2026 Winter
This is why I give: Stuart Lucks
This fall, CEHD welcomed the first cohort of Wezhinoo’igejig: Ojibwe Scholars in Early Childhood. In Ojibwe, Wezhinoo’igejig (way-shi-NOO-i-GAY-jig) means “the ones who show or point the way.” This focus option in the Institute of Child Development early childhood degree combines coursework in child development, early childhood teaching methods, and Ojibwe immersion pedagogy. The generosity of donors has been crucial in helping the program get started and to support the 15 professionals looking to increase their skills. Stuart Lucks (MSW ‘79) was an early partner in the initiative.
Stuart Lucks today and as a student on his ID card.
The generosity of donors has been crucial in helping the program get started and to support the 15 professionals looking to increase their skills. Stuart Lucks (MSW ‘79) was an early partner in the initiative.
Stuart, who grew up in Long Island, transferred to UMN in January 1972, looking for a leading public university in a large city. He quickly created roots on campus and in the community by immersing in the active political atmosphere, enjoying and studying music, and “walking across the bridge with my coat open on a sunny 15-degree day because it was so ‘warm out.’”
Stuart had spent a summer on the Pine Ridge Lakota Indian Reservation, and after finishing his social work degree, worked for a groundbreaking city of Minneapolis housing program to provide home ownership to American Indian families. After 10 years living in Minneapolis, he moved back to New York to lead a third generation of a construction materials distribution company. He says, “My time at UMN exposed me to a tremendous diversity of people, and social work at its best is all about communication, and I learned to listen when working through issues with individuals around the world.”
For almost 30 years, Stuart made annual gifts back to the University. After speaking with a development officer, he met with Dean Michael C. Rodriguez and Professor Mary Hermes to learn more about CEHD’s efforts to build relationships with tribal colleges in and around Minnesota. He was inspired to establish the Tribal College Partnership Program Fund and the Stuart Lucks Scholarship to benefit students in the Ojibwe early childhood track.
“My experience in Pine Ridge changed my perspective and the direction of my life,” he says. “This gift aligns with my interest to find ways to help strengthen American Indian communities, and the connections between Indigenous worlds and the ones most of the rest of us live in. Dean Rodriguez’s commitment to maximizing access to higher education for all is critical in these trying times.”
Learn more: z.umn.edu/Ojibwe_scholars