A closer look at just a few of the current projects and programs that are happening at the tribal colleges.

Chief Dull Knife College Constructs Eco-Friendly Early Childhood Learning Center - Lame Deer, MT

Since 2004, planning for a new Early Childhood Learning Center on the campus of Chief Dull Knife College has been underway.  In a continuing collaborative partnership with the American Indian Housing Initiative (AIHI), the college and Northern Cheyenne Tribe have begun construction of the 4,700 square foot eco-friendly “super structure”.  When complete, the facility will provide additional and much needed childcare space for students and staff of the college. 

Dedicated to restoring a culture of self-sufficiency on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation through the use of regionally appropriate green building technologies and sustainable development strategies, the AIHI has worked with CDKC in the past.  In 2002, the college’s partners in the AIHI, Penn State and the University of Washington, worked with the college to construct a strawbale literacy center on campus.  The learning exchange between tribal college, tribe and mainstream academia was such a success that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development provided a $400,000 grant for the new Early Childhood Learning Center.

By constructing the new building with strawbales, the new childcare center follows a recent trend in using the cost-effective and environmentally friendly material well suited to provide a natural climate-controlled environment during Montana’s extreme seasonal fluctuations.  The project will not only provide a healthier, energy-efficient center for children, it will also provide double the childcare space of the current facility. 

The Center will also feature maximum day lighting, cellulose insulation, evaporative cooling and radiant floor heating.  The center should be complete in summer 2006.

Serious health-related issues, such as diabetes and heart problems, continue to be more prevalent among American Indians than they are in the general population.

Bay Mills Community College - Brimley, MI

Bay Mills Community College (BMCC) in Brimley, Michigan on the shores of Lake Superior, serves nearly 400 students through its main campus and virtual college. Bay Mills strives to develop programs that assist students in new fields of interest.

Serious health-related issues, such as diabetes and heart problems, continue to be more prevalent among American Indians than they are in the general population. Taking this into account, BMCC has pioneered an associate of arts degree in health and fitness. Upon graduation, students have a wide-range of career choices to pursue including athletic trainer assistant, rehabilitation specialist assistant, sport/fitness program director, personal fitness trainer, aerobics instructor, coaching, health club specialist, and other fitness-related fields.

The intellectual property associated with these projects could provide revenues to make the veterinary science program self-sufficient.

Navajo Technical College - Crownpoint, NM

Crownpoint Institute of Technology (CIT) offers technical and vocational training in a variety of disciplines from its campus in Crownpoint, New Mexico. In 1993, CIT realized its dream of starting a veterinary science program and now graduates students with a two-year associate of science degree. Graduates can go on to a four-year veterinary program or work in various tribal programs, as well as with private veterinarians, animal control, and research institutions.

• Artificial insemination and embryo transfer to beef cattle aims to greatly increase the genetic potential for the native herd.
• Uranium water testing seeks to develop an affordable test to check for uranium levels in water, plant material, and animals – a particularly relevant topic on Navajo reservations where many uranium mines reside.
• The development of a chemical to sterilize dogs and cats by injection could result in a far less invasive and more cost-effective procedure than surgery, reducing the number of stray animals on reservations.

The intellectual property associated with these projects could provide revenues to make the veterinary science program self-sufficient. But most importantly, students are involved in the research and will be recognized as authors in the publication of these important findings.

NICMERE's mission is to "involve Native Americans in their own resource management and conservation" and is one of many extraordinary programs at Northwest Indian College.

Northwest Indian College - Bellingham, WA

Northwest Indian College (NWIC) is located on the Lummi Nation Reservation near Bellingham, Washington. Its main campus and network of 11 teaching sites are located on reservations in Washington, Oregon and Idaho and enroll about 2,000 individuals from 43 tribes.

In 2000, NWIC established the National Indian Center for Marine Environmental Research and Education (NICMERE) with federal support. The Center combines tribal people, strategic partnerships, and federal resources to foster the development of and fill the need for more Indian scientists. Through the Center, students have access to more than 300 scientists from federal agencies and universities to mentor them in management skills and offer scientific input. Students at NICMERE have worked on projects such as water quality sampling, shellfish and salmon hatchery rearing, and beach habitat restoration. Simply stated, NICMERE’s mission is to “involve Native Americans in their own resource management and conservation” and is one of many extraordinary programs at Northwest Indian College.

Nursing students are taught at the college's new, state-of-the-art facility in Pine Ridge and receive clinical training in major local and regional hospitals.

Oglala Lakota College - Kyle, SD

Oglala Lakota College in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, one of the first tribally-controlled colleges in the United States, has been educating tribal students for more than 34 years.

In 1986, the college began offering an accredited, two-year associate of arts degree in nursing. Students are taught at the college’s new, state-of-the-art facility in Pine Ridge and receive clinical training in major local and regional hospitals. The program’s curriculum incorporates Lakota values of WOWAHOLA (respect), WOKSAPE (wisdom), WACANTOGNAKA (generosity), and WOOHITIKA (courage).

Upon graduating, students are qualified to work as registered nurses, many returning to the reservation. Graduates are also in great demand at hospitals in South Dakota and northern Nebraska. This program is critical to the region and key to assuring these rural hospitals and health services can continue to operate.