On July 14, 2023, the White House announced that President Biden would be appointing five individuals to the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) Board of Trustees, including Johnpaul Jones (Choctaw and Cherokee), Madeline Fielding Sayet (Mohegan), Jane Semple Umsted (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma), Rose B. Simpson (Santa Clara Pueblo) ’07 and ‘18, and Manuelito Wheeler (Navajo Nation).

“We are very gratified and honored by the President’s addition of these eminent Native American professionals and artists to our distinguished board of trustees,” says IAIA Board of Trustees Chair Loren Kieve (Cherokee Nation). “We are particularly looking forward to having one of ‘our own,’ Rose B. Simpson, join her fellow IAIA alumna, Beverly Morris, on our board.”

Institute of American Indian Arts

The Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) is the only college in the world dedicated to the study of contemporary Native American and Alaska Native arts. IAIA offers undergraduate degrees in Cinematic Arts and Technology, Creative Writing, Indigenous Liberal Studies, Museum Studies, Performing Arts, and Studio Arts; graduate degrees in Creative Writing, Studio Arts, and Cultural Administration; and certificates in Broadcast Journalism, Business and Entrepreneurship, Museum Studies, and Native American Art History. The college serves approximately 500 full-time equivalent (FTE) Native and non-Native American students from around the globe, representing nearly a hundred federally recognized tribes. Named one of the top art institutions by UNESCO and the International Association of Art, IAIA is among the leading art institutes in our nation and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).