“I don’t think Dickinson realizes how important this center is going to be, and I don’t know if we, even ourselves, can recognize the importance of the lives that this is going to touch,” said Ashley Ott, Student Advisory Board Member for The Center for the Futures of Native Peoples (CFNP).

An article by MaryAlice Bitts-Jackson for Dickinson College reported that the , Jim Thorpe Center “will greatly enhance the center’s mission and expand its reach.” The new center is much more than a “deep meaning for Indigenous peoples and communities connected to the Carlisle Indian Industrial School (CIIS).”

The Jim Thorpe Center reflects “the larger conversation about the impact of residential boarding schools here in the United States and in Canada to North America,” said Dr.  Amanda Cheromiah (Laguna Pueblo), executive director at the Center for the Futures of Native Peoples. 

She continued by highlighting the apology delivered by President Joe Biden in 2024 for the treatment of Indigenous people at the federal boarding school and the larger ripple of trauma inflicted on generations.

The CIIS operated from 1879 to 1918, and focused on eradicating Indigenous culture, harmfully impacting tribal communities across the United States. 

“There’s a lot of Native focused museums and culture centers all across the united states, but it really matters that there’s one in Carlisle,” said Cheromiah. 

Currently, CFNP calls a building on West Louther Street home. Named for its small, cozy setting filled with pictures and collected items, students seek comfort and refuge in the amply named “Grandma’s House.” 

Cheromiah said of the importance of Grandma’ House, “I believe it’s in the College’s best interests to keep it as it is, as a welcoming center and a place for our community.”

The new Center will include a visitor center, an art gallery–featuring pieces from Sam Rose’s collection–and a “healing” garden.

“I think there’s going to be thousands if not hundreds of thousands of people that are going to come this way,” said Cheromiah who cites an outpour of local interest and support on social media.

These visitors also include seniors who had a hand in the project. Andrew Okeefe ’26 is looking forward to visiting campus next year specifically to see the Center complete.

“Although I caught the tail end, being a Student Advisory Board Member, it’s a great honor to see it unfold in real time. It feels like magic. It’s very impactful,” said Okeefe.

Throughout our conversation, Cheromiah highlighted the importance that every detail be intentional, from the story the Center tells on the outside, to the “healing” landscaping surrounding the building, and the “Native made” and “Native themed art” from Rose’s collection.

As a gift from Rose, Cheromiah said at the Ground Blessing Ceremony, “We so mistreated the Native American People that I thought we owed them some good things.”

While Dickinson’s land acknowledgment recognizes the ongoing work to uplift and re-center Indigenous voices, the CFNP embodies this continued mission through ongoing work through their National Advisory Board and their Student Advisory Board. This month they hosted a Picnic for the Peoples, an inclusive event for the community featuring writing encouraging letters to Indigenous youth, music, games and free food.

Cheromiah is not working alone on this project. She recognized and gave gratitude to the many people and departments helping, and said, “We have all these different people working on different parts, and I think that’s what is really beautiful about this project that it’s not one, sole entity or department or person, but it’s really a collective to get things done.”

“It’s amazing to see the transformation of the land … I go over there pretty often and I’m reminded of why I’m here, why the center’s here. Especially on the hard days, you know  it’s a visual reminder that there’s something bigger and greater happening than myself,than even the center you know,” Cheromiah said.  “It’s going to be this magnificent place of gathering.” 

“The healing and intergenerational work that Mandy is doing as a woman here, as an

Indigenous woman here, is so powerful,” Ott said. “l’m really excited for the future and what this will bring, and I’m really grateful that l’ve gotten to work and be around Mandy and watch her grow in this space.”