Progress Towards a Tribal College Consortium

1. Progress Towards a Tribal College Consortium James Rattling Leaf Sinte Gleska University UMAC Annual Meeting 2004

2. Today’s Presentation • Introductions • Status of TCU Collaborations • Opportunities • Summary

3. Introductions

4. Approximately 2 Million Acres of land

5. Sinte Gleska (Spotted Tail) Strengthening the Sicangu LakotaOyate through Education

6. Introduction to TCU • Beginning with Tribal Self-Determination 1970’s • Socioeconomic Context • What makes TCU’s unique? • What is the student profile?

7. TCU Collaboration Activities

8. American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) • Founded in 1972 by the presidents of the nation’s first six Tribal Colleges, as an informal collaboration among member colleges • Today, AIHEC has grown to represent 34 colleges in the United States and one Canadian institution • AIHEC’s mission is to support the work of these colleges and the national movement for tribal self-determination

9. A Model for Relationship Building SGU – USGS Memorandum of Understanding October 2000 Wolakota A new way of doing business

10. Sinte Gleska University- USGSMemorandum of Understanding • Authorities: • Executive Order 13021, Tribal Colleges and Universities, October 19, 1996; • Executive Order 13096, American Indian and Alaska Native Education, August 6, 1998; • P.L. 95-47, Tribally Controlled College and University Assistance Act of 1978 (25 U.S.C. 280 et seq.); • P.L. 103-227, Goals 2000:Educate America Act, March 31, 1994; • P.L. 95-47, Tribally Controlled College and University Assistance Act of 1978 (25 U.S.C. 280 et seq.); • P.L. 103-382, The Improving American Schools Act of 1994, Title IX, Indian Education • Executive Order 13084, Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribal Governments • Survey Manual Sec. 4.1, Policy on Employee Responsibility Towards American Indians and Alaska Natives; • Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S. Department of the Interior and the American Indian Higher Education Consortium.

11. Sinte Gleska University- USGSMemorandum of Understanding • MOU Objectives • The objectives are to target USGS resources to strengthen SGU educational capabilities in the earth sciences, as well as to develop and enhance USGS programs and activities and to increase access, through eliciting new initiatives for SGU and its student. • Increase the number of SGU student interns and visiting faculty opportunities with USGS; • Promote technical assistance, mutual program opportunities, development of SGU faculty and infrastructure, and loan of USGS personnel for teaching and research opportunities; • Ensure greater participation of SGU in the USGS program activities in all disciplines; • Assist SGU in their efforts to help Tribal Governments and American Indian people become better stewards of their land and natural resources

12. Sinte Gleska University- USGSMemorandum of Understanding • MOU will accomplish: • establish a cooperative framework to conduct USGS and SGU missions • promote earth science careers and professional development among SGU students • develop a SGU/USGS Leadership Group • build and strengthen relationships with the Federal government and private industry • establish communication links with key government programs and opportunities • form long-term strategies and relationships based on the institutional capacities at SGU and the USGS

13. Sinte Gleska University- USGSMemorandum of Understanding • MOU will accomplish: • The MOU between SGU and the USGS will help strengthen the ability of the Sicangu Lakota Nation in the areas of • self-governance, • management, • land restoration and use, • human resource development, • education curriculum development, • and geographic information systems/remote sensing initiatives. • This relationship is in keeping with the 1996 White House Executive Order 13021 which aims to increase tribal college access to Federal opportunities and expand their participation in Federal programs nationwide.

14. 2004 Declaration for Strengthening the Oceti Sakowin • Preamble-As Lakota Oceti Sakowin and their allies, we declare that the following provides a framework that will guide our work and the work of our organizations and communities as we improve the quality of life of the Oyate. • Our primary goal is to improve the quality of life through our cultural knowledge and ways of knowing for current and future generations of Oceti Sakowin by strengthening the self-sufficiency of our people and creating a climate of Wolakota.

15. Tribal College Forum • September 19, 2003 • 25 Tribal Colleges attended • Jointed sponsored by USGS and FGDC • Highlights: • Chip Groat Leadership Advocacy • White House Initiative on TCU-Ron His Horses are Thunder • Leadership Group Established • Charter Development • NativeView Update • Funding Strategy

16. North Dakota Tribal Colleges NASA Awareness Days April 3-5, 2002 Outcomes: Three North Dakota Tribal Colleges have submitted proposals for the first time in response to NASA solicitations. We have established the NASA-North Dakota Connection, which will link all Turtle Mountain Tribal schools into the NASA Connect distance learning program. Six Tribal College students will do summer internships at Goddard Space Flight Center. Each Tribal College will continue to collaborate with NASA and conduct mathematics and science programs, using their $20,000 NASA grant award

17. NSF Advance Networking Minority Serving Institutions (AN-MSI) The overall goal of this project is to assist Minority-Serving Institutions as they develop the campus infrastructure and national connections to become and remain full participants in the emerging Internet-based "Information Age."

18. Highlights NSF Major Research Instrumentation Workshop 2003 • What Do TCU’s Need and How might those needs be met? • Back to the basics-infrastructure, • Educational Development-ability to do research • Technical Assistance- • Educational exchange-information and idea sharing • Understanding Unique needs of TCU’s • Institutional commitment-hiring of additional staff

19. How do we address the Needs? • Fund technical assistance workshops • Provide seed money for starter research grants • Raise awareness of TCU Cultures • Extend grants periods to address educational infrastructure, both physical and intellectual • Educate Tribal council members and Administrators

20. UMAC SGU Partnership • Success at Sinte Gleska University • Support for data and funding for on going geospatial projects. • Full participation in UMAC activities and out reach. • Collaborative dialog and project proposal submissions. • An affiliate of the ESIP partners and access to the ESIP Federation Knowledge Web. • Access to UMAC partner research and data. • An ongoing dialog and connection to state of the art geospatial technological advances. • REASoN Project • NSF Science and Technology Center Proposal-TCU Strength

21. Support UMAC’s focus for delivers imagery and derived information • Easy to use application with many of the data management complexities transparent to the user • Core applications to meet a broad set of common needs • Non programming customization environment to meet specific data use and in product use and integration • Complete Mobile Solution component for data use, data collection and navigation

22. Other relevant Activities • AGU-NASA-TCU • AAAS • WINHEC

23. Challenges and Opportunities

24. Tribal Colleges in UMAC Region Turtle Mountain UTTC Ft. Berthold Little Hoop Sitting Bull Si Tanka Sisseton Whapeton Oglala Lakota Sinte Gleska Ft. Peck Chief Dull Knife Little Big Horn Stone Child Ft. Belknap Salish Kootenai Blackfeet

25. Opportunities • Cultural Differences -Needs to be more sensitivity and awareness to tribal issues. -There also should be more awareness of the differences between natives and non-natives in terms of needs, resources and goals. -Additionally, the differences among tribes needs to be better understood by UMAC

26. Opportunities • Trust Responsibilities -The level of trust between the tribes and the federal government was an issue given the past history between the tribes and federal government. -The federal government has a duty to provide the tribes with needed education/training and to facilitate the transfer of technology to the tribes

27. Opportunities • Individual Needs Analysis -Each tribe has different information needs and issues that they confront on their lands and within their tribes.

28. Opportunities • Diplomacy & Direct Communication -Their should be better diplomacy between various levels of government and Organizations and the tribal governments. -Information directed to tribes should not be filtered through other government agencies or levels (e.g. federal to state then to the tribes). -The liaison would also facilitate communication between tribes and UMAC.

29. Opportunities • Infrastructure Considerations and Support for Technology Transfer -For Instance, while NASA has useful information and data to share with the tribes, in many cases the technology infrastructure, personnel and money available on the tribal nations is not sufficient. -UMAC should help develop a plan to aid in the transfer of technology to the nations to facilitate data transfer, analysis and implementation.

30. Opportunities • Cost Benefit -While tribal representatives who have used NASA data found it extremely useful and could immediately see the benefits, this was not always the case with some tribal elders or governments. -How can GIS support communications?

31. Opportunities • Unique Stewardship – Land Ethic -There is a unique stewardship of the tribes and their land ethic. -There is tension between the value of land (development/money) and tribal values (land ethic, respect of)

32. Opportunities • Training and Education -As part of UMAC’s outreach initiative more training and education would be helpful. Training and education programs should be tribe specific and include sessions on uses of GIS data and technology.

33. Opportunities • Privacy of Proprietary Culturally Sensitive Data -Data that need to be protected by the Tribe

34. Two Worldviews, One Landscape • “No single culture has a monopoly on ideas for a sustainable future; in fact, the more diverse the input, the better the emergent ideas will be.” --George Seielstad, 2003 • Sinte Gleska University was started by its founding fathers ... to strengthen the Sicangu (Rosebud) Nation in all aspects of life. As such, this Initiative will assist us in bringing two of the essential points of life, the sky and the earth, together spiritually and technically." --Lionel Bordeaux, 2003

35. In Summary • Leadership • Relationship Building, i.e. UMACpalooza • Culture • Economic Sustainability • Partnerships-i.e. Ghassem Visit • NAHEI-Kellogg Foundation Story

36. Thank You