Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law has announced a ground-breaking program, the first in the nation to offer programs on Indian Gaming ad Tribal Self-Governance as part of its Indian Legal Program (ILP).
Lawrence S. Roberts and Ann Marie Bledsoe Downes will be members of the founding faculty. The program will offer an advanced concentrated curriculum for those who want to focus on tribal initiatives to challenge federal policies.
The Indian Gaming Program will cover legal developments that led to Indian gaming and the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, the role of tribal and federal regulatory agencies, tribal state gaming compacts, intergovernmental agreements and trends in Indian Gaming.
ASU Law Dean and Professor of Law Douglas Sylvester declared, “ASU Law is committed to serving the educational needs of our tribal nations.” He added, “With the addition of our Indian Gaming and Tribal Self-Governance programs, we are building upon our world-class Indian Legal Program to ensure that our students receive the best possible education and real-world experience while they are here.”
The program anticipates that graduates would be qualified to be in-house counsels, executives for tribes or tribal entities, tribal elected officials, as well as careers as congressional staffers or staffers in state and local government.
The program will offer degrees that include Master of Legal Studies and Master of Laws.
Sylvester added, “History has also shown that tribes can better meet the needs of their citizens when the federal trustee works to promote tribal sovereignty and self-determination. We believe that both our programs will provide critical education for those working for the tribes or in Indian gaming.”
