Tribal Colleges - MT

Salish Kootenai College (SKC) is a tribally controlled college chartered in 1977 under the sovereign governmental authority of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. Under the leadership of founding President Dr. Joseph F. McDonald, the College is a four-year land grant institution accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. The mission of the College is to provide a quality education for Native Americans locally and nationally, and foster self-improvement.

Campus and Physical Facilities
The College started in 1977 in an abandoned public school building in Pablo. The campus was moved several times prior to locating to its present site east of Pablo, 10 miles south of magnificent Flathead Lake. Today, SKC is blessed with 25 major modern buildings occupying nearly 160,000 square feet, situated on 128 contiguous acres. The value of the property exceeds $20 million.

Faculty and Staff
During Fall Quarter 2005, the College employed a total of 198 full-time faculty and staff members. Of these, 112 were Indian (57%), 107 were females (54%), and 91 were males (46%). The instructional staff included 84 full-time and 40 part-time instructors.

Student Body Composition During Fall Quarter 2005, 1,087 students were enrolled at SKC, 684 females (63%), and 403 (37%) males. Of the total student body, 749 attended full time (69%), while 338 attended part time (31%). Native American students comprised 80% of the student body, representing 68 tribes from 19 states and Canada. Of the Native American students, 529 were female (61%), while 343 were male (39%).

Educational Programs
Salish Kootenai College offers the following degrees and certificate programs:

• Business/Entrepreneurship (B.A.)
• Environmental Science (B.S.)
• Forestry (B.S.)
• Information Technology (B.S.)
• Nursing (B.S.)
• Social Work (B.A.)

• Business Management (A.A.)
• Dental Assisting Technology (A.A.S.)
• Early Childhood Education (A.A.)
• Environmental Science (A.S.)
• Environmental Science/Forestry (A.S.)
• General Studies-Elementary Education Emphasis (A.S.)
• General Studies-General Science Emphasis (A.S.)
• General Studies-Liberal Arts (A.A.)
• General Studies-Pre-engineering Emphasis (A.S.)
• General Studies-Psychology Emphasis (A.A.)
• Information Technology (A.S.)
• Native American Studies (A.A.)
• Nursing (A.S.)
• Office Professions (A.A.S.)

• Dental Assisting Technology
• Digital Arts and Design
• Highway Construction Training
• Medical Office Clerk
• Native American Studies
• Nursing
• Office Professions

Student Services
Salish Kootenai College offers comprehensive student support services, including the Adult Learning Center, recruitment, financial aid, scholarships, personal and career counseling, retention services, job placement, 19 academic labs with 190 personal computers, tutoring, cafeteria, housing, Child Care Center, a new fitness center, and numerous student organizations, clubs, and activities.

Graduates
Since its inception in 1977, the College has conferred 2,342 bachelors and associate degrees and certificates of completion. The College's graduation rate of full-time degree/certificate seeking undergraduates was 61% for the total 1998 cohort, the most recent available cohort data published by the National Center for Education Statistics, Data Feedback Report 2005 for Salish Kootenai College. A total of 167 students graduated with the Class of 2005. Graduates have earned degrees or certificates in the educational programs listed above.

Student Engagement in Learning
During 2004-05, Salish Kootenai College participated in the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE). The CCSSE is a nationally normed survey that is designed to assess the extent to which students are engaged in their own learning. The survey also measures the extent to which participating colleges support student engagement in learning. The CCSSE was administered to 270 SKC students in late winter, 2005. In almost every area, SKC scored at or above the national mean. Some highlights from the survey include:

• 97% of participants would recommend SKC to a friend or family member.
• 43% of participants would evaluate their entire educational experience at SKC as "excellent"; another 49% rated their experience as "good".
• 85% of participants rated instructors as available, helpful, and sympathetic, measured as 5 or greater on a scale of 1 (low) to 7 (high).
• 80% of participants rated other students as friendly, supportive, and giving them a sense of belonging, measured as 5 or greater on a scale of 1 (low) to 7 (high).
• 70% of students rated administrative personnel and offices as helpful, considerate, and flexible, measured as 5 or greater on a scale of 1 (low) to 7 (high).
• For all five benchmarks of academic engagement, SKC score above the national mean for small colleges and all colleges participating in the 2005 CCSSE survey.