MARS HILL - November is Native American Heritage Month at Mars Hill University, including a renewal of the university’s partnership with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and several events open to the public.

On Nov. 16, Mars Hill University President Dan Lunsford and Eastern Band Principal Chief Richard Sneed will sign documents to renew an ongoing cooperative relationship between the university and the tribe, originally signed in 2011.

The agreement calls for the Eastern Band to provide advice and consultation for various historic events and presentations at the university and for a cooperative effort to provide scholarship funds for Eastern Band members who choose to attend Mars Hill University.

The events open to the public include:

• Michael Jacobs in concert, 6:30 p.m. Nov. 7, Broyhill Chapel. The Native American singer-songwriter started his solo career in 2002 with the release of the CD "Sacred Nation," which won the 2003 Nammy Award for Best Independent Recording. His subsequent albums were equally praised, and his latest recording, "Resisting Shadows," received three 2015 ISMA Awards, and is nominated for four 2017 Just Plain Folks Awards. The show is sponsored by MHU’s Native American Student Association.

• Cherokee stickball game, 3 p.m. Nov. 14, athletic field behind Broyhill Chapel. Sponsored by the Native American Student Association.

• Frybread lunch, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Nov. 20, Blue Lounge in Wren Student Center. Members of the Native American Student Association will share the traditional Native American food.

• Indigenous Peoples Day Presentation, 7 p.m. Nov. 28, Belk Auditorium in Wren Student Center. Amy West, president of the Native American Student Association, and Heather Hawn, political science professor, will discuss the significance of Columbus Day and the grassroots movement to change the holiday to Indigenous Peoples Day, celebrating the history and culture of The First Nations. Sponsored by NASA and the Political Science Department.

To learn more, visit mhu.edu.