí (Water's Edge) and her paternal grandfather's clan is Ashiihi (Salt).