and Systemic Research, Inc. Research, Systemic and American Indian Higher Education Consortium Consortium Education Higher Indian American A Report from Report A and American Indian Systemic Research, Inc. Systemic Research, Higher Education Consortium AND S ITIE E H S M I A TION A DUC ER H IG IN UCCESS FOR SURES A E N A NDI N A S MERIC NIVER U : AND ENT S H P S IGHLIGHT S ROFILE AND M S OVE C T T : M RIBAL HE ENT M OVE OLLEGE OLLEGE M C ROFILE C T S U AND S OLLEGE RIBAL TAINING S U AND S ITIE S NIVER P OLLEGE RIBAL AND T AIHEC C S Measures For Success For Measures AIMS RIBAL American Indian American T TAINING S IGHLIGHT U HE H S T WRTC BMCC WETCC BCC UTTC Northwest Indian C. CCCC Blackfeet C. C. Fort Belknap C. TMCC Turtle Mountain C. C. Salish Kootenai C. Stone Fort Peck C. C. CDKC Child C. Cankdeska Cikana C. C. Keweenaw Bay Fort Berthold C.C. Leech Lake Tribal C. Ojibwa C. C. TOCC White Earth Tribal and C. C. Bay Mills C. C. United Tribes Technical C. Fond du Lac Tribal and C. C. CMN Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa C. C. Sitting Bull C. Little Big Horn C. SCC Chief Dull Sisseton Wahpeton C. C. of Menominee Nation Knife C. Saginaw Chippewa Tribal C. CTMN Oglala Lakota C. SIPI Sinte Gleska Univ. Wind River Tribal C. Little Priest Tribal C. Nebraska Indian CNC C. C. SBC DC Haskell Indian SWC Nations Univ. Diné C. FDLTCC Inst. of Navajo American Indian Arts C. of the Tech. C. Muscogee Nation SGU Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Inst. Comanche Nation C. FBC Tohono O’odham C. C. SKC FBCC SCTC FPCC Ilisagvik C. OLC HINU NWIC IC NICC IAIA NTC KBOCC LPTC LCOOCC LBHC LLTC Sustaining Tribal Colleges and Universities and The Tribal College Movement: Highlights A Message from AIHEC ..................................................................................................................... 1 Tribal College Movement ................................................................................................................... 3 American Indian Measures for Success (AIMS) in Higher Education .................................... 4 AIMS Key Indicator System (AKIS) ................................................................................................ 5 Tribal College Student Fall Enrollment ........................................................................................... 6 Achievement: Degrees, Certificates and Diplomas Conferred .................................................. 8 Sustaining: Retention and Cumulative Graduation Rates ........................................................... 11 Overcoming Initial Challenges: First Time Entering Degree Seeking Students .................... 12 First Step to Success: Remedial/Developmental Courses ........................................................... 14 Gateway to Success: Academic Core Curriculum Courses ........................................................ 15 Reaching Out: Online and Distance Courses ................................................................................ 16 Engaging Students: Student Activities ............................................................................................. 18 Support System: Student Services Received .................................................................................. 20 American Indian Students’ Success Stories.................................................................................... 21 Serving Community: TCU Alumni Achievements ...................................................................... 23 Beyond the Classroom: Community Education ............................................................................ 24 Mentors and Leaders: Faculty, Administrators and Staff ............................................................ 26 Faculty and Administrators’ Outstanding Achievements........................................................... 29 Final Remarks ........................................................................................................................................ 30 AMERICAN INDIAN MEASURES FOR SUCCESS IN HIGHER EDUCATION Mural in Student Lounge at Fort Berthold Community College Photo credit: SR A Message from AIHEC In 1994, Tribal Colleges and Universities received report contains many more examples, both in qualitative an historic and long overdue designation. With the and quantitative formats, of the important work being enactment of the federal Educational Equity in Land-grant accomplished by Tribal Colleges and Universities Status Act of 1994, Tribal Colleges “officially” became land-grant institutions. Ironically, Tribal Colleges and The vision for AIHEC’s American Indian Measures Universities – possibly more than any other institutions for Success (AIHEC AIMS) initiative is to provide the of higher education in the country – have embodied the foundation for systemic reform that significantly increases, essence of “land-grant” institution since their inception. and accurately tracks, American Indian success in higher This report provides a vivid account of Tribal Colleges and education. Some important and exciting trends are their commitment to realizing their land-grant mission, as emerging from the data we have collected. Significantly, well as their collective efforts to achieve their missions to the age of first time entering students is trending their respective tribal nations and communities. It is an downward. In the 2005-2006 academic year, 55 percent of inspiring story of service to community, culture, tradition, first time entering students were in the 16 to 24 age group, and environment, to land and to people of a place. indicating that the message is getting out to high school students that Tribal Colleges are a good place to begin the Whether it is through providing locally accessible and path of higher education. affordable higher education opportunity to rural and isolated community members, or researching and testing As is evident from the individual college reports, all of new methods for sustaining tribal land, water, and other the Tribal Colleges are making great strides in achieving natural resources, or planting community gardens and their land grant mission, and more significantly, they are revitalizing the use of ancient seeds, Tribal Colleges making important contributions toward addressing the and Universities truly are “people-serving institutions educational, social, health and economic development working for the common good.” They are in the business needs of their respective tribal communities. This of knowledge creation, but it is a knowledge of use and publication is an attempt to tell this important story. We tradition, of revitalization, and a celebration of tribal ways. commend this report to you in this spirit. We hope that it provides you with ideas and inspiration that can help The pages that follow contain numerous examples of the fulfill our common vision for prosperous, healthy, and ways that Tribal Colleges are helping their communities strong tribal Nations through excellence in tribal higher move forward. For example, Chief Dull Knife College and education. Little Big Horn College, both in Montana, have partnered in creating the Montana Tribal Tourism Alliance to promote culturally appropriate economic development through tourism. Fort Belknap College, also in Montana, is contributing to the revitalization of the endangered Carrie Billy Gros Ventre language by recently establishing the Ah-Ah- Executive Director, AIHEC Nee-Nin Language Immersion School, a small elementary school on the college campus. At the Ah-Ah-Nee- Nin school, faculty and staff strive to incorporate Gros Ventre language, culture, and tradition into instructional activities. Salish Kootenai College recently established a Molecular Biology and Biochemistry Research Laboratory, the first laboratory for molecular biology, biochemistry, biophysics, and biomedical-related research at a Tribal College. Navajo Technical College, in New Mexico, is building a wireless infrastructure that will provide broadband Internet access to every home, school, and commercial and governmental building on the New Mexico portion of the Navajo Nation. The body of this Sustaining Tribal Colleges and Universities and The Tribal College Movement: Highlights | AMERICAN INDIAN MEASURES FOR SUCCESS IN HIGHER EDUCATION Photo credit: SGU Tribal College Movement The first Tribal College was established in 1968 in response to unmet higher education needs of American Indians. Barriers to post-secondary education for American Indian students include geographic isolation of reservations, inadequate precollege preparation, socioeconomic challenges, and family responsibilities. Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) are essential in providing educational opportunities for American Indian students. AIHEC MISSION They offer higher education that is uniquely tribal with AIHEC is the collective spirit and unifying voice of our culturally relevant curricula, extended family support, and nation’s Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs). AIHEC community educational services. Most TCUs are located provides leadership and influences public policy on on federal trust territories and therefore receive little or American Indian higher education issues through no funding from state or local governments unlike other advocacy, research, and program initiatives; promotes public colleges and universities. Instead, the colleges’ and strengthens Native American languages, cultures, special relationship with the federal government and the communities and tribal nations;