Tribal-State Relations Training

• Class fee for FY 2027 is $545 per person, including meals. Does not include overnight accommodations.
• Classes are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration will close when the class is full.
• Follow your agency's training registration process. Supervisory approval may be needed.
• Choose your class:
  • November in Tower
  • January in Redby
  • February in Walker
  • March in Welch
  • April in Morton
  • May in Grand Portage
  • June in Prior Lake
• Payment must be received by UMD by either credit card or purchase order in order to register for the training (an EIOR for cost is required for funding)
• A confirmation email will then be sent from the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) that could be in your spam folder. A reminder email will be sent a week prior to class with further information.

Who is considered a State employee?

For TSRT registration purposes, a state employee is defined as a public-sector employee within Minnesota. This includes individuals working for counties, other governmental units, and educators throughout the state. This definition aligns with the MN Indian Affairs Council Resolution #12042025_01. If you have any questions about eligibility, please contact the TSRT staff.

Cancellation procedure

If you cannot attend the training, please send an email to tsrt@d.umn.edu. A 10% handling and processing fee will be charged for all cancellations made 5 or more business days prior to the start of the class. No refunds will be granted for cancellations made within 4 days prior to the first day of training.

Compensatory time

Employees who are subject to overtime should note that all non-assigned training is voluntary and that the total state time is not to exceed the regular scheduled workday.

If you have questions about registration, please email Anna with the TSRT Planning Team.

• Registrations for state employees must be sent to Anna with the TSRT Team. Emails sent to the wrong email address may delay your registration.
• Class fee for FY 2027 is $545 per person, including meals. Does not include overnight accommodations.
• Classes are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration will close when the class is full.
• Follow your agency's training registration process. Supervisory approval may be needed.
• Follow your agency’s internal process (i.e. complete an EIOR), then:
  • Include participant name AND an email address for invoice contact on the PO.
  • Attach PO to email and send to: tsrt@d.umn.edu
• Payment must be received by UMD in order to register for the training (an EIOR for cost is required for funding)
  • Vendor 0000197383
  • Regents of the University of Minnesota NW 5960
  • PO Box 1450
  • Minneapolis, MN 55485-5960
• A confirmation email will then be sent from the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) that could be in your spam folder. A reminder email will be sent a week prior to class with further information.

Who is considered a State employee?

For TSRT registration purposes, a state employee is defined as a public-sector employee within Minnesota. This includes individuals working for counties, other governmental units, and educators throughout the state. This definition aligns with the MN Indian Affairs Council Resolution #12042025_01. If you have any questions about eligibility, please contact the TSRT staff.

Cancellation procedure

If you cannot attend the training, please send an email to tsrt@d.umn.edu. A 10% handling and processing fee will be charged for all cancellations made 5 or more business days prior to the start of the class. No refunds will be granted for cancellations made within 4 days prior to the first day of training.

Compensatory time

Employees who are subject to overtime should note that all non-assigned training is voluntary and that the total state time is not to exceed the regular scheduled workday.

If you have questions about registration, please email Anna with the TSRT Planning Team.

• Tribal-State Relations Training (TSRT) is designed specifically for and is only offered to the State of Minnesota employees in accordance with Minnesota statute 10.65. 
• Non-state/private sector employees are occasionally accepted to attend training. Each request is considered on a case-by-case basis. Please use the link below to fill out the needed information for the steering committee. 
• External attendee request form
• Class fee is $645 per person starting with the February 2026 training, including meals. Does not include overnight accommodations.

Cancellation procedure

If you cannot attend the training, please send an email to tsrt@d.umn.edu. A 10% handling and processing fee will be charged for all cancellations made 5 or more business days prior to the start of the class. No refunds will be granted for cancellations made within 4 days prior to the first day of training.

If you have questions about registration, please email the TSRT Planning Team.

November

• Fortune Bay Resort & Casino
• Block Name: MnDOT TSRT
• Group Code: BKG849
• Rate: $175.10-$202.30/night+taxes
• Expires October 5th, 2026
• To Book: Call 218-753-6400

January

• Seven Clans Casino- Reservations are not yet available
• Group Code: TSR27
• Expires: January 19, 2027
• To Book: Online or call 888-679-2501

We have a glossary that provides basic definitions for some of the terms that might be unfamiliar to you. Many of these terms are also defined in slightly different ways in various laws and court cases.

• Glossary

We offer a series of web-based training modules to help state employees prepare for the TSRT class and to use as a refresher after attending. The modules are also helpful for any state employee interested in learning more about American Indians and the government-to-government relationship between the State and the Tribes. The modules are not a replacement for the TSRT class training but serve as an accompaniment to the class.

• Key Concepts and Terms
• Federal Indian Policy
• Introduction to Indian Country
• Working with the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa

Primary Instructor: Tadd M. Johnson

Federal Indian Policy and the Legal Background between Tribes and States

Tadd M. Johnson, Esq., is a Professor Emeritus, recently retired as the University of Minnesota’s first senior director of American Indian Tribal Nations Relations where he served as the liaison between the entire University of Minnesota and regional Tribal Nations. He joined the UMD American Indian Studies Department in the fall of 2010, and served as a Full Professor, Department Head, Director of Graduate Studies, and Director of the Tribal Sovereignty Institute. An enrolled member of the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa, Johnson served as a tribal attorney for more than 35 years, and has also served as a tribal court judge, a tribal administrator, and is a frequent lecturer on American Indian history and Federal Indian Law. He spent five years with the U.S. House of Representatives, ultimately becoming staff director and counsel to the Subcommittee on Native American Affairs. In 1997 President Clinton appointed Professor Emeritus Johnson to chair the National Indian Gaming Commission. Johnson earned his B.A. from the University of St. Thomas and his law degree from the University of Minnesota. He has served as a faculty member of the National Judicial College and has served on the Board of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. He was nominated by the President, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate as a Trustee of the Udall Foundation and continues to serve in that role. Johnson is currently serving on the University of Minnesota Board of Regents.

Training Facilitator: Joseph Bauerkemper

Joseph Bauerkemper currently serves as a Professor of American Indian Studies at the University of Minnesota Duluth where his scholarship, outreach, and teaching emphasize governance, literature, and law. Before joining the UMD faculty he earned his PhD from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, enjoyed one year at the University of Illinois as a Chancellor's Postdoctoral Fellow, and enjoyed two years at UCLA as an Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow. He has published peer-reviewed scholarship in numerous journals and books, served as a consultant on tribal governance, and facilitated public fora and training sessions for an array of participants.

Joseph grew up in Austin, Texas and lives in Duluth with his wife Kristen, daughter Eliza, and son Thomas.

Day 1

• 9 - 9:50 a.m.: Check-in & breakfast buffet
• 10 a.m. - noon: Opening Ceremony; Welcome and Overview
• noon - 1 p.m.: Lunch buffet provided
• 1 - 5:30 p.m.: Federal Indian Policy and legal background between Tribes and States; Why Treaties Matter Exhibit; Indian Boarding School Presentation; Intro to Minnesota Indian Affairs Council (MIAC); History and Culture panel
• 6 - 7 p.m.: Dinner provided

Day 2

• 7:45 - 8:30 a.m.: Breakfast buffet provided
• 8:30 a.m. - noon: Federal Indian Policy continued; panels: State-Agency Tribal Liaisons and Tribal Administrators
• noon - 12:45 p.m.: Lunch buffet provided
• 1:30 - 4:30 p.m.: Presentation: A Closer Look at Tribal Lands; Tribal Leader Panel: Consulting and Building Partnerships Government to Government; From Insight to Action: A Mindful Planning Session; Closing Ceremony

Things to know

• Breaks are provided morning and afternoons.
• Parking is free outside at all locations.
• Attire is casual.
• Materials will be provided upon arrival. Please review your agency’s tribal consultation policy prior to the training.
• Location and lodging is held onsite at tribal host casino/hotel/event center.
• Smoke warning at TSRT. If you are allergic to smoke, please contact tsrt@d.umn.edu to discuss if/which location(s) might work best for you to attend.
  • Cigarette smoke is allowed on many casino gaming floors and sometimes in select hotel rooms. There are a number of locations where TSRT participants fill the entire hotel so if you plan to use onsite lodging and you require a smoke-free room, we encourage you to book your hotel room early.
  • Smudging is a cultural practice for both Dakota and Ojibwe people and typically includes sage and/or cedar and/or sweetgrass and sometimes tobacco. Smudge is often burned in the training space during opening and closing ceremonies and could occur outside of these times as well.

Reasonable accommodation

Individuals who need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this training, please contact the UMD American Indian Studies Department at least one week prior to training at 218-726-7136 or email tsrt@d.umn.edu.