FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
November 15, 2022

CONTACT: 
Michaela Welch, Marketing and Communications Manager
College of the Menominee Nation
mwelch@menominee.edu (715) 799-6226, ext. 3153 

FALCON 2022 Annual Conference 
College of Menominee Nation staff and students in attendance 

KESHENA, Wisc. – The 18th Annual First Americans Land Grant Consortium (FALCON) Conference was held October 21-25, 2022 in Old Town, Albuquerque, New Mexico. College of Menominee Nation (CMN) had a handful of staff and students attend the conference. 

The conference included pre- and post-conference workshops, with Carrie Billy, CEO and President of American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) delivering the keynote address. Sessions from the conference covered 1994 land-grant teaching, extension programs and research that benefits Native communities.

CMN President Chris Caldwell gave the keynote address on day two of the conference. This is what Tribal College Journal said of Caldwell’s address: 

“... Caldwell explained how tribal colleges serve as a means to transfer Indigenous knowledge from one generation to the next. He elaborated specifically on CMN’s sustainability programs as well as its partnerships with USDA, NIFA, and other Land Grant institutions, most notably historically Black colleges and universities.” 

Also in attendance were 20 students from the Sustainability Leadership Cohort and Wildcrafting group. They were able to visit the Institute of American Indian Arts and Southwestern Polytechnic Institute. The students and Bonnie McKiernan gifted medicinal tea to the AIHEC President Carrie Billy. 

FALCON was created to support 1994 land-grant institutions helping to establish connections and assists on a peer-to-peer level with administrators. 

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Reference:

"FALCON Conference a Resounding Success," Tribal College Journal, October 24, 2022, https://tribalcollegejournal.org/falcon-conference-a-resounding-success/