CARLISLE, Pa., Oct. 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — In a powerful act of healing and reclamation, Dickinson College will dedicate the Jim Thorpe Center for the Futures of Native Peoples near the site of the former Carlisle Indian Industrial School (CIIS)—the first federal off-reservation boarding school founded with the intent to “kill the Indian… save the man” through forced assimilation of Indigenous children and young adults.
“Just a few miles from the former grounds of a place that sought to erase our cultures and identities, the new space will stand as a testament to our strength and thriving presence,” says Amanda Cheromiah (KawaiKa-Laguna Pueblo), executive director of the Center for the Futures of Native Peoples (CFNP) and a granddaughter of six CIIS students.
Made possible through a $20 million gift from alumnus and philanthropist Samuel G. Rose, the building will include the Samuel G. Rose ’58 Art Gallery, celebrating Indigenous art and representing the largest arts investment in Dickinson’s history. The gallery will elevate Dickinson’s art collection and enhance its academic programs.
The center honors Jim Thorpe (Wa-Tho-Huk), a member of the Sac and Fox and Potawatomi Nations, who attended the CIIS. Thorpe excelled at sports, winning Olympic gold medals and playing professional football and baseball, but he was much more than an athlete. Thorpe committed himself and his resources to the advancement of Native Peoples.
The project reflects Dickinson’s work confronting its historical ties to the CIIS, which operated in Carlisle from 1879 to 1918. The college now hosts the world’s most comprehensive digital archive of CIIS materials and established the CFNP in 2023 with Mellon Foundation support.
The design team is led by Richard Olaya, AIA, of O Z Collaborative as the architect of record and Johnpaul Jones, FAIA, of Jones +Jones as the design architect. Johnpaul Jones, who is of Choctaw, Cherokee and Welsh American heritage and is one of the founding principals of Jones + Jones Architects and Landscape Architects was one of the lead designers of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, and the first Native American architect honored with the National Humanities Medal.
Rose, a real estate developer and Dickinson’s most significant benefactor, has contributed more than $100 million to the college, including gifts supporting scholarships, campus initiatives and art acquisitions.
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SOURCE Dickinson College
