ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces readers to relationships between indigenous identities and leadership in diverse educational environments and institutions and benefits policy makers in education, student affairs professionals, scholars, faculty and students. A university instructor and Director of the Native American Program at Dartmouth for more than 15 years, Michael Hanitchak advises strategic initiatives in higher education for Native people in colleges, universities, national organizations, and tribes consulting from Vermont. He became one of the Indian students, the Indian recruiter, the Indian film person, the Indian student services professional, and an Indian counter. Strategies for making people feel as though they belong even with their differences are now an active part of professional student services. The prevailing attitude then was, and in many respects still is, "one is in college because you want to be like the mainstream". For many people in mainstream American culture getting ahead of others is desirable and appropriate behavior.
