The American Indian Learning Resource Center at the University of Minnesota Duluth will be celebrating the 26th anniversary on Friday.

When the center first opened, only a few Indian students attended the school. One was Rick Smith, a member of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians.

Smith is now director of the center, which serves the 139 Indian students this year. “For a lot of people here, they are probably fifth- sixth-, seventh-generation college students,” Smith told The Duluth News Tribune.

Veronica Nelson, a member of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Indians, said the center is a home away from home. “People feed you and tell you stories,” she said. “It keeps you grounded.”

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UMD offers a haven for American Indian students (The Duluth News Tribune 11/12)