The American Indian Resource Center at Bemidji State University

A tour of Bemidji State University would not be complete without a visit to the American Indian Resource Center (AIRC). It is one of the true gems of this state university on the shores of Lake Bemidji. On a visit to the interlibrary loan department of the Bemidji State University library in September, we were encouraged to visit the resource center by Ann Campbell and Colleen Deel.

Sterling Knox provided a tour of the 10,667 square-foot facilities. The AIRC was officially dedicated on October 4, 2003, after over 35 years of discussions and planning. Its strategic location at Bemidji State University allows it to draw from resources available from the three largest American Indian reservations in Minnesota (Leech Lake is 15 miles to the south, Red Lake is 30 miles north, and White Earth is 50 miles west of Bemidji). This is a facility where American Indian students can gather for learning, support, and cultural interaction. It is home to the first Indian Studies program in Minnesota and the first Ojibwe language program in the world.

The most significant space in the facility is the Great Hall or ‘Gathering Space.’ It is a 2,500 square feet oval-shaped room with its own fireplace and is adorned with flags of some of the Indian reservations in Minnesota. It is designed in the mode of the grand council room in the Native American tradition. Also, the facility houses offices for the council staff, Indian Studies, and Ojibwe language faculty. About 40 new students use the AIRC each year. There are exhibit areas (currently displaying the art of Wesley May), classrooms with interactive technology features, a computer lab, peer advising center, kitchen, and a garden in the back.

At the AIRC opening in 2003, Lee Cook, director, said, "If you do not dream, if you do not have a vision, nothing will ever happen. Those early people were dreamers and visionaries who set us up on a path leading to where we are now. And what’s been constructed today is a bigger building with a bigger mission than they ever envisioned.”