KINGSTON, R.I. – Oct. 2, 2025 – Indigenous education leader Heather J. Shotton will explore what it means for institutions of higher education to become Indigenous-serving, as the University of Rhode Island continues its 2025 URI Honors Colloquium Tuesday, Oct. 7, with “Becoming Indigenous-Serving Institutions.”

Hosted by the Honors Program, URI’s premier lecture series is examining the evolving landscape of public education. Shotton will speak at 5:30 p.m. at Edwards Hall on the Kingston Campus as part of the fall colloquium series, “Education, Behind the Curtains,” which will also be streamed live (links available on the colloquium website).

Shotton will discuss the history of higher education with Indigenous communities and reframe approaches to better serve Indigenous students. Pulling from experience at Fort Lewis College in Colorado, where she is president, she will challenge her audience to consider ways to confront difficult histories and reclaim academic spaces as sites of Indigenous learning and practice.

Shotton is the 11th president of Fort Lewis College and the first Native American to lead the institution. A nationally recognized scholar and advocate for Indigenous education, Shotton brings more than 20 years of experience in academic leadership, student success, and institutional transformation. An enrolled citizen of the Wichita and Affiliated tribes, and a descendant of the Kiowa and Cheyenne tribes, she has dedicated her career to advancing equity, reconciliation, and access in higher education. Her leadership at Fort Lewis honors the institution’s unique history and focuses on academic excellence and inclusivity. A first-generation college graduate, Shotton previously served as chair of educational leadership and policy studies at the University of Oklahoma and as board president of the National Indian Education Association.

Shotton’s lecture will be followed on Oct. 14 by Dominique Baker, University of Delaware, speaking on college affordability. For the full roster of colloquium speakers and sponsors, visit the Honors Colloquium site.

In addition to the speaker series, students and guests attending this year’s Honors Colloquium are also invited to visit the Hera Gallery in Wakefield for the gallery’s annual Banned Book Showcase and a 24-hour Banned Books Marathon on Oct. 11-12, featuring students and faculty from this year’s Colloquium. Hera is also kicking off a national juried exhibition on Oct. 11 reflecting on the power of curiosity and the growing threat of censorship in our communities and culture; opening reception Oct. 11, 6 to 8 p.m.

This year’s URI Honors Colloquium is led by URI’s Feinstein College of Education with the hopes of fostering dialogue and bringing the larger community into conversation on how schools can best serve students and society in today’s world. The series concludes in December with a panel on the state of education in Rhode Island.

Hosted by the University’s Honors Program, the annual URI Honors Colloquium is free and open to the public. To see recordings of last year’s speakers, or past colloquiums, visit the Honors Colloquium Archives. Sign up here for more information and reminders for colloquium events or by emailing urihonors@etal.uri.edu.