MU-Osage Student Opportunities
Osage youth are invited to sign up for the 2025 MU-Osage Summer Experience Week: Learning From Our Land, which will take place July 8-11 in Pawhuska, Oklahoma at Harvest Land Farm. Registration will close on June 10th.
Sign up for MU-Osage Summer Experience Week 2025Program Background
The University of Missouri (MU), as an 1862 Land Grant Institution, prepares students for success in agriculture, food, and natural resources careers. From the US Morrill Act of 1862, MU has benefited from acquisition of ancestral Osage land (Lee & Ahtone, 2015), although students from Osage Nation and other tribes are severely underrepresented as beneficiaries in this educational space (www.univstats.com) representing a fraction of 1% of the student body. We recognize that diverse perspectives and paradigms, guided by historic and cultural knowledge, are necessary for future generations of scientists and practitioners to develop creative, innovative solutions to the global challenges we face in agriculture and land health (Ford et al., 2020). Together, we seek to create pathways for Osage presence and meaningful reconnection with these lands and sciences for a resilient and thriving future.
The University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry (UMCA), as part of the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR), is collaborating with the Osage Nation Dept. of Natural Resources and Dept. of Education as part of a growing relationship between our communities, encouraged by the opening of Land of the Osages Research Center (LORC) in the Ozark Highlands of Missouri. Youth education has been an expressed Osage priority in this partnership.
In 2021, UMCA and Osage Nation were awarded a USDA NIFA New Beginning for Tribal Students grant to address some of the barriers and disincentives for Osage students to attend MU and become involved as future leaders at LORC.
Annual MU-Osage Summer Experience Week: Learning from Our Land
Sign up now for the 2025 MU-Osage Summer Experience Week! July 8-11, 2025
In 2022 and 2023, this week-long summer program for Osage high school students took place on MU’s campus (lodging in dorms) and surrounding research centers, including Land of the Osages Research Center. The week included experiential learning opportunities highlighting a range of College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources degree programs while deepening students’ connection to Osage ancestral lands in Missouri and a community of mentors at Mizzou.
In 2024, we shifted the MU-Osage Summer Experience Week to take place in Pawhuska, Oklahoma at Harvest Land Farm and the adjacent Wahzhazhe trail. Throughout the week, students participated in a design project for the trail area adjacent to Harvest Land Farm, discussed culturally-significant plants, visited Osage Nation Ranch, harvested and processed American elderberry, and practiced food and nature photography. A special thanks to Harvest Land Farm, Osage Nation Department of Natural Resources, Osage Nation Department of Education, Osage Nation Historic Preservation Office, Osage Summer Youth Program, Institute for Botanical Training, and the Mizzou Sustainable Food Systems Engineering Lab!
Osage youth are invited to sign up for the 2025 MU-Osage Summer Experience Week: Learning From Our Land, which will take place July 8-11 in Pawhuska, Oklahoma at Harvest Land Farm. Registration will close on June 10th.
Sign up for MU-Osage Summer Experience Week 2025
MU-Osage Scholarship Information
Interested in applying to MU? Here are some important dates to remember:
Apply to MU no later than November 15th. For application and details, visit https://admissions.missouri.edu/apply/. All application materials must be submitted to receive confirmation of your acceptance.
Apply for FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) no later than December 1st at https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa.
Meet with MU Financial Aid advisor no later than January 31st to ensure that the University of Missouri CAFNR degree program is accessible based on your needs.
Financial aid offers will be released in mid-March, and your acceptance decision deadline is May 1st (for MU admission with scholarship award). More details about timelines and applications at MU is available here https://admissions.missouri.edu/dates-deadlines/.
Helpful links:
Additional questions? Contact Hannah and/or Lauren via email or phone.
Hannah Hemmelgarn
Assistant Program Director, MU Center for Agroforestry
Email: hemmelgarnh@missouri.edu
Phone: (573)882-8321
Lauren Redeagle
Osage Nation Tribal Education Advocate
Email: education@osagenation-nsn.gov
Phone: (918) 287-9791