Volume 16 Fall 2004 Issue No. 1

Lumina-AIHEC Project Will Re-define Success

The American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) has launched the first comprehensive attempt to re-define American Indian college student success.

Funded by a $785,000 grant from Lumina Foundation for Education, AIHEC's American Indian Measures for Success (AIMS) project will collect student success indicators at the nation's 34 tribal college and universities. During the two-year project, AIHEC will develop culturally-relevant measures of American Indian success in higher education, which has never before been attempted on a large scale.

AIHEC has established an advisory committee of national and local experts to develop draft indicators of success. Members are: Dr. Karen Swisher, president, Haskell Indian Nations University; Cheryl Crazy Bull, president, Northwest Indian College; Dr. James Shanley, president, Fort Peck Community College; Jamie Merisotis, president, Institute for Higher Education Policy; Leslie Luna, registrar, Tohono O'odham Community College; Faith Richards, institutional data assistant, Oglala Lakota College;

Also Kyle Patterson-Cross, research director, United Tribes Technical College; John Gritts, tribal college liaison, American Indian College Fund; Karen Solomon, assistant director for accreditation services, the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools; Karen Suagee, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of Interior; Dr. Gerald Gipp, executive director, AIHEC; and Dr. Joe McDonald, president, Salish Kootenai College.

Over the past few months, AIHEC has conducted focus groups at tribal colleges to allow for additional feedback on the draft indicators from other tribal college presidents, administrators, and students.

"As demands for accountability increase at the nation's colleges, the importance of collecting and analyzing student data grows exponentially," said Martha D. Lamkin, president and CEO of Lumina Foundation.

AIHEC Director Gipp said: "This initiative will become a solid foundation for assisting tribal colleges and universities with increased federal reporting and accountability requirements, taking our cultural components into consideration, rather than alienating them."

"This grant continues to underscore the Lumina Foundation's history of working with under-represented and under-served student populations and the obstacles they face," Gipp said.

NCA Team Recommends Accreditation for LCO

Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College (LCO, Hayward, WI) has been recommended for continued accreditation. The institution is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The college was visited in May by a team from the Higher Learning Commission.

The team was composed of five administrators and faculty members from colleges throughout the central United States. Sky Houser, former president of the college, said the faculty, staff, and board are very pleased with the team's recommendations.

"Most of the faculty and staff worked very hard over the past two years, not just to improve the quality of education and management of the college but to write a book-length evaluative report on the college's strengths and concerns. The visiting team's comments show that we can identify our own strengths and vulnerabilities."

The team's recommendations will be reported to the Higher Learning Commission in Chicago, IL, where they will be evaluated and a final decision made.

The team recommended that the college's next comprehensive evaluation be held in 2012. The team also recommended that the college should receive a focused visit in three years to examine the institution's progress in assessment of student learning, decision-making processes, and institutional planning.

In its oral report to the college, the team noted a number of strengths, including: the institution's recent charter, which gives the president authority over day-to-day operations; the strong support given to the college's mission by the tribal governing board and the board of regents; and the state-of-the-art geographic information system laboratory.

The team commended the recent salary increases, which help attract and retain qualified faculty and staff; the student-run computer help desk; the strong professional development program; and the library, which also serves the community. The team acknowledged the college's role in economic development and progress towards self-determination.

The team also identified areas that need further progress. The college needs a human resources officer to work with personnel matters and revise the dispute resolution processes. More faculty need to adopt procedures to assess the quality of student work. The college library needs more space. Some institutional decision-making and planning processes need to be more effective.

Falcon Chandler Named To Accreditation Board

Carole Falcon Chandler, president of Fort Belknap College in Montana, is among four newly-elected members of the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. The commission accredits two-year and four-year educational institutions in Alaska , Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, and Washington.

Falcon Chandler (Assiniboine) is the only tribal college president on the commission and the second to be appointed. Dr. Joe McDonald (Salish-Kootenai), president of Salish Kootenai College in Montana, was the first, but his term expired.

Her term runs through 2006, when she will be eligible for a second, three-year term. "It is an honor for Fort Belknap College and the tribal college family," she told the Great Falls Tribune.

CAROLE FALCON CHANDLER: "It is quite an honor, especially for our small college here in Montana."

Sisseton Wahpeton Celebrates 25th Year

Sisseton Wahpeton College (SWC, Agency Village, SD) held its first annual Founders' Day Wacipi on August 7, 2004, beginning a 16-month celebration of the tribal college's 25th anniversary. The Founders' Day featured an Alumni Honor Song and a traditional Dakota giveaway to honor everyone who has contributed to the college's success.

The Sisseton Wahpeton Tribe chartered the college in 1979 as a vocational school serving the Lake Traverse Reservation in northeastern South Dakota. SWC now offers vocational degrees, associate degrees, and bachelor degrees by articulation in areas ranging from information technology to nursing to Dakota studies.

With an initial graduating class of four in 1983, SWC now has over 480 graduates. "Most continue to live on or near the Lake Traverse Reservation and contribute their knowledge and expertise to the region," according to Pam Wynia, director of development at the college.

In the fall, the tribal college plans a speaker series that will feature alumni and other community members speaking about SWC's impact on the region, how students can reach their goals, and other topics.

During the anniversary celebration, the college will open several new facilities, the largest expansion in the college's history:

• Opening and dedication of "Song of the Great Spirit," the new, state-of-the-art vocational building and regional architectural landmark;
• Opening of the Siceca Dakota language and cultural immersion pre-school;
• Opening of the new SWC bookstore;
• Completion of the "log cabin," a cultural and multi-purpose center;
• The remodeling of the original SWC building, including a community café.

For more information, contact Pam Wynia, director of development, Sisseton Wahpeton College, P.O. Box 689, Agency Village, SD 57262, phone (605) 698-3966, or email pwynia@swc.tc.

Leech Lake Adopting Thunderbird Design

Leech Lake Tribal College (LLTC) has broken ground for a new campus, an especially important milestone for the college, which has been operating in five unsuitable buildings spread throughout the downtown area of Cass Lake, MN.

Interim President Leah Carpenter said at the groundbreaking in April that she is "absolutely sure" that enrollment will rise once the college is completed. "If we put them in a good place, encourage them to learn, then they'll walk out as proud students," she said. "This is a great day for the college and for Leech Lake. Leech Lake Tribal College stands as a symbol of hope for the people and as a strong symbol of cultural integrity," she said.

The other tribal college employees are apparently also enthusiastic about moving out of the old buildings. Nearly 80% of the employees contributed to the capital campaign through biweekly payroll deductions, according to the college newsletter.

The groundbreaking began with the offering of tobacco, with Dewey Goodwin lighting an ornate pipe, pointing it in all four directions and downward, according to the Cass Lake Times. "Today we gather to show respect to Mother Earth in reverence to the great project being done here for the betterment of the people..It has been a long time waiting to see this project begin," he said.

The new campus is designed to appear as a thunderbird from above, with two "wings" consisting of classrooms and offices, a "body" that will house administrative offices and a food service area, a "head" or commons area that will connect the two wings and the body, and a "tail" that will house a community center and gymnasium.

The campus will be built in phases as the funds are raised. Construction of Phase I will allow the college to vacate the old school building and the church and parsonage it has been using. Some of the buildings have outdated plumbing, electrical, and heating systems. Some are infested with mold or mildew, and others contain asbestos or lead. Phase 1 should be completed by November 2004.

LLTC has raised the $3 million to build Phase One from a variety of sources, including $1.5 million from the American Indian College Fund and lesser amounts from U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, and several small grant sources.

High Eagle Shares Story At AIHEC Conference

Students and faculty from tribal colleges in Canada and across the United States gathered in Billings, MT, in March for the 24th annual American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) conference.

"Never lose track of where you come from; then you'll get where you're going," Little Big Horn College President Dr. David Yarlott (Crow) told the students. Yarlott, himself an alumnus of the tribal college in Crow Agency, MT, reminded the students that they were lucky to be staying in hotels. When he attended the first AIHEC conference in 1982, students stayed at the "Sioux Sanitarium."

Jerry Chris Elliott High Eagle (Osage Cherokee) also addressed the students. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his duties at NASA during the aborted Apollo 13 space mission. He shared the personal loss he felt when someone broke into his house and stole his eagle feathers and other Indian things. It brought him to an epiphany: "The only thing you truly own is your education and what lies in your heart."

Members of the AIHEC Student Congress elected their officers for the coming year: President Violet Tso, Diné College; Vice President Sydney Fox, Chief Dull Knife College; Secretary Jason Pretty Boy, United Tribes Technical College; Treasurer Mandi Owlboy, Cankdeska Cikana Community College; Sergeant-at-Arms Grace Samuels, Salish Kootenai College, and Historian Misty Hirsch, Salish Kootenai College.

Students gave the highest honors to Mr. AIHEC (Denny Guyton, Haskell Indian Nations University) and Ms. AIHEC (Tonya Small, Chief Dull Knife College).

In addition to the regular workshops and competitions, this year's conference featured a two-day research symposium. Participants traded ideas and discussed good models for research and how to create appropriate measures of student success. Tanya Maile Parker, a student at Sinte Gleska University in South Dakota, presented her research paper on the Blue Water Massacre and the Fight for Artifacts and Repatriation. In future conferences, AIHEC hopes to have more students and faculty present their research.

HAND GAMES. Using noise, distraction, and chanting, a tribal college student tries to bluff the opposing side in a hand-game tournament at the AIHEC conference. Photo by Lailani Upham-O'Donnell

Congress Gives Land Grant Status to SCTC

Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College (SCTC) became the 32nd tribal college to gain land grant status when President George W. Bush signed the legislation on March 2, 2004.

The original Land Grant Act of 1862 and the Land Grant Act of 1890 helped establish institutions of higher learning across the nation dedicated to the teaching of "agriculture and the mechanic arts." The mission of land grant institutions has broadened over the years to encompass science, nutrition, leadership, youth activities, and other areas. Acknowledging that tribal colleges play a similar role within their tribal communities, Congress added them in 1994.

The Equity in Educational Land Grant Status Act of 1994 authorized land grant status to 29 tribal colleges; two more have since been added. These are known as the "1994 Land Grant Institutions." The new legislation (Public Law 108-204, Native American Technical Corrections Act of 2004) adds Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College.

Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College President Dr. Jeffrey Hamley said, "We look forward to joining the other 1994 Land Grant Institutions and participating in programs that benefit our students. We have much to learn from our sister tribal colleges and universities about land grant programming."

SCTC Board of Regents Chair Paul Johnson said, "This is a milestone for the tribal college, as well as our chartering body, the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe. The board of regents has worked to expand opportunities that the tribal college provides to students."

Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College is a nonprofit, higher education institution in Mount Pleasant, MI. It was established by a 1998 resolution of the Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Council. The college's mission is to provide higher education programming to the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe and the larger community.

For more information about the college, see www.sagchip.org/tribalcollege.

AIHEC Seminar Assists College Board Members

The American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) sponsored a seminar on governing tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) for members of the board of directors/regents for these colleges. Dr. Perry Horse, a former tribal college president, discussed the role and responsibilities of board members.

A total of 30 board members and two presidents from 11 tribal colleges learned about the art of trusteeship and the fundamental principles of governance. In addition, Horse provided an overview of the functional, legal, and moral obligations of board members and the competencies that contribute to effective boards.

A long-time student of trusteeship beginning in the 1980s, Horse has provided board training and other technical expertise to a number of tribal colleges throughout the country as well as other non-profit organizations. Since 1999, he has served as a member of the Albuquerque Academy Board of Trustees. He is a member of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma and holds a master's degree from Harvard University and a doctorate from the University of Arizona.

In response to the tribal colleges' and universities' requests for technical assistance with board training, AIHEC provided the training in conjunction with the spring board meeting and conference in Billings. More training will be developed in the future. "While the seminar provided an excellent foundation for the basics in board responsibilities, it cannot take the place of board training for each tribal college board," according to Dr. Deborah His Horse is Thunder, director of AIHEC's membership services division.

Her division will continue to develop seminars and symposia to address the technical assistance needs of the tribal colleges and universities. The goal is to provide high quality training at a minimal cost to the colleges.

For further information, contact Deborah His Horse is Thunder at AIHEC, dhishorseisthunder@aihec.org.

Students' Play Fights Diabetes in Children

by Wendy Johnson

Too often adults try to cram advice and information down the throats of young people - only to have them "zone out" critical knowledge that could perhaps one day save their lives.

Enter, stage right -- the Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College beginning acting class. The 18 students presented an original play last spring to area middle and high school students that hit home in a surprisingly big way.

The three-act play, "A Day in the Lives of Max and Delilah," is about type 2 diabetes, a disease that is striking young people and adults at an alarming rate. The play results, in part, from grant funding obtained through Peggy Hiestand, the college's Woodlands Wisdom nutrition director. Hiestand guest lectured in instructor Scherrie Foster's beginning acting class and served as a resource for students at the college in Cloquet, MN.

"Students collectively brainstormed ideas for the play, co-wrote, directed, blocked, choreographed, starred in it, and took care of all the props, sets, and lights," Foster said. "It's their baby, and I'm very proud of them."

Through a series of brief vignettes, the play tells of a young girl, Delilah, who has diabetes and is ashamed to let her classmates know, and a young boy, Max, who is in denial about having diabetes - until he collapses in school from insulin shock.

MAX AND DELILAH. Student actors portrayed the dangers of diabetes better than lectures to young students. Photo courtesy of The Pine Journal

The play portrays how the two characters deal with the fear, depression, and social stigma of feeling "different" at a stage of life where "fitting in" is all-important.

At the end, the cast appears on stage, still in character, to talk about the cold, hard facts about type 2 diabetes and how it can be prevented while still in one's teens.

"It's your life and your body," the cast told the students. "Take care to honor it. Treat it well. Give it nourishment. Help break the trend of Type 2 diabetes in children. Please don't be the first generation of children to not live longer than your parents."

(Reprinted with permission from The Pine Journal.)

College Fund Names Students of the Year

Thirty-five American Indian students have been named 2004 Students of the Year by the American Indian College Fund. "These outstanding students have demonstrated their ability and promise," said Richard B. Williams, president and CEO of the Fund. "We are honored to be able to recognize and help these future leaders."

Each college nominated one student for the award based on community service and academic achievement. The Castle Rock Foundation funds the annual $1,000 scholarship award for each student.

The 2004 Students of the Year are listed below with their tribal colleges, tribal affiliations, and majors.

Arizona: Diné College, Tsaile, Violet Tso, Navajo, liberal arts/social sciences; Tohono O'odham Community College, Sells, Cheryl Antone, Tohono O'odham Nation, computer science.

California: D-Q University, Davis, Michael Williams, Western Band Temaok Shoshone, community development.

Kansas: Haskell Indian Nations University, Lawrence, Lydia Roach, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, elementary education.

Michigan: Bay Mills Community College, Brimley, Joseph Lucier, Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa, sociology/human services; Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College, Baraga, Robin Chosa, Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa, business management/information systems; Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College, Mount Pleasant, Ranee Pelcher, Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa & Chippewa, general studies.

Minnesota: Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, Cloquet, Josephine Barney, Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, social services; Leech Lake Tribal College, Cass Lake, Lois Jacobs, Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, Anishinaabe studies; White Earth Tribal and Community College, Mahnomen, Jo Reyes, Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, business.

Montana: Blackfeet Community College, Browning, Crystal Tailfeathers, Blackfeet Nation, business administration; Chief Dull Knife College, Lame Deer, Michelle Spang, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, education/counseling; Fort Belknap College, Harlem, Alicia Werk, Crow Nation, allied health; Fort Peck Community College, Poplar, Chris Martinez, Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes, hazardous materials and waste technology; Little Big Horn College, Crow Agency, Tana Perez, Crow Nation, social services; Salish Kootenai College, Pablo, Lailani Upham-O'Donnell, Blackfeet Nation, business; Stone Child College, Box Elder, Richelle Morrow, Chippewa Cree, office administration.

Nebraska: Little Priest Tribal College, Winnebago, Stephanie Parker, Omaha Nation of Nebraska and Iowa, liberal arts; Nebraska Indian Community College, Macy, Michael Lasley, Omaha Nation of Nebraska, computer information technology.

New Mexico: Crownpoint Institute of Technology, Crownpoint, Malanie Begay, Navajo, environmental science and natural resources; Institute of American Indian Arts, Santa Fe, Nancy Strickland, Lumbee Nation, museum studies; Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute, Albuquerque, Faye Bond, Navajo, liberal arts.

North Dakota: Cankdeska Cikana Community College, Fort Totten, Elisha Lawrence, Spirit Lake Nation, nursing; Fort Berthold Community College, New Town, Edmond Fixico, Cheyenne/Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, human services; Sitting Bull College, Fort Yates, Monique Runnels, Standing Rock/Oglala Sioux Tribes, nursing; Turtle Mountain Community College, Belcourt, Angie LaRocque, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, pre-nursing; United Tribes Technical College, Bismarck, Geri Fisher, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, office technology.

South Dakota: Oglala Lakota College, Kyle, Zannita Fast Horse, Oglala Sioux Tribe, environmental studies; Si Tanka University, Eagle Butte, Barbara Dupris, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, elementary education/Indian studies; Sinte Gleska University, Rosebud, Dee Lapointe, Rosebud Sioux Tribe, office technology; Sisseton Wahpeton College, Sisseton, Robert Barse, Sisseton Wahpeton Sioux, cross-cultural counseling.

Washington: Northwest Indian College, Bellingham, Jennifer Taylor, Tlingit-Shangookeidi, general studies.

Wisconsin: College of the Menominee Nation, Keshena, Jeffrey Barwick, Menominee Nation, human services; Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College, Hayward, Christopher Boyd, Red Cliff Chippewa, substance counseling.

Alberta, Canada: Red Crow Community College, Cardston, Leonard Black Plume

The fund is the nation's largest private provider of funding for scholarships to America's 34 tribal colleges. Created in 1988 by the tribal colleges to raise money for scholarships and other purposes, the fund was named the best charity in education by Reader's Digest in 2003.

Commemorative Blanket Honors Education Leader

In December 2001, the American Indian College Fund and Indian education lost a leader and friend with the passing of Lester "Jack" Briggs, president of Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College (Cloquet, MN) and former chairman of the fund's board of trustees.

After experiencing racism as a child, Briggs' goal as a man was to build bridges between Indians and non-Indians. As a student, he earned multiple degrees, and as a teacher he helped create the only college in the nation organized as both a state community college and a tribal college.

To celebrate Brigg's life and his legacy, the fund has created the "Tribute to Jack Briggs" blanket. Using Ojibwa beadwork designs, the blanket reflects Briggs' Ojibwa roots, which he credited for his respect for knowledge and commitment to serving others.

TRIBUTE TO JACK. The American Indian College Fund created this blanket to celebrate the legacy of the late Lester "Jack" Briggs.

The fund has produced collectible blankets made by Pendleton Woolen Mills of Portland, OR, for nearly a decade. The "Tribute to Jack Briggs" blankets are available for $245 each, $85 of which is tax deductible.

The American Indian College Fund distributes scholarships and support to 34 tribal colleges across the country.

For additional information, see the American Indian College Fund's web site at www.collegefund.org, or call (800) 880-5887.

Education Secretary Rod Paige Visits SIPI

U.S. Department of Education Secretary Rod Paige visited Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI) in Albuquerque, NM, in April. The secretary, who has Mississippi Choctaw Indian ancestors, toured the college's state-of-the-art science building and participated briefly in a circle dance.

This was not the first visit by a high-ranking administration official to tribal colleges and universities. Paige said he wants each of the federal agencies to become more familiar with the tribal colleges, their students, and their needs and include them in new and existing federal opportunities.

While in Albuquerque, he presented a check to SIPI President Dr. Joseph Martin for the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC). Martin (Navajo) serves as the treasurer of the AIHEC board.

BLANKETED. SIPI student Michael Ray presented a Pendleton blanket to Secretary Rod Paige on behalf of all of the students. Ray (Laguna Pueblo) is president of Phi Theta Kappa and a computer science major. Photo by Mark Hopwood

Under the contract between AIHEC and the Department of Education, AIHEC will collect, analyze, and develop best practices from the tribal colleges and universities to present to the department and assist the administration with determining alternative, culturally relevant educational opportunities for K-12 American Indian and Alaska Native students. "Our goal is equity in education," continued Paige.

In March, AIHEC hosted a forum for tribal colleges and universities and Office of Indian Education personnel to discuss the administration's No Child Left Behind initiative; address common matriculation issues facing American Indian and Alaska Native students; and identify strategies to assist tribal college students to complete their degrees.

Blackfeet Class Play Honored at Conference

The theater class from Blackfeet Community College (BCC) won top honors for its play, "The Trial of Major Baker," at the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) conference in Billings in March. Students acted, directed, designed sets, and developed costumes.

Written by student James Evans, the play recounts the events begun on a frigid January morning in 1870 when Major Baker (played by English Instructor Woody Kipp) and the soldiers he commanded massacred over 200 Blackfeet elders, women, and children.

Even though one of the scouts told Baker he was attacking the wrong camp, Baker ordered the slaughter to proceed anyway. Baker was never held accountable for killing innocents belonging to a band, which had signed a peace agreement. In the play, however, Baker finally stands trial to answer for his crimes against the Blackfeet.

The class has performed the play in Browning, MT, the home of the tribal college, several times as part of fundraisers. The theater class is one of many new courses BCC offers in its expanded liberal arts curriculum. Students can now choose courses on writing poetry and fiction, music theory and appreciation, and drama and film.

For more information, contact Colleen O'Brien (406) 338-5411.

Feingold Questioned by Tribal College Students

by Lela Schwitzer

It's not everyday that you have a U.S. senator on campus, especially at a tribal college. So when U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) held what he called "a listening session" at the College of Menominee Nation in Keshena, WI, he got an earful.

Attendees bombarded the Wisconsin senator with questions -- and opinions -- about veterans' benefits, the war in Iraq, tribal gaming, prescription drug prices, Indian health care, fish and wildlife policies, adoptive adults' rights to their records, loss of jobs to foreign countries, federal anti-littering initiatives, and tribal college funding.

Feingold, who holds open meetings in each of Wisconsin's 72 counties every year, came to the tribal college at the invitation of Dr. Verna Fowler, the college president.

More than 70 people attended the hour-long session Feb. 18, making it one of the largest such meetings in Menominee County since Feingold began holding them 12 years ago. Joan Delabreau, the Menominee tribal chairperson, said she was glad that the listening session was held at the college because it gave it an educational focus.

"It showed Senator Feingold how much education benefits our tribal membership and how it has propelled them into the forefront," Delabreau said.

Fowler said she was encouraged by the turnout because she said it's important for Native Americans to participate in the political process. "There are two major things in our lives that affect us daily: Politics affects your daily life just as much as your spiritual beliefs do, whether or not you're paying taxes, getting your student grant money, or need prescription drugs that you can't afford," Fowler said.

Lela Schwitzer ( Menominee) is a student at Silver Lake College in Manitowoc, WI, and a graduate of the College of Menominee Nation. This article is reprinted with permission from reznet.

Student Journalists Chosen as Interns

Fifty-two college students of color were chosen to work in internships at 34 daily newspapers across the country in the Summer 2004 Chips Quinn Scholars program. Tribal colleges are well represented in the class as a result of the American Indian Journalism Institute, a three-week Freedom Forum-run introductory course on journalism at the University of South Dakota.

Seven of the interns are graduates of the institute, including three who are currently tribal college students. The three are Luella Brien, Little Big Horn College, who is from Crow Agency, MT, and will work for the Great Falls (MT) Tribune; Karen Ducheneaux, Si Tanka University; Swift Bird, SD, Aberdeen (SD) American News; and Lailani Upham-O'Donnell, Salish Kootenai College, Browning, MT; Great Falls (MT) Tribune.

WINNING TALENT. Lailani Upham-O'Donnell (Blackfeet) is one of the scholars chosen by the Chips Quinn program for her talent in photo journalism. In this photo, she shows Patrick Big Sam, 6, who was playing golf with his mother, Ellen Big Sam, one evening at the golf course of Salish Kootenai College in Pablo, MT. Photo courtesy of reznet news.

The class brings to 880 the number of scholars since the program began in 1991.

The Chips Quinn Scholars experience began with a four-day orientation, May 20-23, 2004, at Freedom Forum headquarters.

Keweenaw Honors Elder, Students with Ceremony

Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College (KBOCC, Baraga, MI) honored not only students but also a community elder at its annual awards ceremony in April. Lori Rasanen received a special service award, an Ojibwa recipe book dedicated to her.

Rasanen, 77, has prepared traditional Ojibwa foods for feasts and nutritional programs for the college for many years. She also devoted time to make the recipe book possible.

The book promotes better eating habits to reduce chronic diseases for the Ojibwa people living on the L'Anse Indian Reservation. Handed down through several generations, the recipes stress the nutritional foods provided by the earth that lead to healthy bodies, minds, and spirits.

Wankan Duta Hoskina Gill (Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota) was awarded the Outstanding Student in Earth and Environmental Science at the ceremony. She has been accepted into a Duke University summer program to travel to Costa Rica to learn about Costa Rica's plant and animal biodiversity and to visit with the Guaymi, Brunka, and Maleku indigenous people. Duta will also visit the Caribbean coastal area of Limon to meet with and learn from the Afro-Caribbean populations and the Bribri Indigenous groups.

Robin Chosa (Keweenaw Bay Indian Community) was chosen as the Student of the Year and honored by the American Indian College Fund at the American Indian Higher Education Consortium Conference in Billings, MT.

The ceremony included an invocation by Ozahwah Onikwad (aka Donald Dowd), Ojibwa spiritual leader, and an honor song by The Beartown Drum, who paid tribute to the students excelling in their academic studies during the year. It concluded with a community feast and mini pow wow.

Parade Cover Features Future Generations Ride

"The stories that emerge from Indian country all too often tell of the poverty, despair, and hopelessness that have dominated the lives of Indian tribes for more than 200 years.

"This, however, is not one of those stories," Kevin Fedarko wrote in the May 16, 2004, issue of PARADE. The article describes the annual horseback ride that Lakota people, mostly children, make each December to remember the sacrifices of their ancestors and especially the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890.

EMBRACING EDUCATION. PARADE magazine featured four Lakota children (Rose High Elk, Brandy Hill, Ridge Cadotte, and Wiyaka His Horse is Thunder) along with Ron His Horse is Thunder, president of Sitting Bull College. Photo by Gwendolen Cates

"It is a tale of hope, healing, and redemption," the article says. The magazine includes several compelling photos by Gwendolen Cates, author of the photography book, Indian Country. Four Lakota children are pictured on the cover along with Ron His Horse is Thunder, president of Sitting Bull College in Fort Yates, ND.

On June 3, Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) carried the magazine to the Senate floor and talked about His Horse Is Thunder's heritage and passion for improving educational opportunities in Indian Country. The senator described the physical conditions of schools on reservations and proposed a significant infusion of funds.

President Appoints New Director of WHITCU

President George W. Bush has appointed Diane Cullo to be the executive director of the White House Initiative on Tribal Colleges and Universities (WHITCU). The organization was created in 1997 to ensure that the nation's tribal colleges and universities have full access to federal programs that benefit other post-secondary institutions.

WHITCU is part of the implementation of a 1996 Executive Order, which was renewed by President Bush. U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige's office coordinates WHITCU, and Paige presents the board's recommendations to the president.

Cullo most recently served as the director of development, communications, and program initiatives for the American Indian Higher Education Consortium. She has a bachelor's degree in communication arts from James Madison University and lives in Alexandria, VA.

More information about the White House Initiative on Tribal Colleges and Universities is available at www.ed.gov/whitcu

Haskell Creating New Archive Studies Program

Interior Secretary Gale A. Norton and Archivist of the United States John W. Carlin signed a joint agreement in summer 2003 creating a national repository for American Indian records to be maintained at a regional records service facility of the National Archives in Lenexa, KS.

The agreement is designed to ensure high standards for the storage, preservation, and protection of American Indian documents and records, including fiduciary trust records. The repository will house consolidated American Indian records in the possession of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians.

The agreement also creates an archival records management studies program to be jointly developed by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), Department of the Interior (DOI), and Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, KS.

"The new partnership with the archives will protect American Indian records, and our joint partnership with Haskell Indian Nations University will also result in a highly-trained, Native American workforce that will support the ongoing management and protection of these records for future generations," Carlin said.