We envision a world in which Indigenous resilience, sovereignty, and ways of knowing are respected and advanced to meet climate change challenges, through globally impactful University of Arizona collaborations in research, education, and outreach.
The Agnese Nelms Haury Program In Environment and Social Justice was established in 2014, and seeks to honor the life and work of Mrs. Agnese Nelms Haury. Mrs. Haury believed in social justice, and sought to solve "wicked" societal and environmental problems facing our region and our world. The Haury Program is funded by a bequest from Mrs. Haury's trust, and is overseen by a Donor Advised Fund Board.
We are now housed under the Arizona Institute for Resilience (AIR), where researchers, educators, problem-solvers, and innovators from diverse disciplines work together to develop innovative and practical solutions to the environmental and resilience challenges we face today.
Between 2014 and 2019, the Haury Program focused on multi-cultural scholarship and community building, to promote and build capacity for wider social and environmental justice projects. Early work included supporting faculty fellows and students, awarding grants to the university – community partnerships with transformational impacts, and well as providing technical assistance, resources, and trainings to the awardees and the community. Through funding University - Community Partnerships and Education and Scholarship Opportunities, the Haury Program invested $8,395,690 on approximately 70 individuals and teams of the University of Arizona and community partners in project-based work, including several projects in Native American communities conducted in partnership with Native faculty, staff, and students.
In 2020, we pivoted and focused our larger vision of environment and social justice on envisioning a world in which Indigenous resilience, sovereignty, and ways of knowing are respected and advanced to meet climate change challenges, through globally impactful University of Arizona collaborations in research, education, and outreach.
To implement this vision, our work now is centered on three focus areas:
The first focus area includes funding education, research, and outreach that promote Indigenous resilience in ways that respect tribal knowledge and sovereignty.
The second focus area supports robust Native American pathways to and at the University of Arizona for students, faculty, and staff.
The third focus area centers, builds, and fosters trust-based partnerships. This includes ties to philanthropic and other entities that share our mission, and serving as a communication hub for these partnerships.
Lastly, we recognize that the University of Arizona is a land grant institution that resides on the ancestral homelands of the Tohono O’odham and Pascua Yaqui. We are deeply committed to going beyond a land acknowledgement in all we do, especially by fostering relationships, leveraging resources, and uplifting Indigenous voices to advance Indigenous resilience, tribal self-determination, and Native Nation building.
We invite you to join us in this work!
