Bird Bear developed the First Nations Heritage Tour to promote understanding of the history of Madison’s landscapes and address major racial equity issues, Madison Magazine reports.

The landscape tour was originally developed for American Indian students adjusting to college life, and has since been adapted for use in curriculum. Over the past three years, there have been almost 200 tours.

When used in curriculum, “the tour ‘helped students see themselves on campus and see how the university really has embraced collaboration and innovation with Native American nations,’” Bird Bear told Madison Magazine.

Bird Bear is the School of Education’s assistant dean for student diversity programs and also serves as the Multicultural/Disadvantaged Coordinator for the School.

Bird Bear also oversees the summer College Access Program for high school students, the Summer Education Research Program for prospective graduate students, the Education Graduate Research Scholar’s Program for current graduate students, and the American Indian Curriculum Services unit, which coordinates Wisconsin Indian education efforts in teacher education programs.

Read the full article here.