Between 1976 and 2006, the number of Native American students attending universities doubled, rising from 76,100 to 181,000. Over the same period, the average student body saw its Native American population increase from 0.7 percent to 1.1 percent. 

Those are positive gains for a community that is traditionally underrepresented in higher education, but the same National Center for Education Statistics report that published the above data also added this note: “Twenty-six percent of American Indian/Alaska Native 18- to 24-year olds were enrolled in college or universities, compared with 41 percent of Whites, 33 percent of Blacks, 27 percent of Hispanics, and 58 percent of Asians.” 

That still leaves a lot of room for improvement among Native American communities, and that’s exactly where Patrick Weasel Head, PhD ’89, comes in.

Weasel Head—his family name is “Ah Poh Ta Cahn;” “Weasel Head” is an Anglicized name given to the family by the Federal Government—spent his formative years moving back and forth between the Blackfoot Indian Reservation—his father’s reservation—and the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation—his mother’s reservation. He earned a bachelor of science degree from the University of Montana in 1971 and a master's degree from UM in 1983, then headed to San Francisco for what he called his “hippy days.” During the road trip from Montana to the Bay Area he visited universities he was interested in attending for his doctorate, and as a marathoner, one in particular stood out.

“I came to the University of Oregon and I thought, ‘Wow, this is nice, people love running here,’” he said.

The UO accepted his application, and he subsequently enrolled in the College of Education. Weasel Head described his time at the UO as “whole new venues opening up” and said the university’s family atmosphere is what ultimately convinced him to attend. Professors invited him to dinner, and one faculty member introduced the young runner to racquetball. The College of Education also placed him on its entrance committee, where he worked alongside deans to determine which students would be admitted.

“Everything was wonderful, and world-class people were supporting me and opening my eyes to many things, which was wonderful,” he said.

“Being included was really important for me, and here I am.”

Where he is, is recently retired after a career spent helping turn that 76,100 into 181,000.

“I always wanted to see indigenous people be stellar,” Weasel Head said. “I didn’t see anybody pushing this when I was in high school. I wanted to see people be critical thinkers and address issues, and also understand we as Indian people have good, solid backgrounds—we’re not just the drunken Indian stereotype that many people see. I wanted them to be proud of who they were.”

Weasel Head edited a selection of commissioned papers, published as Project in Support of Mathematics, Science, and Technology, and the collection was instrumental in the procurement of a $10 million award from the National Science Foundation to support the High Plains Rural Systemic Initiative (HPRSI). Almost 10 percent of all Native Americans enrolled in a university are attending a tribal college, and the HPRSI aims to improve the science, mathematics, and technology programs at those colleges in Montana, Nebraska, Wyoming, and the Dakotas. 

He also served as the director of the Research and Development program for Indian Education at the Northwest Regional Education Lab Service District (now Education Northwest), promoting math, science, and technology education in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska.

His work was not confined to just helping prospective college students, though—he also worked with universities to ensure their campuses were welcoming places for incoming Native American scholars. Bullied during his own childhood by people who, as he described it, found it hard to understand and accept that they were not the first people to settle in an area, part of Weasel Head’s work involved encouraging universities to acknowledge there were people living on the land before European settlers arrived—people like the Kalapuya who lived in the Willamette Valley for thousands of years before being removed to the Grand Ronde reservation in Yamhill and Polk counties in the 1850s.

“It's important to understand that we should acknowledge those individuals as much as possible,” said Weasel Head. “The president of this institution needs to be doing it, and the deans and alumni need to say it as well, to make sure that people understand that there was a place and people here before and they need to be acknowledged.” 

The UO visibly paid tribute to Oregon’s indigenous tribes in 2014, when the flags of all nine tribal nations were raised above the EMU amphitheater. The display was the brainchild of then-student Orion Falvey, BS ’13, and was created with financial support from the Office of the President, the ASUO, and all nine of Oregon’s tribes.

“That's important,” said Weasel Head. “Those sort of things really make us feel good about the institution itself.”

Weasel Head still lives in Missoula, Montana, and cheers for his alma maters—the UM Grizz and the UO Ducks—every chance he gets, even returning to Eugene last December to see the two schools square off in Matt Knight Arena (an encounter the Ducks won 81-67 behind Chris Boucher’s 23 points and 19 rebounds). A lifelong educator, in retirement Weasel Head served on the Missoula City Council, volunteers with the Meals on Wheels program, volunteers to drive disabled veterans through Drive a Van, and volunteers with the Missoula Food Bank. For his efforts, he was the recipient of the 2016 MIssoula Peacemaker Award from the Jeanette Rankin Peace Center Coordinating Council and Missoula Peace Quilters.