UROP Project

The History of FSU and the Seminole Tribe

History, Native American, University, Tallahassee

Research Mentor: Dr. Andrew K. Frank, he/him/his
Department, College, Affiliation: Native American and Indigenous Studies Center and Department of History, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: afrank@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:

Looking for Research Assistants: Yes
Number of Research Assistants: 5
Relevant Majors: Open to all majors
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required:
Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 5, Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:

• Day: Thursday, September 3
  Start Time: 1:30
  End Time: 2:00
  Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/my/akfrank

Project Description

This UROP project will explore how the relationship between Florida State University and the Seminole Tribe of Florida developed in the 1970s. When FSU first chose the name Seminole, it did so without consulting the Florida Seminoles. Today, the university and tribe have a partnership and friendship that is quite different and reflects decades of conversations and subtle and not-so-subtle changes. This project focuses on the 1970s, a time when the Red Power movement and changing mores in the US convinced many universities to move away from their use of Indigenous names. Florida State was different. During the 1970s, FSU leaned into the use of the Seminole name. It introduced of the Osceola/Renegade tradition, included Tribe members at various public events, and abandoned the use of headdresses in the homecoming court. Student researchers will look closer at these relatively well-known events and/or other more under-explored moments in order to rewrite this history. In particular, students will explore the role that the Seminole Tribe had in the transformation. In the process, students will grapple with issues related to tribal sovereignty and cultural appropriation.

Research Tasks: original archival research, historical writing, and historical analysis

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: required: strong writing skills; recommended: some independent research experience in any field