Volume 18 Fall 2006 Issue No. 1

In This Issue:
The Winding Road to Student Success

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ON CAMPUS

Leech Lake Recommended For 5-Year Accreditation

A review team from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association (NCA) announced on April 26 that it is recommending Leech Lake Tribal College (LLTC) for 5 years of accreditation—the longest any educational institution can be granted initial accreditation.

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 in September.

The four-member HLC review team members said they were impressed by LLTC’s progress since their last review in 2004, when the college was awarded continuing accreditation candidacy status. They thanked LLTC for “the incredible amount of time spent in preparing for this site visit.”

Dr. Mary Vanis, chair of the HLC review team, especially commended President Leah Carpenter and the college for its improved organizational leadership and for the strength of its external relationships.

Vanis said, “We feel that Leech Lake Tribal College has shown substantial improvements in its organizational management and leadership, especially by impacting the positive perceptions and attitudes about the value of your college to your internal and external constituents.”

“The college embraces its non-Native, as well as its Native community members,” she added. “It is obvious to us that this community loves you.”

Becoming an accredited institution will “bring Leech Lake Tribal College into the status of being an equal with other institutions of higher learning,” Vanis said.

Addressing the faculty and staff after the HLC team’s announcement, Carpenter said, “This is a great day for our college; all the hard work that has been invested in becoming an accredited institution of higher education has now been recognized and awarded.”

Founded in 1990 by the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, the college was accredited in 1991 by NCA as a certificate-granting technical institution. It did not have accreditation as a degree-granting college until now.

“Accreditation is a system for recognizing education institutions for a level of performance, integrity, and quality that entitles them to the confidence of the education community and the public they serve,” according to NCA guidelines. On the most practical level, accreditation signifies that students can easily transfer credits to other higher educational institutions.

Classroom Model ‘Post(s)’ Rave Reviews

DANIELLE HORNETT

PLAYING NATIVE GRANDMOTHER. Danielle Hornett, president of Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College, performed the part of a Native grandmother in “Post.”

An ambitious multimedia project premiered at Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College (LCOOCC, Hayward, WI) in April 2006, to an overflow crowd in the James “Pipe” Mustache Auditorium. To set the stage for “Post,” the Sustainable Living Institute of LCOOCC hosted ecological and environmental presentations, which were supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation.

The original play “Post” revisits the story of the Winter Dam construction in the 1920s. The dam flooded the village of Post along with the Ojibwe wild rice beds, cemeteries, and homes and created the well known Chippewa Flowage of northern Wisconsin. This historical event forever changed a culture and the environment.

In the play a wide range of characters return from the grave to tell their stories. “When this new progressive approach to our writing class was presented, most of us students were skeptical, but afterwards I felt like my growth throughout was worth every minute of it!” said Amanda Whitebird, Ojibwe student actress.

Patrick Shields, English and Sociology instructor, who also produced the play, initiated the idea for his Advanced Composition course. Originally meant to teach students how to appreciate and compose poetry and drama, it evolved into a major collaboration of faculty and staff, current and former students, the Makwa Drama Club, and even Danielle Hornett, the new college president. Nursing Instructor Buffy Riley directed, and the play was filmed with the assistance of UW Madison.

“Post” incorporated poetry, drama, music by jazz recording artist Randy Sabien, the Grindstone Lake Singers Drum Group, and actual photographs from the 1920s.

The project met its objectives to raise historical consciousness about the area, to give voice to the Native population, and to build community by engaging people in dialogue on relevant issues, according to Shields. He says, “I have discovered a model that I can use for years to come. I hope to keep the momentum going.” He adds the project created quite a stir in the community, but it turned out very positive.

For more information, contact pshields@lco.edu.

HLC Recommends SWC For 10-Year Accreditation

Sisseton Wahpeton College (SWC, Sisseton, SD) was recommended for 10 years of accreditation by a review team of the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association. Ten years is the longest single period the HLC accredits any institution of post-secondary education.

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.

College President Dr. William Harjo LoneFight, after the HLC team announcement, remarked, “This is an extraordinary day, all the work that the people—the faculty, staff and the Dakota Oyate—have put in has been recognized and rewarded.”

The HLC team was impressed by the college’s “astounding” progress from their last review in 1999. President LoneFight said. “Earning the 10-year recommendation (gains us) the respect of our peers and drives another nail in the coffin of those who question the value of tribal colleges in the higher education universe.”

Elaine Pontillo, chair of the HLC team, said, “You have demonstrated to us that you are not fearful of work, that you have moved forward, and that you will continue to do so.”

The HLC review team praised the exemplary effort of the tiospaye (family that makes up SWC.) The college follows Wodakotah philosophy by promoting a work environment that operates as a family unit. “The mission statement of the college is very strong and everyone believes in it,” NCA review team member Larry Lundblad said.

SWC involves everyone from the president to the janitors, faculty, and staff, as a family, in student retention.

The most impressive improvements were noted by Pontillo who said, “The physical environment to support learning is remarkable; and the advancement in classroom technology has been a huge upgrade.”

Karen Williams (Sisseton-Wahpeton), a lead teacher for SWC’s Tiny Tots Learning Center and student in 1982, knows the changes. “There was no student lounge, copy center, book store, log cabin, archives or day care,” Williams said. The college has also added transportation for students, a student senate, a drum group, qualified instructors, and a Dakota culture department.

HLC accreditation benefits include: credit transferability, increased opportunities for students, and validation of the faculty’s commitment to the highest standards of education.

Oglala Lakota Sweeps AIHEC Film Competition

The American Indian Higher Education Consortium(AIHEC)Student Congress initiated the First Annual Film Competition in Green Bay, WI, last spring. From among 13 entries, the Oglala Lakota College’s (OLC, Kyle, SD) TV Production program students captured the three top awards.

OLC TV Production program is in its second year of existence. Kathy Aplan, program director since January 2005, has a Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communications from University of South Dakota and has worked in television specializing in production and copy writing.

She states, “It has been exciting – recording elders and getting them archived. It is nice for the students to capture what life is like, rather than having others come in to do the same.” Out of seven students in the program, six of them entered the AIHEC film competition.

The OLC students walked away with first, second, and third place in a people’s choice vote. First place was Brandon Ferguson with his first video production “War Ponies” (Ferguson is currently finishing his second production “Rez Dogs”); second place was Tony Brave with “A Lakota Elder: Marie Randall”; third place went to Amber Montileaux for “Cecilia,” an interview with elder Cecilia Hernandez Montgomery.

The program prepares students for production positions in documentary storytelling and in small entrepreneurship production businesses and for work with broadcast and cable companies or with projects that routinely come to the Pine Ridge Reservation.

In past years, many production companies and filmmakers from other places have found a wealth of stories on the Pine Ridge Reservation.

Through the TV Production Program, students at Oglala Lakota College can now start telling their own community and cultural stories, but most importantly they can tell the stories from their own perspectives, according to Aplan.

Athabasca University Honors RCCC President

MARIE SMALLFACE-MARULE
MARIE SMALLFACE-MARULE: “People have to inform and empower themselves to facilitate real community development.”

Athabasca University honored a woman who has spent her life building communities of cultural knowledge. An honorary Doctor of Letters was conferred on Marie Smallface-Marule (Blood Nation/Blackfoot Confederacy) in June 2006.

“My father wanted me to fight for First Nations causes,” she said. “He knew education was needed to do that effectively. I wanted to get a good education as a means to an end … People have to inform and empower themselves to facilitate real community development.”

Early on, Smallface-Marule recognized that education encouraging assimilation and indoctrination did not serve aboriginal students well. She now works on developing education that respects cultural heritage and includes indigenous identity.

In her 14 years as president of Red Crow Community College (RCCC, Blood Reserve, Canada), Smallface-Marule has strived to design an institution that meets the needs of aboriginal students. “It is important that our culture, traditions, and knowledge as Kainai (Blackfoot people) be transferred to future generations,” she said.

In June, the first group of Native teachers trained in Blackfoot curriculum development (a degree granted jointly by RCCC and the University of Lethbridge) graduated. “We hope to link First Nations knowledge and culture to other programs,” Smallface-Marule said, “to make it part of people’s lives in conscious and academic ways.”

FALCON Promotes Tribal Land Grant Perspective

The First Americans Land Grant College Organization & Network (FALCON) was welcomed to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Land Grant system during a USDA Conference held in May 2006.

In her keynote comments, President Cheryl Crazy Bull of Northwest Indian College and the American Indian Higher Education Consortium said that FALCON can promote a uniquely “tribal” land grant perspective that addresses tribal homelands, language, socio-economic systems, and spirituality.

Terry Tatsey, land grant director at Blackfeet Community College, and FALCON president, explained how FALCON contributed to tribal college work by providing professional development opportunities.

Phil Baird, dean of vocational and academic programs at United Tribes Technical College, spoke of the importance of tribal college representation in national program and policy development.

FALCON has acquired nonprofit status, which will enable it to seek funding to provide professional development services to the 1994 land grant institutions and to fulfill its communication goals.

For information, contact Terry Tatsey by email ttatsey@bfcc.org or phone (406)338-7755 or John Phillips by email johnphillips@mchsi.com or phone (573)234-2064.

FBC Radio Program Enhances Retention Effort

BRIAN HAMMETT AND CRAIG CLIFF
TALKING RETENTION. KGVA radio announcer Brian Hammett (right) asked FBC student Craig Cliff (left) what kept him in college during a regular tribal radio program, “Student Perspectives.”

Enrollment, drop-out, and graduation rates – issues of student retention – keep the Fort Belknap College (FBC, Harlem, MT) staff at their drawing boards reassessing their work.

Michael Little Owl, retention coordinator, says, “Many reasons can prevent a student from completing a degree, factors such as facing high gas prices on limited incomes to failing classes. Everything in between can contribute.” Conversely, he notes there are also reasons why students succeed.

Little Owl and others at FBC are working on a quality retention plan. He states, “Our focus is building leadership by implementing student-centered activities and by measuring our success.”

“Our latest activity is ‘Student Perspectives,’ a radio program in which students share their college experiences,” Little Owl said. “The intent is to inform people on the advantages of attending a tribal college by featuring students’ stories.”

Radio guest Craig Cliff (Gros Ventre) is a single parent (also a grandparent), 2006 FBC computer technology graduate, and transfer student to Montana State University. When interviewed on the radio, he said, “I got tired of moving (among) limited construction jobs.”

Cliff turned out to be an accomplished student who participated in the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) Knowledge Bowl for two consecutive years. He says the competition gave him confidence, expanded his network, and generated new ideas in his life. Cliff advised listeners, “Take a chance in education, especially if it’s right in your backyard.”

Cliff’s young daughter also takes language immersion classes at FBC. “I am now actively involved and supportive of her education,” he said. FBC focuses upon this mix of modern and traditional knowledge offerings and exchanges between young and old.

Little Owl works closely with counselors who are directly involved with students. They track student attendance, monitor their performance, and offer them available options when needed.

The FBC Retention Committee identified the concepts of engagement and accountability and the theme of shared responsibility to define their work. Little Owl believes they are on the right track. He should know. He graduated from FBC in 1995 with a 2-year degree in Human Services, went on to earn an Education Specialist Degree in School Psychology, and returned to help out.

A Trip, Three Ecosystems, And Three Tribal Colleges

Faculty and students from Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI, Albuquerque, NM), Haskell Indian Nations University (HINU, Lawrence, KS), and the College of Menominee Nation (CMN, Keshena,WI) traveled together on a 12-day field ecology trip last August.

Dr. Katherine Mitchell (SIPI), Dr. Doug Eifler (Haskell), and Dr. Bill Van Lopik (CMN) arranged the trip with funding from All Nations Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (ANLSAMP).

The trip was part of an ecology class, “Deserts, Prairies and Forests,” an inter-tribal college field ecology experience. The class objectives were to: introduce key ecological characteristics of ecosystems, illustrate and teach field techniques and data collection skills, and learn about tribal resource management practices.

Nine students participated, three per tribal college, representing programs in environmental science, sustainable development, and natural resource management.

The group traversed three ecosystems: the desert ecosystem of New Mexico, the prairie ecosystem of Kansas, and the deciduous forest system of the Menominee Reservation in Wisconsin.

The entire group met in New Mexico and traveled by van for 12 days to Wisconsin. They visited biological research stations and met with tribal natural resource managers along the way.

Lopik said, “It was a fantastic learning experience for the students who made new friends and explored regions of the country that they previously only talked about in class.” He noted all the students expressed a strong desire to do another trip but with one recommendation: that it be longer and farther.

“We anticipate another trip in summer 2007 with renewed National Science Foundation support of ANLSAMP,” said Mitchell. “The experiential learning brought oblique soil science textbook vocabulary to life for the students.”

For information, contact Dr. Katherine A. Mitchell at (505) 346-7732, or email her at kmitchell@sipi.bia.edu, or contact Dr. Bill Van Lopik at (715) 799-4921.

Native Grass Researchers Explore Biology, Culture

The Native Grass Project at Haskell Indian Nations University completed a second year of research and involved seven student interns and two faculty project directors. The research focused on switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), which is a warm season, perennial grass that is found throughout the United States.

GRASS WALL CONSTRUCTION
GRASS WALL CONSTUCTION. Intern Katrina McClure prepares to weave a threaded stick through harvested grass bundles to bind the grass to the support poles. Photo by Julie James and Darryl Monteau

Student interns involved in the project, along with a botanist, base their biological research on the identification of desirable switchgrass attributes such as biomass, density, and height.

By gathering switchgrass from the different geographic regions in five states, they can glean information on its propagation in various settings. The monitoring of these ecotypes along with research of original Caddo lands will help identify the attributes desirable for the revitalization and expansion of the grass for future use by Native people and for the restoration of Army installation lands.

The students also study the cultural and traditional uses of switchgrass among American Indian tribes in North America. They found that the Caddo people used the grass most. They used the grass to construct grass-thatched lodges and baskets in the southeastern regions of the United States

In fall 2006, the Native Grass Project hopes to build a Caddo grass-thatched arbor on the Haskell campus with the assistance of Phil Cross, a member of the Caddo Tribe and the NGP Advisory Committee.

This biological and cultural research has shown the connection of the switchgrass to Native people and culture. About the research, Phil Cross said, “I think we can gain a sense of ties to the natural things on earth and (of their) importance to our existence, now and in former times. Also, it could possibly be a means of reclaiming lands and improving local environments.”

For information, contact Haskell Indian Nations University faculty: Lorene Williams at lwilliams@haskell.edu or (785) 832-6688 or Bill Welton, at bwelton@haskell.edu.

College Partners Prepare American Indian Nurses

Ten future nurses started classes in June 2006 through a new Certified Nursing Assistant program at White Earth Tribal and Community College (WETCC, Mahnomen, MN). The program requires 80 hours of instruction before students can advance to a registered nurse degree program to be offered onsite at the White Earth Reservation by Northland Community and Technical College (NCTC).

The programs are part of a partnership between the two colleges designed to produce more American Indian nurses, according to an Associated Press release.

Petey Olson (White Earth), licensed practical nurse, nursing student recruiter, and WETCC Council of Trustees member, said, “Although this is a first time offering at WETCC, word of mouth brought in students, and now both nursing assistant certificate ‘camps’ scheduled this summer are full.” Olson believes the accessible classes have attracted interest because students would otherwise have to relocate or drive long distances to take nursing classes.

“My own experience had me driving 60 miles down the road everyday to classes to become a licensed practical nurse,” said Olson. She adds that she depended on her in-laws’ help with childcare to finish her degree, so she expects the nursing program participants will need support and encouragement.

The program is funded by a grant written by NCTC, which is matched by the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Underrepresented Students Transitions Grant Program. In 20 years of offering a registered nursing program, Northland has enrolled few Native students.

This is expected to improve soon when White Earth Tribal and Community College brings a projected 16-20 certified nursing assistants into the Northland program in fall 2006. WETCC is one of the nation’s youngest tribal colleges. The White Earth Reservation Tribal Council established it in 1997.

OLC to Serve Students In Cheyenne River Area

Oglala Lakota College (OLC, Kyle, SD) has opened a college center on the Cheyenne River Reservation in Eagle Butte, SD. The new OLC center was approved in June 2006 by the regional accrediting association, the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

The decision is good news for residents of the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation since the local tribal institution, Si Tanka University, closed last spring because of bankruptcy.

“This approval by NCA allows for students to take the curriculum that is offered at Oglala Lakota College,” says OLC President Thomas Shortbull. Cheyenne River area college students can now pursue OLC’s associate, bachelor’s, and graduate degrees. Courses offered at the new site will principally be through adjunct instructors using two of the former Si Tanka buildings. Shortbull said they project 150-200 students the first year.

Cheyenne River Tribal Chairman Harold Frazier says, “The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe is appreciative of the assistance that OLC is providing to our students, and we do have hopes that some time in the future we can reestablish our own tribal college.”

The Cheyenne River center will be OLC’s 11 th center. All Si Tanka student records are housed at Northern State University at Aberdeen, SD. Former Si Tanka students who apply to OLC will transfer their records from Northern to OLC.

Oglala Lakota College has hired Carol Rave as the Cheyenne River College Center director. Rave is a familiar face to Cheyenne River people. “I grew up with the college,” she says. Rave worked at Si Tanka (formerly Cheyenne River Tribal College) for over 20 years.

Founded in 1974, Cheyenne River Tribal College was one of the first members of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC). At the AIHEC meeting in March 2006, the board of directors “recognized with regret” that D-Q University (Davis, CA) and Si Tanka University were no longer members of the consortium.

D-Q was one of the six founding members of AIHEC in 1973 and the only tribal college in California. In January 2005, it lost its accreditation primarily because of financial problems. (See TCJ, Vol. 16, N.4, page 38.) AIHEC offered its support for the two colleges’ efforts to reorganize and reconstitute their tribal colleges.

NICC Moves Macy Campus To New Dream Building

Nebraska Indian Community College (NICC) is moving into a new building at its main campus in Macy, NE, this summer. For the students, faculty, and staff, a long awaited dream has come true, according to President Micheal Oltrogge.

The facility includes five classrooms, a computer laboratory, and a science lab, the first science lab that NICC has had. It will also house their student services, administrative offices, and a multipurpose room, which can be used for a gym or an auditorium.

The college operated for 20 years in a metal building that previously had been a tractor shed. “When it rained, a river ran through it,” Oltrogge says. Mold grew throughout the building. An accreditation team told them several years ago that it was a hazard to human health.

“We are delighted to have a new facility,” says Oltrogge. A graduate of NICC, he is now working on his doctoral dissertation.

The new building was constructed out of steel with a brick veneer and will have climate control, unlike the old building. A tribe, two federal agencies, and other benefactors made the move possible, including the Lilly Foundation, American Indian College Fund, American Indian Higher Education Consortium, Shakopee Mdewakanton Tribe, USDA Rural Development, and U.S. Department of EducationTitle III.

The college provides higher education and opportunities for life-long learning to “Umonhon (Omaha) and Isanti (Santee Sioux)” people and other students. Established in 1979, it also served the Winnebago Tribe until 1996, when that tribe established its own tribal college, Little Priest. Now NICC has three campuses – Macy, NE; South Sioux City, NE; and Santee, NE. The next step will be to acquire ground in Santee and build there.

AIHEC Celebrates 25th Conference in Green Bay

The Woodland area tribal colleges hosted the 25 th Annual AIHEC Student Conference March 11-13 in Green Bay, WI. At the conference, students participated in competitions, such as the annual Knowledge Bowl, Business Bowl, Science Bowl, Art Contest, and Writing Contest. The results are posted on the College of Menominee Nation website (www.menominee.edu).

 

MARLA STRIPED FACE-COLLINS AND ELLIOT BRYANT
GIFTED STUDENTS. Ms. AIHEC Marla Striped Face-Collins and Mr. AIHEC Elliot Bryant were showered with gifts at the AIHEC Conference. Photo by Phil Wisneski

For the first time, students organized a film competition (see separate story). A total of 718 people registered for the conference, including 467 students, according to conference coordinator Geraldine Sanapaw.

A highlight of the conference was the announcement of Mr. and Ms. AIHEC. MarlaStriped Face-Collins was selected as Ms. AIHEC and Elliot Bryant as Mr. AIHEC. The annual competition recognizes outstanding tribal college students based upon their academic records, cultural involvement, personal vision, and community service. Mr. and Ms. AIHEC serve as ambassadors for the organization.

Bryant (Navajo, 3.9 GPA) plans to complete a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education at Haskell Indian Nations University and then a Master’s Degree in Vocational Counseling. He said, “I have found my passion, which is to teach, motivate, coach, and inspire individuals who deserve to succeed.”

Striped Face-Collins (Lakota, 3.9) is a student at United Tribes Technical College where she has dual majors in Environmental Science and Business Administration with a Tribal Management emphasis. She plans eventually to get a Doctorate in Environmental Science.

“With my dual majors, my goal is to return to the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation to give something back to my tribe and my children using what I have learned,” she said.

The AIHEC Student Congress celebrated its 20 th anniversary in Green Bay. Twenty years earlier, on March 27, 1986, students at the annual conference in Rapid City, SD, suggested the idea of a student congress. They wanted an organization to promote student involvement in all aspects of American Indian education and tribal community development.

The concept became a reality later that year following the AIHEC summer retreat at Navajo Community College, according to Phil Baird (Sicangu Lakota), one of the original tribal leadership advisors for the organization. Students met for three days and developed a draft constitution, bylaws, and budget.

The AIHEC board of directors approved, and the AIHEC Student Congress was officially established on July 23, 1986.

The AIHEC Student Congress officers elected at the March meeting will serve until the spring conference in 2007. They are President Julian Many Hides, Vice President Kelley Mitchell, Secretary JoAnn McDonald, Treasurer Terese Jacobs, Sergeant at Arms Randy E. Elliott, Historian Orlando Avery, Southwestern Regional Representative Crystal J. Carr, Mountain/Pacific Regional Representative Jodi Hunter-Ivins, Midwest Regional Representative Naomi Kasto, and Great Lakes Regional Representative William Badboy.

For more information, see http://asc.aihec.org.

DOE Official Encourages Grads to Follow Passion

Representatives from three federal agencies provided commencement addresses this year at tribal colleges. Collectively, they addressed more than 180 students at Blackfeet Community College, Little Big Horn College, and College of Menominee Nation.

Thomas Dorr, under secretary for rural development at the Department of Agriculture, spoke at College of Menominee Nation (Keshena, WI). Deborah Cavett, executive director in the office of the White House Initiative on Tribal Colleges and Universities, spoke at Little Big Horn College (Crow Agency, MT).

Dr. James R. Fischer spoke at Blackfeet Community College (BCC, Browning, MT) May 6. As the senior technical advisor to the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Renewable Energy Section Board of Directors, he was well matched with the Blackfeet tribal college.

The college and the Blackfeet Tribe have been involved in wind energy for many years. The college put its first wind turbine on line in 1996. A 10-kilowatt wind turbine provides power for the vocational education building. With funding from DOE and the Air Force, BCC students collect data on the wind and utility costs. (See TCJ, Vol. 17, N.2, pages 10-15.)

“Indigenous nations like the Blackfeet have always looked to the future and attempted to live sustainably,” Fischer acknowledged. He quoted the Blackfeet philosophy: “In order to understand us, you need to understand the world around us.”

“What you call the Essence of All Life, Ihtsi-pai-tapi-yopa, made all living things equal: Humans were not given the right to rule over or exploit the rest of nature. You were ahead of the game all along.”

“As we move to the future, we need to become more like you….to understand and follow the principles of Ihtsi-pai-tapi-yopa in order to sustain the quality of the natural world,” he said.

Rather than focusing on the intricacies of wind power, Fischer gave an inspirational speech, exhorting students to follow their passion while providing personal examples from his own life. “Do not accept something that does not stir your passion and fulfill a need of your nation,” he said.

College Fund Names Students of the Year

  The American Indian College Fund has named its top American Indian tribal college students as 2006 “Students of the Year” based on their academic achievements and service to the community.

The fund hosted an awards banquet in Green Bay, WI, on March 12, 2006, where each recipient received the prestigious award and was also honored with a $1,000 scholarship sponsored by the Castle Rock Foundation.

  “The American Indian College Fund is honored to recognize the achievements of all of these students,” said College Fund President Richard B. Williams. “Each has demonstrated that through education, anything is possible.”

  Ranging in age from 19 years to 54 years, the Students of the Year represent a variety of tribes and attend tribal colleges throughout the United States. Despite working toward degrees in various disciplines, each possesses a record of academic excellence and community service. Students of the Year are selected through a highly competitive process by each individual tribal college.

  The complete list of 2006 Students of the Year, including tribal affiliation and tribal college, follows.

The American Indian College Fund was established in 1989 to increase educational opportunities for Native students. It is based in Denver. In addition to distributing scholarships to students attending tribal colleges across the country, the College Fund also supports endowments, developmental needs, and public awareness for the tribal colleges. 

For more information, see www.collegefund.org.

WIND RIVER JOINS AIHEC
BISON BIDDING. Durable epoxy filler is applied to a bison sculpture by United Tribes Art-Art Marketing Program Director Wayne Pruse and student Brianne McHugh (Three Affiliated). The life-sized critter was auctioned off in April in downtown Bismarck during the eighth annual art exhibit and sale. Dustin Black of Spirit Lake (not pictured) also worked on the sculpture. Photo by Dennis Neumann

SBC Education Department Gives Lakota Foundation

When the Sitting Bull College Education Department moved into a new building last March, it was an exciting day for the staff and especially for the department chair, Kathryn Froelich. The new building houses the elementary/special education department as well as the early childhood department and a child care facility for students.

Froelich has seen the department mature and grow since 1996 when Sitting Bull College (SBC, Fort Yates, ND) first began offering a 4-year elementary/special education degree with a Lakota emphasis. An articulation agreement with SBC’s sister college, Sinte Gleska University (Mission, SD), made the 4-year degree possible. (See TCJ, Vol. 11, N.2, pages 18-20.)

SBC now has its own Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education, which was accredited in 2004 by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association. The program also won state approval from the North Dakota Education Standards and Practices Board.

A total of 32 students have graduated from the program, and most are teaching or in master’s programs, according to research that Froelich has done as part of her dissertation. Only two are not in an education-related field at this time, she says.

The tribal college recognized the need for the teacher education program. Despite the high number of Indian students in North Dakota, only 2% of the 4,917 elementary teachers in the state are Indian, and the turnover rate is high with new teachers using the reservation schools as a one-year stepping stone, according to one of the graduates interviewed by Froelich.

The program helps current teachers meet the training requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act, too.

The state requires teachers to take only one course related to American Indians, but this is not enough, according to Froelich. “Teachers coming on the reservation feel culture shock. Even when they were raised in the state, they don’t have that awareness,” she says.

In the SBC program, the teacher education students have to take Lakota language, Lakota culture, and either Native American Studies or Indian education. Of the 32 graduates, 3 were non-Native. In her survey, one of the non-Indian graduates said, “All of my students are Native American so it was important for me to get training at this college.”

The SBC Education Department began with a staff of one and now has five. The program receives no funding from the state, but it must meet both North Dakota and South Dakota program requirements to maintain approved status for teacher licensure.

SBC receives financial support from the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ (BIA) Office of Special Education and most recently the Office of Indian Education.

In 2005 the college received a technology grant from the University of South Florida for a LASER (Linking Academic Scholars to Educational Research) project. Now the education department can participate in video conferences with Sinte Gleska University and other distant universities.

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