Just beyond the grounds of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, Dickinson College’s dedication of the Jim Thorpe Center for the Futures of Native Peoples marks a turning point in how the history of the land is remembered. For generations, the Carlisle school represented the horror of the systematic attempt to strip Indigenous children of language, culture, and identity under the motto “Kill the Indian, save the man.” Now, only a few miles away, this new center stands as both a response and a restoration. It acknowledges the pain of that history while creating a space for Indigenous strength, creativity, and self-determination to thrive.
Dickson College naming the center after Jim Thorpe honors the legacy of a man whose life defied the system that tried to erase him. He was a student at Carlisle, yet overcame every obstacle in his way and went on to became one of the greatest athletes in history. His name now stands as a reminder of Indigenous perseverance and the futures still being built from that strength.
“This 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 granddaughter of six Carlisle students.
The project was made possible through a $20 million gift from alumnus and philanthropist Samuel G. Rose, marking the most significant investment in the arts in Dickinson’s history. The new building will feature the Samuel G. Rose ’58 Art Gallery, a dedicated space for Indigenous art and creative expression that will expand the college’s collection and educational reach.
The vision for the Jim Thorpe Center is being brought to life by Richard Olaya, AIA, of O Z Collaborative and Johnpaul Jones (Choctaw, Cherokee, Welsh) of Jones + Jones Architects and Landscape. Jones, a founding principal of his firm and one of the lead designers of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, is the first Native architect to receive the National Humanities Medal. His involvement signals that the design of the center will reflect the living connection between people, land, and story, serving as an architectural expression of survivance and renewal.
The dedication of the Jim Thorpe Center for the Futures of Native Peoples is a promise that the stories once silenced here will now have a place to breathe and grow. Where a system once worked to erase Indigenous futures, this space now stands to help facilitate the futures we continue to shape for ourselves.
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