photo by: Contributed

Alex Red Corn

Alex Red Corn, the temporary president of Haskell Indian Nations University, has been appointed as the university’s permanent president, the Bureau of Indian Education announced Monday.

Red Corn, a citizen of the Osage Nation, has served as interim president since January. In a news release, Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Billy Kirkland said that “Dr. Red Corn brings the experience and community trust needed to guide the university forward.”

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve Indian Country at this historic university that has meant so much to so many tribal communities,” Red Corn said in the release. “Working closely with Haskell’s faculty, staff, and students has been extremely rewarding. I’ve witnessed first-hand the collaborative spirit across campus that will continue to guide our shared work as we serve our students and Indian Country.”

Haskell has been under interim leadership since the resignation of its previous president, Frank Arpan, in May 2025. The school has had more than half a dozen interim or longer-term leaders over the past decade.

Red Corn’s resume includes roles as director and associate professor of indigenous studies at the University of Kansas, and he also founded the Indigenous Educational Leadership Graduate Certificate program at Kansas State University and has led partnerships with the Osage Nation to increase the number of educators earning master’s degrees. He has served as executive director of the Kansas Association for Native American Education and chair of the Kansas Advisory Council for Indigenous Education. He has a doctorate in educational leadership from Kansas State University and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social studies education from KU.