As a University, we recognize the land on which we live, learn and work is the traditional, ancestral and contemporary lands of Indigenous peoples. We must build upon this acknowledgment and work to improve and strengthen our relations with the 11 sovereign Tribal Nations of Minnesota.
University leadership continues to meet with the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council, tribal leaders, and community members to learn more about how the University can better support Native American students, faculty, staff, and community members within and beyond Minnesota.
Initial discussions have resulted in the development of goals and measures in the MPact 2025 systemwide strategic plan. The University is focused on establishing collaborative relations and increasing engagement with Tribal Nations, not just in the work rolled into our strategic planning, but in our work throughout the University system. Through these efforts and partnerships, we will foster a welcoming University community that is dedicated to the success and advancement of Native American students, faculty, and staff.
In February 2023, the University announced an initial plan to move forward collaboratively — with the Fond du Lac, the University and the State of Minnesota — to return to the Band the approximately 3,400 acres that house the Cloquet Forestry Center. You can find more information about this announcement on Background on intentions for Cloquet Forestry Center.
We are committed to the hard work of rebuilding trust and forming mutually beneficial partnerships, research, policies and practices that respect tribal traditions, languages and systems of governance. University leaders look forward to the actions we will take in the weeks and months ahead that can address that past and work toward a shared, successful future.
Starting in Fall 2022, the University will provide free or reduced tuition on any of its five campuses statewide to first-year undergraduate students and Tribal college transfer students who are also enrolled citizens in one of the state’s 11 federally recognized Tribal Nations. The University of Minnesota Native American Promise Tuition Program expands upon a full tuition waiver program on the University’s Morris campus, which has long been in place through Minnesota statute given the campus property’s history with Native American boarding schools previous to its time as a U of M campus.
Frequently Asked Questions on Intentions with the Cloquet Forestry Center
How did the University originally acquire the land?
The Dawes Act of 1887 allowed for the division of communally owned reservations into private allotments. In Minnesota, the Fond du Lac and other Ojibwe bands were subject to further land abuses under the Nelson Act of 1889. These late-1880s Acts permitted the U.S. Government to transfer “unallotted” Fond du Lac lands to Cloquet lumber companies for extensive logging,
with the understanding that, after the removal of this timber, the University of Minnesota would receive this land, to be managed as an experimental and demonstration forest. Historic records show that much of the land acquired from Fond du Lac members was purchased at approximately one-fifth to one-tenth of the market price for that time.
In 1909, on 2,000 acres of once-reserved lands, the University of Minnesota established the CFC. Until as recently as 2003, the University continued to acquire land from the Fond du Lac land-base, originally reserved for the Band in the La Pointe Treaty of 1854.
When did the University begin to consider returning the land?
Discussions between University leaders and the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council and members of the 11 Tribal Nations of Minnesota in 2019 and 2020 resulted in goals and measures included in the University’s MPact 2025 system wide strategic plan, which emphasizes work to rebuild trust with Indigenous communities in a way that addresses the past and creates a shared future that benefits all. Those goals naturally extended to discussions about returning this land to the Fond du Lac.
What prompted the conversation to return the land?
The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa requested regular and ongoing dialogue about the Cloquet Forestry Center, expressing that they did not feel they had a meaningful relationship with the Forestry Center, which is wholly located within Fond du Lac lands. The University honored that request and these discussions have continued since that time.
Why are you proposing to return this land now, after more than 100 years of University use?
We believe it is the right thing to do and that now is the right time to do it.
Several years ago, the Fond du Lac requested regular and ongoing dialogue about the Cloquet Forestry Center, which is wholly located within their lands. Productive conversations have been happening ever since. These discussions have included information about the research and education programs being conducted on the land, how these research and teaching efforts may align with the research and educational needs of the Band, program development and community engagement, history of the property and cultural uses, and more. The natural progression of these conversations brought us to this time and this decision to return the land to the Fond du Lac.
What are the next steps in terms of returning legal ownership of the land to the Fond du Lac?
Returning legal ownership of the Cloquet Forestry Center land to the Fond du Lac Band involves several complex steps, in part because the land isn’t wholly owned by the University and includes parcels owned or restricted by the State of Minnesota.
Next steps include:
University and Fond du Lac Band leaders will continue to discuss next steps to move our plans forward, which involves ownership of the land, but also shared commitments and collaboration on forestry and natural resources education and research.
University and Fond du Lac Band leaders will continue working with the state legislature to have this proposal included in the next omnibus capital investment bill.
- Legislative action to pass the appropriate bill language, and the Governor signing that language into law, would position the University to proceed with returning all 3,400 acres of land to the Fond du Lac Band.
What is the timing of this action? When will land ownership officially change over?
We are actively engaging with the Legislature on this issue during the current 2025 legislative session. Should the needed legislation pass, the University’s Board of Regents could then take action on the ownership transfer soon after.
Is the University selling the land back to the Fond du Lac or returning it without cost?
We believe returning the land to the Fond du Lac at no cost is the right thing to do in this situation and, with the support of the State of Minnesota, the University intends to do that. We have considered that this is the only land owned by the University that lies entirely within an Indian Reservation and the circumstances under which the land was acquired.
Is the University receiving any benefits or assurances from the Fond du Lac as a result of returning the land?
Returning care and control of this land to the Fond du Lac is not conditional on any ongoing relationship with the University. With that said, we continue to have productive discussions about the future. We’ve appreciated the Fond du Lac’s openness to continued discussions and agreements to allow University research, education and outreach to continue on the land, in some form, in close collaboration with the Band. At legislative hearings the Band publicly reinforced their commitment to this ongoing collaboration.
Has the University sought the endorsement of Governor Walz or other elected officials for this decision?
We have actively engaged with a number of elected and State of Minnesota leaders on this decision, including the Governor and Lieutenant Governor, members of the Legislature and their staff, the Minnesota Department of Management and Budget and the Minnesota Department of Administration, and the Minnesota Attorney General. University and Band leaders appeared at several public legislative committee hearings in 2024 to provide information and answer questions about this decision. We welcome the opportunity to return for further discussions during the 2025 legislative session.
How will University research projects be affected?
The University and the Fond du Lac Band have reached an agreement in principle, to be executed upon the closing of the transfer of the Cloquet Forestry Center property from the University to the Band, that allows the University to continue operations on the Cloquet Forestry Center property after the transfer, in close collaboration with the Band. University research projects on the Cloquet Forestry Center property will continue in accordance with the guidelines and procedures established by the University and the Band that are in place today.
What progress has been made in those discussions about continuing research?
The University and the Fond du Lac Band have reached an agreement in principle, to be executed upon the closing of the transfer of the Cloquet Forestry Center property from the University to the Band, that allows the University to continue operations on the Cloquet Forestry Center property after the transfer, in close collaboration with the Band. Specifically, the University will continue to operate and maintain the Cloquet Forestry Center grounds for research, education and outreach purposes consistent with the University’s mission and in cooperation with the Band. University research projects on the Cloquet Forestry Center property will continue in accordance with guidelines and procedures established by the University and the Band that are in place today. The University will not be required to pay rent under the arrangement. The agreement has a seven-year term and will automatically continue thereafter unless a party gives at least six years’ notice of its desire to terminate.
Much work has gone into reaching this point. A focused working group of Fond du Lac and U of M representatives have worked closely on the details of collaborative research and outreach opportunities as we look into the future. In 2023, a technical working group compiled information related to the U of M’s current and potential future activities at the Cloquet Forest Forestry Center. In January 2024 the Band and the University signed a memorandum of understanding related to potential U of M land uses as ownership and management of the land once transferred to the Fond du Lac Band.
U of M representatives working in these groups include faculty, researchers and leadership from the Department of Forest Resources, the Cloquet Forestry Center and the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences. Karen Diver, the U of M’s Senior Advisor to the President on Native American Affairs, has and will continue to provide the group with guidance and expert counsel.
How will faculty, staff and students be impacted by the return of the land?
We can assure our employees that we will continue to provide world class research and teaching opportunities in forest resources. We are moving forward in the spirit of collaboration and partnership with the Fond du Lac as we make decisions about our research portfolio and location of our work. Students are at the core of all that is done at the U of M. That is true for both the educational and research mission. Through discussions with Fond du Lac, our hope is that we can collaborate to provide students with an important tribal perspective to help broaden their understanding and experiences in forest resources.
Has the discussion group asked for input from students, researchers, professors and community members who currently use the Cloquet Forestry Center?
Yes, as part of these conversations the University and the Fond du Lac have and continue to work toward a comprehensive view of how the land is used. These conversations have included staff and leaders at the Cloquet Forestry Center, as well as the Department of Forestry, who have been very engaged in providing information and participating in these discussions. We intend to continue collecting input from these groups and others as we move forward.
How will this impact Cloquet and other local communities? Will the land remain open to the public?
Historically, the University has regularly engaged with the public and other stakeholders about uses for the Forestry Center lands. As the current conversations between the University and the Fond du Lac continue, it is our shared intention to engage with these broader communities about how the land may be used in the future.
When did you seek public comment?
We remain committed to an open and transparent process as we examine the future of this land. In February 2024, the U of M hosted a public listening session about the future of the land where the Cloquet Forestry Center resides.
Beyond this action, what has the University done to repair/rebuild/strengthen its relationships with Indigenous people and Minnesota’s Tribal Nations?
The University acknowledges the painful realities of our past and is actively working to rebuild and strengthen the relationships between the U of M and Indigenous communities around Minnesota, including with the state’s 11 Tribal Nations. University leadership continues to regularly meet with leaders of Minnesota’s Tribal Nations and the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council. Among those U of M leaders is Karen Diver, the University’s first-ever Senior Advisor to the President on Native American Affairs. The creation of this position, and the hiring of someone as experienced and qualified as Diver, reflects the priority and focus the University has placed on this work.
In terms of programming and resources, we have increased our investments in Native American students, faculty and staff, which has included re-establishing our Ojibwe and Dakota language programs, founding dedicated University housing communities where students can choose to live together and be immersed in Native culture and language, the creation of the Native American Promise Tuition Program, creation of a Tribal Natural Resources program and more. Additionally, we have dedicated more personnel and expertise to working with Tribal Nations in our research enterprise than we ever have before. We continue to appreciate the ongoing dialogue and partnerships that enable these important research collaborations.
We recognize that these selected examples are initial steps—part of our long-term commitment to maintain strong relationships with Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities, and to support Native learners—but we also see each as a meaningful step reflecting our commitment.
More information about these and other initiatives can be found online at The Office of Native American Affairs.