Volume 15 Fall 2003 Issue No. 1

On Campus

R. C. Gorman Donates Library to Diné College

Internationally renowned artist R. C. Gorman (Navajo) recently donated his personal library collection to Diné College; the oldest and largest tribal college. Gorman's donation, in honor of his late mother and father, included significant works in various artistic and literary genres, Navajo history, language, and culture including hand-annotated editions of what are believed to be the earliest Navajo Christian hymns, translated by Gorman's late grandmother.

To commemorate Gorman's gift, Diné College will establish the R. C. Gorman Library Collection. "We are honored by such a considerable gift which will inspire our Navajo students," said Diné College President Cassandra Manuelito-Kerkvliet. "Mr. Gorman's library collection will augment the college's libraries and benefit students, researchers, and the Navajo Nation," she said.

"Books on arts and artists like Matisse, Picasso, Renoir, and Van Gogh greatly enhance the fine arts curriculum at Diné College and will inspire future generations of Navajo artists," Ferlin Clark, former vice president for development at the college said.

Gorman is also donating the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor awarded to his father, Carl Gorman, one of the original 29 Navajo Code Talkers. The R. C. Gorman Library Collection will be installed on the second floor of Diné College's main library in Tsaile, AZ. Cameron Daines, construction project manager, helped plan and design the new library addition as a safe and secure environment conducive for students and researchers. "R. C. Gorman's generosity is a true expression of the Navajo philosophy of generosity," said Clark.

David Hurley, director of library services for Diné College's Arizona campuses, said, "A major addition to our libraries' holdings, this donation also has tremendous symbolic value because it comes from an individual who is already an important role model for many of our students." The college planned a blessing and celebration to open the new addition as part of Diné College's 35th Anniversary activities in July.

NAVAJO HERITAGE. R.C. Gorman presents his personal library collection to Diné College President Cassandra Manuelito-Kerkvliet and Ferlin Clark. Photo by Ed McCombs

UTTC STUDY PROVES VALUE OF EDUCATION

A recent study at United Tribes Technical College (Bismarck, ND) demonstrates the economic benefit of higher education. Graduates with two-year degrees such as this year's 70 students will earn a projected $85.5 million during their working lifetimes. "The value of higher education to American Indian students is evident," said UTTC President David M. Gipp (Hunkpapa Lakota).

The federal government provides most of the funding for the college. In this evaluation, researchers weighed the $5.8 million operating budget of the college against the 88% job placement rate of graduates using cost-versus-benefit analysis. The average reservation unemployment hovers around 57%, according to UTTC. Factoring in the potential cost of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) and Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) General Assistance (GA), the net economic gain to the nation for the graduating class was $65.8 million dollars, a return on investment ratio of 11-to-1. The study also reported that UTTC graduates would pay almost $10 million in net federal income taxes and $691,000 in net North Dakota state income taxes.

"Venture capitalists would jump at an investment that returns more than 1,000%," said Tom Katus, who conducted the study. Katus is president of TKA International, a social science and management-consulting firm from Rapid City, SD. Shirley A. Bordeaux, UTTC chief financial officer, said the study illustrated all the ways the federal government gets its money back when funding is provided for the higher education of American Indians.

"We intend to share this information with the Office of Management and Budget," said Gipp. "The evidence is clear that the Department of Interior ought to reconsider their recommendations on the budget. We know we're making a great contribution to society."

UTTC has produced over 10,000 graduates in its 34-year history. Its graduates can earn associate of arts degrees and certificates in 14 vocational-technical fields. Gipp noted that in the past two years the Bush administration has not included funding for UTTC in the Department of Interior budget. Congress restored funding for the current fiscal year but has not done so as yet for FY 2004, which begins in October. For further information, contact David M. Gipp (701) 255-3285, or email opi@uttc.edu.

SIPI Students Present Research at Houston

Three emerging scholar interns at Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI) gave professional research presentations to an audience of scientists from around the world last March. Students Robert Gakin (Standing Rock Sioux), Kevin Lewis (Cochiti Pueblo), and Adrian Livingston (Navajo) researched how to develop a meteorite identification program and examined the surface of Mars to determine if a crater existed. They made their presentations at the 34th annual Lunar and Planetary Science conference in Houston, TX.

For two-year college students to be selected for such a presentation is very unusual, according to SIPI. Only a few of the students attending the conference were from two-year colleges and were first time authors and presenters.

Students participating in the SIPI/NSF/NASA program have the opportunity to get trained on state-of-the-art lab equipment by Ph.Ds. "The National Science Foundation (NSF) and NASA have given me the opportunity to do research that most two-year college students don't have access to," stated Gakin.

SIPI's NSF partnership project was designed to further build SIPI's capacity to deliver rigorous instruction and to increase the number of American Indians entering science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields (STEM).

SIPI identified five goals to reach these objectives: 1) improve student learning outcomes in calculus, chemistry, and physics; 2) provide a rich learning environment for the development of problem-solving and critical thinking skills through a technology-enriched curriculum; 3) increase the number of STEM graduates that matriculate to a baccalaureate program or competitively enter the technological workforce; 4) provide students with a meaningful research experience that will lead to improved diverse career opportunities in STEM fields; and 5) increase the number of certified information technology professionals to assist American Indian tribes in getting access to cutting-edge technological resources.

Dr. Joe Martin, SIPI's president, sees SIPI's NASA grant as a way for participants to build a solid academic and research foundation in earth and planetary sciences, mathematics, technology, and communications. The collaboration between the University of New Mexico's Institute of Meteoritics and the meteorite identification laboratory at SIPI provides students with an opportunity to learn more about earth and planetary sciences, to participate in meaningful research, and to interact with professionals in the field.

AIHEC Celebrates Birthday at Conference

"There once was a time when we were laughed at. When you went to mainstream institutions, you were never told of the accomplishments of your people. There was a time when we wanted to be anything but Indian," said Ron McNeil in his keynote address at the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) annual conference in Fargo, ND, last April. (McNeil, the president of Sitting Bull College, subsequently changed his name to Ron His Horse is Thunder.)

The organization of tribal colleges and universities celebrated its 30th birthday at the conference. Six tribal colleges formed AIHEC in 1973, and now the organization has 35 members. (See TCJ, Vol. 14, N.2.)

Speaking to the dozens of students in the audience, he said, "There once was a time when we learned everything from our parents, grandparents, and our community. This is no longer possible. Yesterday a bachelor's degree was enough. Today you must achieve a masters and a doctorate."

"We are changing the complexion of Indian education," His Horse is Thunder said. Speaking of his own tribal college in Fort Yates, ND, he said that the majority of his faculty and staff are American Indian people who graduated from that college. "The future is yours," he concluded.

As with previous conferences, the 22nd annual AIHEC conference focused upon students, who competed in science, speech, business, website technology, liberal arts, bowling, pool, and traditional hand games.

The hosts of this year's conference, the North Dakota Association of Tribal Colleges, produced a slide show to mark the anniversary, featuring people behind the tribal college movement and accompanied by music of the 1970s and 1980s. About 1,400 people, mostly from tribal colleges, attended the conference. About 30 of the 35 tribal colleges sent students and faculty to the conference; students from 10 other colleges in North Dakota and Minnesota also attended, according to an article in reznet (reznetnews.org).

MS. AND MR. AIHEC. Students selected Amanda Old Crow (Blackfeet Community College) and Sage Fast Dog (Sinte Gleska University) at the annual American Indian Higher Education Consortium student conference in Fargo, ND, last April.

Faculty Can Spend Summer in Peru & Guatemala

Fort Belknap College (Harlem, MT) is seeking applications from full-time tribal college faculty in Native American studies, the social sciences, humanities, and arts who would like to participate in a summer seminar on Inca and Maya heritage in Peru and Guatemala in 2004. The college was awarded a U.S. Department of Education Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad Program grant to conduct the seminar, designed to expand its Native American studies program and internationalize its arts, humanities, and social science curricula. Grant funds cover all major travel costs, transportation, lodging, and meals for 14 participants. While the ability to speak Spanish is helpful, it is not required.

During the five-week seminar, participating faculty will meet with local scholars, attend academic programs at local universities, visit cultural centers and museums, and travel to cultural and historical sites including Lima, Trujillo, Arequipa, Cuzco, and Machu Picchu in Peru; and Guatemala City, Antigua, and Tikal in Guatemala. All seminar activities will be coordinated with the assistance of local project liaisons, as well as a Latin American specialist who will be accompanying the group. Faculty participants will use the first-hand knowledge gained during the seminar to develop curriculum materials to enrich and diversify course offerings at their respective colleges. For more information about the seminar and the application process, contact either Lynette Chandler or Scott Friskics at (406) 353-2607.

College Honors Stanford Whitewater, Sr.

by Elaine Rice and Brenda Murphy

Little Priest Tribal College (LPTC) honored Stanford Whitewater, Sr. (Winnebago) for his continuous years of service to the college on March 10, 2003 -- the day before he turned 90. The college dedicated a scholarship for LPTC students in his name.

"He has given years of commitment to the field of education and has provided direct, significant contribution to the mission of the college. He has recorded 2,000+ audio tapes, videotapes, recordings and translations, and even a language class at his home three days a week ," said Natalie Davis, library technician at LPTC in Winnebago, NE.

Whitewater, who received the National Indian Education Association (NIEA) Elder of the Year award in 1996, was recognized by LPTC as an enduring resource for students, staff, and administration. His work includes classroom contact with students, assisting teachers in translating materials, and making appearances at local schools.

The community also turns to him for giving naming ceremonies; featherings and funerals; wakes, and memorials. He continues to record audiotapes upon request and is translating children's books into HoChunk. For more information, contact Natalie Davis, Little Priest Tribal College (402) 878-2380 x118.

Northwest College Inaugurates President

Cheryl Crazy Bull (Sicangu Lakota) was not just inaugurated as president of Northwest Indian College -- she was "adopted" in a tribal ceremony, said James "Smitty" Hillaire, who served as master of ceremonies. Minutes later, Hillaire's wife Lutie draped a blanket in the traditional Coast Salish colors of red and black across Crazy Bull's shoulders as Hillaire sang to her in the Lummi language. "Cheryl's been engaged to the college for six months," said Jennifer Whalen, who sang traditional songs in honor of Crazy Bull's inauguration. "Now she's married to it."

The months prior to the inauguration gave the new president time to get to know more about the community and about the college. "Tribal colleges have two jobs: to ground people in their culture and to give them a good, solid education," Crazy Bull said. As part of her overall plan for the college in Bellingham, WA, she wants the college to work more closely with the tribes throughout Washington and Idaho. She would also like to see the development of a Coast Salish Institute devoted to revitalizing tribal cultural knowledge and assisting tribal governments. The college should also work more closely with early education and kindergarten through 12th-grade schools, as well as with elders. Crazy Bull wants to look into the possibility of a Center for Student Success, to help college-bound students stay on track.

Crazy Bull, whose name in Lakota means "they depend on her," has spent 20 years as a teacher and educational administrator on the Rosebud Indian Reservation of South Dakota. She holds a Master's Degree in Educational Leadership from South Dakota State University in Brookings, SD, and a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, SD.

Reporting and photo courtesy of the Bellingham Herald.

FULLY ENGAGED. Lutie Hillaire's family adopted Cheryl Crazy Bull during her NWIC inauguration. Photo by Mame Burns

Keweenaw Bay College Graduates First Class

"I've decided I'm not finished learning yet," said Lauri Denomie (Ojibwa) in her valedictory speech for the first graduating class of Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College (Baraga, MI).

More than 100 people attended the tribal college's first graduation ceremonies on April 26, 2003. Four students graduated: Denomie, Elizabeth Julio, Candice Kemppainen, and Mary Rajala.

Denomie began taking college classes 12 years ago. Since she worked full-time and was a wife and mother, sometimes she could only take a course a semester. "I am very thankful that this college has been available to me and others," she said. "I'm going to keep on doing this because learning is a wonderful experience."

Denomie, now 42, plans to attend a four year university about 30 miles from the reservation to continue her education while balancing her employment as deputy clerk for the tribal court and the family needs of her husband and son.

"I am very proud to be graduating with this first class -- from our reservation's very own community college. I hope to see this college grow as people of this community take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to gain knowledge offered in a way that our parents and grandparents never dreamed possible," she said.

KBOCC also recognized Adrian Abbott, AIHEC Student of the Year; Rodger Hebert, writer of the year; Judith Smith, science achievement award; and Treniece Marshall, outstanding faculty member for 2002-2003. Timothy Shanahan of the KBOCC Board of Regents was emcee for the ceremony, which was followed by a feast. Originally chartered by the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community July 12, 1975, the college offered its first college credit courses in 1998 and gained membership to AIHEC on October 21, 1999.

Artist Learned Traditional Arts in Archives

by Megan Doty

A Blackfeet Community College student won "best of show" and "people's choice" at the American Indian Higher Education Consortium's (AIHEC) art competition in Fargo, ND, last April. This was nothing new for the 26-year-old who earned a variety of prestigious awards within the past two years at the annual art competition.

Those who viewed the elaborate bead, quill, and leatherwork were surprised to learn that the artist, Andrzej Gussmann, was born in the eastern European country of Poland. In 1998 he came to the Blackfeet Reservation in northern Montana to learn more about the culture. He has expanded his knowledge by taking classes at the Blackfeet Community College, graduating in May 2003 with an associate degree in Blackfeet Studies.

When Gussmann was just 10 years old in Poland, he started learning about American Indian cultures, specifically the Blackfeet, through books, museums, television, and various American Indian friends he met at pow wows in Poland and Germany.

The life he now shares with his Blackfeet wife, Marie, on the reservation pleases him. The general feel of the area and people, the aesthetics, and the acceptance with which he was received were a pleasant surprise. During the AIHEC art show, American Indian friends always surrounded him.

"It was easy to switch from one culture to another and be successful," said Gussmann, even though the cultures are so varied. He had a fair amount of exposure to American Indian culture growing up in Poland. "But the food is totally different."

Asked how he feels as an Anglo competing with American Indian tribal college students, he answered: "Success comes from doing what you want, as long as it's coming from the heart."

He learned beading and quillwork from many different teachers in Eastern Europe and the United States and from researching traditional designs in books. To assure the designs he beaded were traditional, he studied in museum archives. He says he's beaded about everything there is to bead, but he still wants to do more and maintains a positive attitude on life: "Life is too short to do everything you'd like to." He plans on continuing his education at the University of Montana in hopes of earning a bachelor of arts degree.

Newspaper Without Paper Delivers

by Michael Beaumont, Magpie reporter

Students at Little Big Horn College in Crow Agency, MT, have collaborated with Reznet to create and publish The Magpie, an online student newspaper of the Crow tribal college. The Magpie signals a new direction for Reznet, an online newspaper that publishes daily stories and photos of 20 paid Native American college students around the country.

Reznet will help other tribal colleges start online school newspapers, project director Denny McAuliffe said. "Reznet will create, operate, and publish the tribal college newspapers on its website and provide the newspaper staff with a digital camera for photos. Reservation high schools, or those with large enrollments of Native Americans, also are invited to publish their online newspapers on Reznet," McAuliffe added.

"Schools don't need printed newspapers to launch on-line versions," Denny said. "In fact, most of the tribal colleges do not have newspapers. The Magpie is the first school newspaper at Little Big Horn College in about four years." The Magpie, named by the students, serves the college and the local community, exposes students to the possibilities of a journalism career, and avoids prohibitive printing and distribution costs, a primary reason why most tribal colleges do not have school newspapers.

Tribal colleges' lack of school newspapers and journalism classes is a reason often cited by McAuliffe for the lack of Native American journalists. According to the annual census of daily newspapers by the American Society of Newspaper Editors, there are only about 300 Native journalists out of more than 56,000 editors, reporters, photographers, and designers. McAuliffe at the University of Montana School of Journalism in Missoula edits Reznet, and the website is housed and maintained at the Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education in Oakland, CA. The reznet project is funded by a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

The Magpie can be viewed at www.reznetnews.org/projects/magpie. For further information, call Denny McAuliffe at (406) 243-2191 or email dmcauliffe@reznetnews.org.

Article and photo courtesy of Reznet, www.reznetnews.org.

MAGPIE MOB. Little Big Horn College students involved in the online newspaper include (seated in front) Michael Beaumont; (standing, from left) Samuel M. Bird In Ground, Joseph LaRance, Jackie Stewart, and Gayle Well Known; (in back) Timothy Crooked Arm. Photo by Carrie Moran McCleary.

Ad Campaign Aimed at American Indians

"Native pride. My anti-drug," announces the first media anti-drug campaign aimed at Native Americans. The television and print ads have featured Lummi, Warm Springs, Laguna, Acoma, Yakima, and Blackfeet children with a parent or grandparent. The federal agency that pays for the campaign hopes the evocative ads will steer American Indian youth away from substance abuse.

"This campaign grew out of the recognition that we were not reaching communities that have been enormously hit by substance abuse," National Drug Control Policy Director John P. Walters said at the Albuquerque Indian Center in late January 2003, according to an AP report in the Navajo Times. Walters visited New Mexico to spotlight the advertising campaign launched by his office and designed by G&G Advertising in Albuquerque to promote drug prevention in Indian country.

Michael Gray (Blackfeet/Chippewa/Cree), president and creative director of G&G, was instrumental in getting the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy to accept the project. Gray's firm has also done work for the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, the American Indian College Fund, and the Tribal College Journal. Ads designed by Gray's firm have appeared regularly in TCJ.

Gray said his staff designed the ads to focus on the strength of Indian families, communities, and traditions and their role in preventing drug use. For more information see www.gng.net.

McDonald Honored for Increasing Employment

by Ron Selden

Salish Kootenai College President Joe McDonald was honored in February during a joint session of the Montana Legislature. During a speech on other issues, U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT) introduced McDonald to the 150 state legislators and praised him for founding Salish Kootenai College (SKC) in Pablo, MT, 27 years ago and developing the school into a model institution.

"He has seen the college grow to serve 1,500 students," Burns told the gathering. "He has fostered a tribal business development and information center that supports economic development on the Flathead Reservation." Burns also noted McDonald's extensive involvement in promoting tribally-controlled colleges at the national level. The tribal college movement, Burns told state lawmakers, "has offered thousands of Native Americans and non-Indians living on or near reservations the opportunity for an education and the promise of a good job."

McDonald, who holds a doctorate in educational administration from the University of Montana-Missoula, has served as SKC president since 1978. In 1999, he was named one of Montana's 100 most influential people of the past century.

College Awards Honorary Degree to Bill Cosby

Sisseton Wahpeton College presented comedian Bill Cosby with the college's very first honorary degree last March, an Associate in General Studies. College President Dr. William Harjo LoneFight said, "We honor Dr. Cosby not for his work as an entertainer but for his work as an educator. He challenges everyone to achieve their fullest potential."

Acknowledging the historical parallels between tribal colleges and the historically Black colleges and universities, Cosby expressed his gratitude, saying he would hang the diploma on the wall in his office. The diploma is made of leather, with the Dakota words inscribed by hand. It is decorated with the college logo and a medicine wheel made of traditional porcupine quills.

Richard Williams, president of the American Indian College Fund, presented Cosby with a Pendleton wool blanket and book on traditional American Indian culture. Cosby also received a star quilt from tribal and college officials, a traditional hand-carved horse statue from Francis Country, and gifts for his wife.

Cosby, who holds a doctoral degree in education from the University of Massachusetts, also met with local leaders and many tribal children on the Lake Traverse Reservation in South Dakota. Cosby and his wife have made significant contributions to several Historically Black Colleges and established a scholarship program at Howard University that specifically targeted Native Americans.

HONORARY DOCTORATE. Sisseton Wahpeton College President William Harjo LoneFight, American Indian College Fund President Richard Williams share a laugh with Bill Cosby. Photo by Pam Wynia.

The Sisseton Wahpeton Tribes established Sisseton Wahpeton College in 1979 in response to the lack of access to higher education in tribal communities. Similarly, many of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities were established to ensure that African Americans had access to a college education.

For more information, contact Pam Wynia, (605) 698-3966, or email her at pwynia@swc.tc.

College's North Pole Expedition Put on Ice

Bay Mills Community College in collaboration with NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center sent a team of eight researchers to the North Pole last April. The team included four students and one instructor from the tribal college in Brimley, MI, and three other area science teachers. At the new North Pole drifting station, they mapped ice floe data and set up monitoring devices to monitor various pollutants as the floe moves around the Arctic Ocean.

Speaking for the participants, Bob Dickinson of BMCC said, "We did some real science in a hostile environment." Despite the minus 22 F temperatures, the participants said they would return "in a heartbeat." The Bay Mills team worked with the NOAA/Cold Regions Research Engineering Lab (CRREL) and Centre Pole, a Russian non-profit team, on a floating ice floe near the North Pole. They discovered that the ice floe was not a single block but a layer cake of ice and snow, with some layers moving independently from one another.

Participants who had never been in an elevator found themselves flying in a Russian jet to Ice Station Borneo and then a helicopter to the final outpost. Activities were webcast and made available for internet viewing.

For more information, contact Bob Dickinson at BMCC (906) 248-3354 or visit the college website, www.bmcc.edu. Click on "The Great North Pole Waasnoodeg Expedition" to see PowerPoint presentations of the trip.