About NASA

Background
The office of Native American Student Affairs (NASA), originally named the Native American Resource Center, was established in 1989 at The University of Arizona through student and community advocacy. The Native American student population then was 434 (1.2%). Since the inception of the Center, which has helped tremendously with recruitment and retention, the Native American student population gradually increased to 812 (2.2%) in the year 2006. In 2005-2006, 122 Native American students graduated from the University, compared to a total of 91 students ten years ago in 1994-1995. NASA continues to serve as one of four ethnic student support service units reporting to Interim Director for Multicultural Affairs and Student Success (MASS).

In February of 2001, NASA unveiled the logo and renamed the Native American Resource Center to the Wassaja Student Center, now part of a larger Native American Student Affairs unit. The name Wassaja (pronounced wass-jah) is a Yavapai-Apache word meaning to "beckon others to come." The name was originally given to Dr. Carlos Montezuma, the only member of the Yavapai-Apache tribe to earn a medical degree. Dr. Montezuma's accomplishments are many and the Center proudly honors his legacy and contributions by recognizing the utilization of his name. The name honoring was also tied to a $333,333 gift given to the University in the year 2000 from the Fort McDowell Indian Community located in Fountain Hills, Arizona, the tribe Dr. Montezuma was from, that supported American Indian student programs and student scholarships for all University students regardless of race and/or ethnicity.

In 2001, the American Indian Graduate Center (AIGC) became part of Native American Student Affairs. The AIGC was also established in 1989 with the support of American Indian faculty. Prior to becoming part of Campus life, AIGC has made several transitions having been administratively placed previously with the Graduate College, the Office of the Vice President for Research, and the American Indian Studies Program. The Center addresses and supports the unique needs of American Indian graduate and professional students, a growing population on our campus due to the wide array of academic disciplines offered at the University that draw in many students from all over the country and Canada. The Center relocated to the main campus in 2004 alongside the Wassaja Student Center in the Robert L. Nugent building, where all support services for Native American students now coexist.

There are over 75 Native American tribes represented on our campus with a majority of students coming from Arizona tribes and reservations. The UA campus lies in close proximity to a richness of Native American cultures; 13 miles from the New Pascua Yaqui Reservation; 6 miles from the Old Pascua Yaqui Community; 10 miles from the San Xavier Reservation and 60 miles from the Tohono O'odham Reservation in Sells, Arizona.

Mission
Our mission is to provide culturally sensitive academic counseling and support services to American Indian/Alaskan Native students enabling them to achieve academic excellence. We nurture student success by encouraging all students to proactively explore and shape our diverse campus community.

Our logo
Gerald Dawavendewa (Hopi/Cherokee), a graduate of the University of Arizona, College of Fine Arts, created the Native American Student Affairs logo which has significant meaning relevant to the population we serve. The image depicts a native woman with four eagle feathers representing community, culture, knowledge, and tradition. Her hair symbolizes life in a waterline. Along the waterline are cloud symbols that bring rain. Beside her is a pottery vessel with Hohokam figures that represent the legacy of the native people in the southwest and the location of the University of Arizona. Each figure also represents the students who come from the six directions to attend the University. The two swirls, one leaving the Hohokam figures, represents the educational journey of our students with a new swirl beginning, representing the journey they take beyond college.