The NDSU Office of Multicultural Programs is scheduled to host a 2014 Native American Heritage month event featuring space shuttle astronaut Cmdr. John B. Herrington. The event is set for Monday, Nov. 17, at 7 p.m. in the atrium of the Harry D. McGovern Alumni Center. 

In 2002, Herrington, an enrolled member of the Chickasaw Nation, became the first Native American astronaut on a space mission with the launch of the space shuttle Endeavor.

After his retirement from NASA, Herrington focused his efforts on being a role model for youth, specifically Native American youth. He brings a strong message about the importance of mathematics and science education.

A Native American drum group has been invited to perform an honor song for Herrington at the event, which is free and open to the public.

The event is funded in part with an award from the North Dakota Humanities Council, which is a nonprofit, independent state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

For more information about the event, contact Kara Gravely-Stack, director of diversity initiatives, at kara.gravley-stack@ndsu.edu.

NDSU is recognized as one of the nation's top 108 public and private universities by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education.