The Native American Academic and Student Success Center (NAASSC) promotes academic student success, building connections and strengthening community. NAASSC is a welcoming space and open to all students, regardless of identity, who are interested in exploring and understanding Native American experiences and engaging in productive dialogue and community with others.

Given the rich diversity of our Indigenous community, we strive to make UC Davis a place where all of our identities are celebrated. Some of us have grown up in our tribal lands. Some of us are finding our way home. No matter where students are in their level of connection or identity, the center provides a place where we honor academic achievements and work to support students’ personal and academic journeys. The center is focused on creating a sense of belonging for students and our community includes students, staff, faculty and alumni from a wide variety of tribal nations and backgrounds, experiences and academic interests.

Through academic support, mentorship, leadership development and student-centered programming, NAASSC plays a critical role in student retention by ensuring that all participating students, regardless of identity, have the guidance and community necessary to persist and graduate.

Our purpose is to:

• Foster academic student success through a student-centered approach.
• Build connections between students, staff, faculty and campus partners (both internal and external).
• Strengthen community in support of the holistic well-being of students.

Our programming is rooted in “heart work,” focused on creating programming for our students that is transformational and equity-minded, while also done in partnership and collaboration with internal and external partners. In order to create programming and strategies that best address the needs of scholars, NARI makes decisions based on the most current data and research practices utilized at UC Davis and across institutions of higher education.