The American Indian Program (AIP) has its roots in a community outreach program that began in the 1920s with Dr. Earl Bates, an obstetric physician and Quaker activist who pressed New York State and the federal government to fulfill their Treaty obligations to the Iroquois Confederacy. Bates developed a dynamic and successful agriculture and home economics extension program grounded in respect for Native peoples and emphasizing community control of those programs.

Eventually these concepts were reborn through the efforts of Iroquois leaders, committed Cornell faculty and administrators, and Native students who formally established the American Indian Program in 1983. Today, as part of a land-grant institution with outreach commitments, the AIP is dedicated to working collaboratively with Native communities, and promoting community-based learning. Emphasizing cultural and environmental sustainability, we focus on the integration of traditional knowledge and western science, and have a special interest in the protection and management of trans-boundary waters. Students are involved in AIP outreach through internships and volunteer efforts.