Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College

2274 Enterprise Drive
Mount Pleasant, MI 48858
Website

Mission, Vision, Educational Philosophy
As an important element of the local community, Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College (SCTC) strives to expand opportunities for higher education in a supportive environment which embraces and integrates the cultural uniqueness of the Anishnaabe people. SCTC creates an environment for learning and personal empowerment by providing programs and services that support learners in reaching their personal educational goals, through the framework of Anishnaabe culture and values.

Through the Anishnaabe culture and heritage learning environment, Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College is committed to educating the whole person, enriching quality of life, broadening employment possibilities, preparing students for transfer to four-year institutions, and increasing knowledge of the Anishnaabe culture, heritage, and Ojibwa language. Vital to the preparation for lifelong learning is the development of competencies in communications, fine arts, natural sciences, social and behavioral science, technology, literature, historical studies and Anishnaabe culture.

History
The Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe traces its roots to the Black River, Swan Creek, and Saginaw bands of the Chippewa Indians. The descendants of these three bands relocated to what became the Isabella Indian Reservation, eventually becoming the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, under the provisions of the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934.

Seeking to increase access to higher education for the tribal community and to expand educational and career opportunities, the Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Council chartered SCTC in 1998. According to its founders, the establishment of Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College served as the first step in an educational empowerment process aimed at preserving and maintaining Saginaw Chippewa tribal culture.

SCTC received accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools in 2007.

Geographic Features and Challenges
Mount Pleasant, located in the central region of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, serves as headquarters for SCTC. The college provides educational opportunities to the 3,100 enrolled tribal members residing on the 800-acre Isabella Indian Reservation. The nearest large city, Lansing, is 70 miles to the south of Mount Pleasant.

Mount Pleasant is home also to Central Michigan University (CMU), the fourth largest university in the state. While SCTC provides a culturally-relevant and academically rigorous alternative to CMU, as a small tribal college, it lacks the same level of resources and infrastructure to support its recruitment efforts of local students to SCTC.

Academics and Students
Five full-time and 12 part-time faculty members serve SCTC’s student population, which averages around 150 each semester. The majority of students enroll part-time and identify as American Indian, at 65 percent and 81 percent respectively. Approximately two-thirds of SCTC’s student body is female.

A relatively young tribal college, SCTC offers associates' of arts degrees in three majors, with the associate’s of arts degree in general studies being a liberal arts transfer degree. From 2007 to 2010, the number of degrees conferred increased from 10 in 2007 to 17 in 2010.

Other Outstanding Accomplishments
In efforts to increase the number of SCTC students matriculating to and graduating from Central Michigan University, CMU recently named SCTC as one of the target schools that will benefit from its $1.5 million diversity initiative.