Making connections with tribal colleges

UM President George Dennison, along with other University administrators and faculty, is visiting all the tribal colleges in Montana this year to establish working relationships with college administrators, determine needs of the colleges and learn where joint projects are possible.

To date, the UM ambassadors have visited Blackfeet Community College, Chief Dull Knife Memorial College, Little Big Horn College, Fort Peck Community College, and Salish Kootenai College. Dennison plans to visit Stone Child College and Fort Belknap College before the end of the academic year.

Those who have accompanied the president include Gerald Fetz, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; James McKusick, dean of the Davidson Honors College; Bonnie Allen, dean of the Mansfield Library; David Beck, interim Native American Studies chair; Linda Juneau, Native American liaison; and Jim Foley, UM executive vice president.

Dennison described the discussions as “very fruitful.” He noted that he and other University personnel have discovered problems with dual admissions programs and have sought to identify transfer obstacles.

“An issue discussed by the tribal college leaders has to do with the problems students face because of ‘culture shock,’” Dennison said. He said UM initiated a special Native American Orientation Session during the summer to deal with this challenge; about 150 Native American students attended the session last summer.

There also is an orientation for students in April called Transfer Transition that welcomes students interested in transferring.

Dennison noted discussions have centered on how Native speakers of the various languages can help as UM develops language programs to benefit students at the tribal colleges, as well as at UM.

He said the University will try to make use of distance technology to develop the language programs. A similar project in tribal histories could be conducted under the auspices of Indian Education for All, he said. Tribal leaders have suggested several programs that could help them, such as training for tribal leaders and judges and assistance in planning.
“We will continue to visit the tribal colleges every year,” Foley said. “We look forward to continuing to work together.”

“Each tribal college shares the uniqueness of its reservation and its people,” Dennison said. “In my view, these colleges have developed remarkably during the last two decades and they have much to offer us, as well as their people. They can do what we cannot, since we lack the expertise in the languages and cultures. Collaboration will benefit us very much, as we hope it will them,” he said.