(The following appeared in the Daily Oklahoman on 3/16/07)

TULSA ?State regents gave the go-ahead Thursday for a new degree program in native American studies at East Central University in Ada.

The bachelor of arts degree program will start in the fall and was urged by the Chickasaw Nation.

The tribe expects 4,000 of its members to graduate in the next decade.

"We have long valued education,” said Chickasaw Gov. Bill Anoatubby.

"We believe the new major will be very useful to current and future students, and its lasting impact will be felt throughout the Chickasaw Nation, Oklahoma and elsewhere.”

The interdisciplinary program aims to provide a deeper understanding of native societies, with focus on five southeastern tribes relocated to Oklahoma in the 1800s.

"Graduates will be able to use the degree in many areas, including business, law and graduate education,” said Linda Reese, a history professor at the university.

About one-fifth of ECU's students are American Indians, making them the largest minority population on the Ada campus.