The Mentoring and Encouraging Academic Success (MESAS) Program provides support for American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian students at USU. The goal of our program is to cultivate a sense of community, culture, and belonging in order to support students' well-being and educational success. We do this through our program services which include: the Faculty advocate, talking circles for students, the annual Indigenous Knowledge Symposium, TEACH training for faculty and staff, as well as the Native American Living/Learning community on campus.
Who can participate in MESAS?
The MESAS Program is for all American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian students at USU! We invite undergraduate and graduate students to attend our events or reach out with questions. The goal of our program is to connect Native students and to build a community of support for well-being and educational success while at Utah State University.
HHMI's Inclusive Excellence 1&2 Capstone Report
USU's MESAS program, supported by the HHMI Inclusive Excellence award, addresses the academic and social needs of Native American students, particularly on the Logan campus. The program focuses on building community, improving cultural competence among faculty, and providing support beyond STEM majors. MESAS has successfully enhanced student engagement, campus awareness, and support for Native American students at Utah State University, leading to its administrative integration into the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The program's success has paved the way for the proposed Native American Cultural Center, demonstrating the university's commitment to Indigenous students.
Contact Us
Please reach out if you have questions or would like more information about MESAS
Join our mailing list
Share your email address to join our mailing list and receive our monthly newsletter
Learn more about the TEACH Course
You can learn more about how to get involved in the TEACH Course
As a land-grant institution, Utah State University campuses and centers reside and operate on the territories of the eight tribes of Utah, who have been living, working, and residing on this land from time immemorial. These tribes are the Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Indians, Navajo Nation, Ute Indian Tribe, Northwestern Band of Shoshone, Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, San Juan Southern Paiute, Skull Valley Band of Goshute, and White Mesa Band of the Ute Mountain Ute. We acknowledge these lands carry the stories of these Nations and their struggles for survival and identity. We recognize Elders past and present as peoples who have cared for, and continue to care for, the land. In offering this land acknowledgment, we affirm Indigenous self-governance history, experiences, and resiliency of the Native people who are still here today.