S E M I N O L E S T A T E C O L L E G E

ABSTRACT

Seminole State College (SSC or Seminole), located in Seminole, OK, is a two-year, public, 

state-supported Native American-Serving Nontribal Institution serving a vast five-county service 

area (3,819 sq. miles, pop. 156,626) in the heart of central Oklahoma’s Seminole Nation. One in 

five service area residents (20.0%) live in poverty, and only 14.9% of adults hold at least a 

bachelor’s degree. In an area characterized by socioeconomic challenge, Native American 

residents are the most disadvantaged (28.0% poverty, 10.0% adult baccalaureate attainment). 

Our students are a reflection of the area: 59% are first generation in college, with 70% of Native 

American students first generation; 81.9% are Pell eligible (86.6% Native American Pell 

eligibility). More than one in four students (25.6%) are Native American. 

Seminole is committed to empowering the Native American, high-need residents of our 

region through access to postsecondary options leading to baccalaureate transfer and socioeconomic stability. Unfortunately, academic success eludes far too many SSC students. From 

Fall 2012 to Fall 2015, success (grades of “C” or above) across key developmental and collegelevel curricula fell as low as 41.9%, with Native American success below 50% in nearly a third 

of identified high-risk courses. Since 2010, SSC’s fall-to-fall persistence has averaged just 42% 

for first-time students (39% Native American student persistence), dropping below national and 

state rates for public two-year colleges. Graduation and transfer are similarly low (22% threeyear graduation overall, 16% Native American graduation; overall graduation + transfer 17%). 

Factors contributing to these statistics include poor academic preparation and a dearth of 

postsecondary role models for students – the vast majority of whom are from our educationallypoor region. Despite their dedication to student success, Seminole’s faculty acknowledge 

reliance on primarily passive instructional strategies that fail to engage students with interactive 

strategies associated with academic success. Outdated, inflexible instructional facilities fail to 

reinforce interactive instruction, and inadequate individualized support services exacerbate the 

challenges faced by our profoundly disadvantaged student population. 

SSC proposes Engaging with Success, a comprehensive activity including the following: 

(1) Revision of 19 high-risk courses to infuse active, learner-centered, culturally-relevant 

activities, using strategies such as project-based and collaborative learning. Revised 

curricula will be supported with appropriately-resourced, flexible instructional spaces 

(three classrooms, four collaborative learning labs) and tutoring for pilot courses. 

(2) Comprehensive professional development, to include training for full-time and adjunct 

faculty in targeted curricula as well as cross-disciplinary faculty development in strategies 

and tools for successfully engaging high-need learners. 

(3) New engagement services, including aligned success coaching and mentoring services 

supported by evidence of effectiveness that meets the USDE’s definition of moderate 

evidence of effectiveness (Comp. Pref. Priority 2). Engagement services also include new 

Success Workshops, Cultural Symposia/activities to engage students with Native American 

culture and traditions (includes activities meeting Invitational Priority), and liaisons with 

area tribes, with on-campus resources connecting students to tribal services and assistance. 

A new Engagement Center will support new services with flexible, collaborative spaces.

Five-year outcomes include increased fall-to-fall persistence (+8 percentage pts.), increased 3-

year associate degree completion and increased associate degree completion plus transfer (both 

degree completion/transfer outcomes +5 perc. pts., +8 perc. pts. for Native American students)

Our proposal responds to the Absolute Priority, Competitive Preference Priority 2, and the 

Invitational Priority for this competition. Year 1 Budget Request: $349,997
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Project Abstract

Connors State College - Warren, Oklahoma

Institutional Purpose: Public, two-year community college 

Connors State College (CSC or Connors) located in the heart of eastern Oklahoma’s 

Native American region has grown from a secondary school of agriculture with an enrollment of 

15 students and 4 faculty members in 1909 to an accredited community college serving more 

than 3,100 students annually, more than one third of whom are Native American (37%). CSC 

maintains a main campus in Warner (pop. 1,323) and second campus in Muskogee (pop. 39,052), 

located 18 miles north of Warner which houses CSC's popular Nursing program. 

CSC’s seven-county service area (pop. 317,186) is predominantly rural, 36.6% of area 

families are low-income, 19.7% of residents live in poverty, and median household income is 

just $42,251. Also within the area, only 18.1% of adults have a bachelor's degree and almost one 

out of every six adults has not completed high school. The service region encompasses two 

Native American Nations (Cherokee and Creek), with some counties showing more than 38% 

Native American residents. Disadvantaged characteristics are accentuated among this population 

with 22.8% living in poverty, only 15% having a college degree, and 16.1% without a high 

school diploma. Native American per capita income is just $16,042. (ACS 2014)

Among CSC's Fall enrollment of 2,303 students, 862 (37.4%) are Native American, 68% 

of all (69% of Nat. Am.) are low-income and 86% of all (88% of Nat. Am.) are first-generation 

in college. One of CSC's most popular programs, Nursing, enrolls almost 200 students each 

semester of which approximately 25% are Native American. The Nursing profession offers great 

opportunity for our students and directly responds to the area's medically underserved counties. 

Documented shortages in health care professionals are at a critical stage, particularly in health 

facilities operated by tribal organizations. In response to regional demand, an increasing number 

of students apply to CSC's Nursing program every semester. Yet, despite increasing demand for 

health care workers and a corresponding increased level of student interest, CSC has been unable 

to expand its Nursing program capacity due to severe limitations in clinical instruction personnel 

and technology. And, analysis of cohort persistence rates reveals a very low rate of program 

completion. In our most recent cohort class, just 44% (all students) and 18% (Native American 

students) completed our four-semester Nursing program within two years of program acceptance.

CSC submits this Native American Serving Non-Tribal Institution (NASNTI) grant 

application as a means to expand capacity in its high-demand Nursing program as well as 

increase the program completion rate of enrolled students. To accomplish this, we request 

$1,749,990 over five years to 1) equip a Patient Simulation Laboratory to improve the quality 

and quantity of instructional experience, 2) revise courses for effective implementation and use 

of simulation technology as well as incorporation of culturally-sensitive instructional strategies, 

3) expand tutoring for foundational pre-nursing and nursing courses, 4) expand academic support 

services inclusive of academic advising, counseling, outreach, and career placement services, 

5) add nursing clinical instruction personnel, and 6) develop new elective courses focused on 

health issues particularly prevalent among the Native American population. 

This proposed project directly addresses the NASNTI purpose of assisting institutions to 

"plan, develop, undertake, and carry out activities to improve and expand such institutions' 

capacity to serve Native American and low-income individuals" as well as the Absolute Priority

to support high need students and Competitive Preference Priority #2 with inclusion of an 

intervention strategy and services supported by evidence of effectiveness that meets the 

conditions set out in the definition of "moderate evidence of effectiveness."
Abstract

St. Gregory’s University

Native American Serving Non-Tribal Institutions (NASNTI) Project

St. Gregory’s University is a selective admission, four-year Roman Catholic institute of 

higher education, offering Associate, Bachelors and Masters Degrees. Located in Shawnee, 

Oklahoma, the University serves a largely rural area steeped in poverty. The connection of the 

University with the Native American nations in the region began in 1876 when the Citizen 

Potawatomi Nation granted a portion of their allotted land to form the Sacred Heart Mission and 

School that is now St. Gregory’s University. The University’s NASNTI project is designed to 

address our need for new, revised and improved curriculum, distance learning opportunities, 

instructional technology and a comprehensive, centrally located Student Success Center. The 

project focuses on one activity, Achieving Student Success. Three closely related components 

comprise the activity: Curriculum Enhancement, Distance Learning and a Student Success 

Center. The project will result in an in-depth revision of the University’s Institutional Core, 

developing new learning objectives and outcomes while also initiating a new Native American 

Studies Core. The new core will include nine-credit hours of classes designed to introduce 

culture, language and civics of Native American tribes in our area. The project will also develop 

the University’s first distance learning classes and our first technology-integrated on-campus 

classes. A new Student Success Center will be developed throughout the five-year project, 

providing a central site for advising, tutoring, academic intervention and student engagement. 

The project management will be administered on campus by a half-time project director over the 

five years at a cost of $ $146,000 over the five years (10% of the total budget) and external 

evaluation will be a total of $35,000 over five years.

Contact: Dr. Ron Faulk, Academic Dean

Phone: 405-878-5407

Email: rhfaulk@stgregorys.edu
ABSTRACT

Native American Serving Non-Tribal Institutions Program

Murray State College (MSC): Located in Tishomingo, Oklahoma in the south central 

section of the state of Oklahoma, established in 1908, a public, open enrollment

community college, Fall 2015 Full-Time Equivalent enrollment equaled 1549 students, 

current (2015-2016) operating budget, $14,588,695; Ms. Joy McDaniel, President;

Phone: 580-387-7101; FAX 580-371-9844; email: jmmcdaniel@mscok.edu.

Activity: “Murray State College Accelerated Graduation Project”

Purpose: To improve the college’s capacity to increase the participation, academic 

success, and graduation of Native American and low-income students by improving 

strategies for teaching, learning, and academic support for developmental math. In order 

to assist the college in its transition to corequisite math and English courses, a new 

student success center will be established through sharing facilities with the library, 

giving students access to software, hardware, supplemental instruction, social-belonging 

activities, and tutoring. The college will develop new advising strategies leading to 

Individualized Pathways to Graduation for high need students in order accelerate

remediation, success in college level courses, and graduation. Faculty development 

opportunities will focus on culturally appropriate teaching strategies for underprepared 

students and improving delivery methods for teaching and learning. This proposal 

addresses Competitive Preference Priority Two.

Project Management: $1,703,475 over five years. Administrative costs of the grant 

comprise 37% of the total budget (Grant Director and Grant Assistant). External 

evaluation: $14,000 per year of the five-year project.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Tonkawa, Oklahoma - - -

Abstract

Northern Oklahoma College (NOC) is a two-year, public Native American-Serving 

Nontribal Institution located in north central Oklahoma, with a main campus in Tonkawa (pop. 

3,216) and other campus sites in Enid (pop. 49,379) and Stillwater (pop. 46,560). NOC also 

offers online and interactive television courses to reach time- and place-bound students. 

NOC serves a vast, predominantly rural area (13,500 sq. miles), including the following 14 

counties: Alfalfa, Grant, Kay, Osage, Major, Garfield, Noble, Pawnee, Payne, Blaine, Lincoln, 

Kingfisher, Logan, and Creek (total pop. 458,726; 14.2% Native American). NOC’s service area 

is home to six tribal jurisdictions: Tonkawa Tribe, Osage Nation, Kaw Nation, Ponca Tribe, 

Otoe-Missouria Tribe, and Pawnee Nation. Most service area residents struggle with high levels 

of poverty and low educational attainment. One in six (16%) NOC service area residents live in 

poverty; poverty among Native American residents is more severe with rates soaring as high as 

43% in some service area counties. Only 21% of area adults (14% for Native American adults) 

have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher compared to 24% for the state and 29% for the U.S.

NOC’s mission to provide “high quality, accessible, and affordable educational 

opportunities and services...” is critical to the region’s residents, and the College serves as the 

educational access point for thousands of disadvantaged area residents. In Fall 2015, NOC 

served 4,642 students, 12% (548) of whom were Native American. More than half (55%) of 

NOC’s students are enrolled part-time; 81% are first generation in college; 59% are low income;

a fifth of students (20%) are age 25 or older. Based on Spring 2016 survey results, most NOC 

students work (61%); almost a third are parents (30%); and 62% commute, many traveling 30 

miles or more to campus. 

NOC is particularly interested in better serving its growing Native American student 

population. Native American enrollment at NOC has grown by 42% over the past ten years. Now 

one in every eight NOC students is Native American. NOC’s capacity to serve its Native 

American students in culturally-responsive ways has not kept pace with this enrollment growth. 

Moreover, NOC has seen a significant increase in online enrollment among its Native American 

students, and area tribes are poised to work with NOC to promote Native American 

postsecondary success. However, gaps and weaknesses in NOC’s academic offerings and 

support services threaten this opportunity for reaching more Native American students. 

 To address the institution’s identified gaps/weaknesses, NOC proposes a project entitled, 

Merging Tradition and Technology: Engaging Native American and Low Income Students 

to Complete College. The proposed project includes three related initiatives: 

 Initiative 1: Expand Access to High Demand, High Quality Courses. Through this 

initiative, NOC will redesign 30 of its online courses to meet Quality Matters certification 

standards. NOC will also add ITV classroom/computer lab access sites at six area tribal centers 

to promote Native American enrollment through ITV and online courses. 

 Initiative 2: Develop and Improve Online Services. Through this initiative, NOC will 

update its static online services to be interactive and data-driven to promote student success. 

Initiative 3: Develop Support for Native American Student Success. Through this initiative, 

NOC will develop culturally-aligned tutoring and mentoring (online and on-campus), 

cultural/language preservation activities (on-campus), and professional development for 

faculty/staff on strategies to support Native American student success (on-campus). NOC will 

establish a new Cultural Engagement Center to house new support services and resources. 

 NOC is addressing the Absolute Priority, Competitive Preference Priority #2, and Invitational 

Priority for the NASNTI FY2016 competition. NOC’s five-year budget request is $1,749,975.
Fort Lewis College, CO

Abstract

Expanding STEM Opportunities for AI/AN and Low Income Students through

High Impact Educational Practices

Fort Lewis College (FLC), in Durango, Colorado, is an undergraduate, public, four-year 

Liberal Arts College with an historic commitment to educate Native American students “free of 

tuition and on an equality with white students.” Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission 

of the North Central Association and governed by a nine-member Board of Trustees, FLC is 

located in the Four Corners region of the southwestern U.S., home of Colorado’s two tribal 

reservations. 

FLC’s commitment to Native American education is a sacred trust. FLC’s 1,166 (32% of 

enrollment) American Indian/Alaskan Native (AI/AN) students represent 163 federally 

recognized tribes across 48 states, with almost half of our students from the Navajo Nation, 

located 84 miles from campus, and 11% from Native Alaskan tribes. FLC awards more degrees

and STEM degrees to Native American/Alaskan Native students than any other baccalaureate 

institution in the nation. Fall 2015 minority enrollment was 46%, including 11% Hispanic 

students. 

The project design will address the needs of Native American students who are retaining 

and graduating at much lower rates than any other minority population in the United States. 

Overall. The proposed project is designed to addresses the absolute priority of supporting highneed students to improve academic outcomes and learning environments for high-need students 

and students who are members of federally recognized Indian tribes. The proposed project uses 

strategies, such as Undergraduate Research that meets Competitive Preference Priority 2. The 

project is designed to support AI/AN and low income students in attaining baccalaureate degrees, 

particularly in high-demand high tech fields, building culturally relevant pathways back to their 

home communities, graduate school, and to the State and local workforce as follows:

 Develop an Undergraduate Research Component to retain and graduate underserved 

students in high demand STEM disciplines to diversify the workforce.

 Create a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering curriculum to meet national, tribal, 

and local workforce demand issues through a high wage dynamic major and appropriate

academic tutoring support for majors.

 Equip Computer Engineering laboratories and courses with up-to-date scientific equipment 

and instrumentation needed to ensure that graduates are adequately prepared for the workplace 

and/or graduate school;

 Develop learning support programming that will support AI/AN students in academic and 

culturally relevant ways at FLC’s Native American Center through Native STEM Speakers 

Series, instructional technology, STEM textbook library, late night tutoring, and professional 

development of staff at the Center.
Project Abstract

Increasing Overall Completion and Time-to-Completion Rates for

Native American Students through Guided Pathways to Success

Applicant Institution: San Juan College, 4601 College Blvd., Farmington, New Mexico 87402 

San Juan College (SJC) is located in the largely rural, sparsely-populated, isolated corner

of northwest New Mexico. SJC is a public, two-year, degree-granting institution offering 77 

programs leading to the Associate of Arts, Associate of Applied Science and Associate of Science 

degrees and 44 professional-technical programs that award vocational/technical certificates. Its 

district is San Juan County, New Mexico, but it draws students from throughout the Four Corners, 

which extends into Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. The vast Navajo Nation comprises one-third of 

the College’s district.

Serving Native American students is central to the mission of SJC and to its long-term 

fiscal stability. Almost a third of the student population is Native American. Close tracking of 

Native American student cohorts through the current NASNTI grants has helped inform 

understanding of the issues surrounding college completion. A review of the current literature 

offers recommendations and models to address identified issues. A review of SJC data for the

2010 Cohort of first-time, full-time, degree-seeking students indicates a number of time-tocompletion issues: (1) Many of our Native American students accumulate more credits, often 

many more credits, than are needed to graduate without completing their degree, (2) A 

disproportionately low number of our Native American students complete their degree, (3) The 

number of students who meet time-to-completion expectations is also low—even when graduation 

data is tracked for 150 and 200 percent of projected graduation time, and (4) Almost half of the 

Native American students in the 2010 Cohort were no longer enrolled at the end of two years.

Implementation of a Guided Pathways model and targeted support services will address

concerns for our Native American students: eliminate excessive accumulation of credits, reduce

their time-to-completion, and increase their overall success and degree completion rates. Based

on Complete College America, the AACC Pathways Project, and Completion by Design 

recommendations, SJC will address and measure variables contributing to the (1) improvement

in the number of annual Certificate, AAS, and Associate degrees completed and (2)

improvement in time-to-completion for annual Certificate, AAS, and Associate degrees.

The proposed career component will help students clarify their career goals and enter a 

career path early in their college experience. Research by the CommunityCollege Research Center 

at Teachers College, Columbia University found that students who enter a program of study in 

their first year are much more likely to complete a credential or transfer successfully than are 

students who do not enter a program until the second year or later. Clear career focus combined 

with the academic and student support services needed to overcome barriers to their goals will 

positively impact student retention, and ultimately, degree completion. Contextualized student 

support services—including career and transfer counseling, a college success course, supplemental 

instruction, tutoring, and individual Student Achievement Plans will be integrated into their 

programs of study. Students will be monitored for their accomplishment of all proposed 

milestones on their pathway. This will help coaches assess student progress and allow students to 

gauge their likely success in their chosen field in time to explore alternative options if needed.

The proposal addresses the Absolute priority and Competitive Priority 2. 

San Juan College Abstract and Information Page
Native American-Serving Nontribal Institutions (NASNTI) Program

Northeastern State University’s (NSU) Native American Support Center (NASC)

Abstract

Name and City:

Northeastern State University

Tahlequah, Oklahoma

Purpose:

NSU proposes the Native American Support Center in response to the Native AmericanServing Nontribal Institutions (NASNTI) Program. NSU’s project seeks to increase Native 

American students’ retention and completion of higher education by providing early alert and 

intervention/referral services to at-risk Native students as well as a supportive community where 

they can receive academic advising, personal and academic coaching, tutoring, and mentoring.

The three primary objectives of the project are to: 1) Increase Native American student retention 

and completion through enhanced services and intervention strategies; 2) Develop a peer-to-peer 

college persistence mentoring program; and 3) Provide a source of culture, connection, and care 

for Native American students on all three NSU campuses.

The design of this project meets the requirements of the Absolute Priority by providing 

services that will improve the academic outcomes and learning environments of high-need 

students. The proposal also meets the second competitive preference priority by providing the 

necessary evidence, data, and research to demonstrate the project’s “moderate evidence of 

effectiveness.” Specifically, by using two research studies approved by the What Works 

Clearinghouse to support the full range of services outlined in the proposal. In addition, NSU’s 

project meets the invitational priority through strengthening the current Cherokee language 

degree program and expanding the Native American language program by adding Creek 

language classes.

The project will be placed under the authority of the Division of Academic Affairs while 

based in the Center for Tribal Studies, with branches located at the John Vaughan Library in 

Tahlequah, the Broken Arrow campus, and the Muskogee campus. The project director will 

oversee three coordinators who will focus on providing a wide variety of preventive services and 

real time interventions to qualifying students. The coordinators will assist the project director in 

managing peer tutors/mentors and three part-time graduate assistant coaches. 

The successful implementation of this project, in combination with other ongoing NSU 

initiatives and programs, will result in creating a campus that comprehensively welcomes and 

nurtures Native American students while giving them the necessary tools to be successful in their 

academic and personal/professional pursuits.
East Central University, HERITAGE 1

Abstract

East Central University, located in Ada, Oklahoma, is proposing to expand its Center for 

Undergraduate Research and Learning (which was funded in part by a NASNTI grant) by 

establishing a Humanities Education and Research Center and Digital Humanities Lab. 

East Central University’s HERITAGE (Humanities Education and Research: Innovation 

and Technology in Advancing Guided Engagement) project will enhance the culture of student 

research on ECU’s campus and update STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and 

Mathematics) education to the innovative and more effective STEAM (Science, Technology, 

Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) approach to enhanced learning and research. 

ECU’s HERITAGE project is designed to: 

 Improve academic outcomes and learning environments for high-need and/or Native 

American students here at ECU.

 Employ a Department of Education approved methodology of moderate evidence of 

effectiveness to support high-need and Native American students by improving academic 

outcomes.

 Support the strengthening of Native American language preservation and revitalization.

Ultimately, through its innovative design and targeted student services, this project will 

significantly increase the retention and graduation rates of Native American and high-need 

students attending East Central University.
CFDA # 84.382C UAF Bristol Bay Campus 2016 Individual Development Grant

PROJECT ABSTRACT 

Institution: University of Alaska Fairbanks Bristol Bay Campus 

Address: Seward Street 527, Dillingham, AK 99576 

Project Title: Fostering Success through Education and Cultural Connections 

The mission of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Bristol Bay Campus (UAF BBC) is to 

provide education opportunities through which Alaskans, particularly Alaska Native and rural 

residents, are empowered to effect social and economic changes in their communities as well as 

to protect and enrich the quality of their lives and culture. 

UAF BBC is proposing a project Fostering Success through Education and Cultural 

Connections that will: 

GOAL 1: Develop culturally responsive curriculum that connects people to each other, their 

culture, and their natural environment. 

Objective 1.1: Strengthen Native language preservation and revitalization by offering 2 

Alaska Native language courses each year. 

Objective 1.2 Increase cultural awareness and ground student learning in local 

environment through 3 STEM immersive camp experiences each year. 

Objective 1.3 Every two years plan a regional Youth Leadership Symposium to build 

positive identity and leadership skills of Alaska Native youth. 

GOAL 2: Enhance learning environments through increased support services to address diverse 

student needs. 

Objective 2.1 Pilot a comprehensive framework for enhanced faculty and staff 

professional development and cultural competence training. 

Objective 2.2 Improve access to college by providing 2 high-need student transitional 

college coaching events per year. 

Objective 2.3 Expand student support in the Aleutian-Pribilof region by offering 2 

advising outreach activities per year. 

GOAL 3: Implement strategies to aid student navigation to postsecondary education and 

workforce. 

Objective 3.1 Increase effective transitions into postsecondary education by piloting 1 

early college program. 

Objective 3.2 Increase Bristol Bay and Aleutian-Pribilof workforce readiness by offering 

10 vocational training courses each year. 

Overall, this Title III project will increase UAF BBC capacity to serve Alaska Native and low 

income individuals and will enhance our institution’s ability to be responsive to the unique 

educational and workforce development needs of the Bristol Bay and Aleutian-Pribilof regions. 
Abstract

Native American Serving Non-Tribal Institutions (NASNTI) Project

Redlands Community College, El Reno, Oklahoma is a 2-year comprehensive 

community college located in the south central region of the United States. Redlands 

Community College (Redlands) Native American Serving Non-Tribal Institutions (NASNTI) 

project purpose is to improve the learning environment and academic outcomes for high-need 

students by improving academic programs. Two components comprise the one-activity 

project:1) enhancing academic programs by designing developmental education courses that 

provide Native American and low-income individuals the opportunity to advance through those 

courses more efficiently and effectively, potentially eliminating at least one semester in the 

course sequence; and 2) enhancing the Athletic Trainer Associate of Science (AS) Degree and 

the Personal Trainer AS Degree programs by developing distance learning options, adding 

internships and establishing 2+2 degree programs with four-year Oklahoma institutions for each 

of the two delivery modalities. The project management will be administered on campus by a 

half-time project director for a total salary over five years of $174,119 (9.9% of the total budget), 

and external evaluation will be a total of $31,500 over five years.

Contact: President Jack Bryant

Phone: 405-422-1258

Email: jack.bryant@redlandscc.edu
ABSTRACT

University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma 1 | P a g e

NASNTI Strengthening Minority-Serving Institutions 

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.382

Applicant Institution: University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma

The University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (USAO) is a public, four-year, Liberal Arts 

University. USAO is located in Chickasha, Oklahoma. 

USAO requests funding for Increasing student achievement through the use of technologyenhanced instruction. The purpose of the NASNTI project is to expand our capacity to serve Native 

American and low-income students by enhancing classroom instruction through the use of 

technology. Our goal is 1) to update technology-assisted learning environments in target spaces 2) 

to educate and support faculty in the use of technology to enhance instruction and 3) to affect 

student academic success through lecture capture, recorded demonstrations, and student-centered 

active-learning pedagogies such as the flipped classroom and self-paced learning. An important 

component in the first phase of this project is the immediate use of technology in USAO’s Kiowa 

Clemente classrooms that will not only improve student outcomes but will serve the course goal 

of aiding in the preservation and revival of the Native Kiowa language and spoken language 

traditions. 

The accomplishment of our goal will be achieved in five integrated phases 1) key personnel hires, 

2) installation of instructional technologies in academic spaces, 3) training of faculty in the 

advantage and use of technology to enhance instruction 4) implementation of lecture capture and 

closed captioning, and 5) the creation of a technology fund to support and provide incentive for 

faculty to incorporate technology-enhanced instruction in their classes. 

Through analysis of institutional data and relevant research, we have identified educational 

technology pedagogy that addresses the obstacles facing high-needs student success. In our project 

design, we have also responded to recommendations from studies that demonstrate that the 

instructional technology alone is not as effective without a clear professional development plan.

Our project design includes the hire of an expert, to lead professional development and design 

teaching tools, and an incentive program that will encourage faculty to invest in creative, ongoing 

use of the technology. USAO has designed the project evaluation process and management plan 

to emphasize efficient use of staff time and the well-organized flow of information. Our reporting 

will collect data from a cohort of students whose performance will be compared with our base. We 

are confident that our project will demonstrate success in these terms: improved academic success 

(grades of “C” or better) in target core courses, corresponding increased retention rate, persistence 

rate, and graduation rate of high-need students.

Funds requested for the USAO project total $1,725,561.77 over the five-year period. 

Contact:

Dr. John Feaver, President, (405) 574-1201, jfeaver@usao.edu
Project Title: SOCIAL BELONING FOR STUDENT SUCCESS 

Applicant Organization Name: The University of North Carolina

Address: The University Of North Carolina at Pembroke

Project Director: ELIZABETH NORMANDY, PHD 

Email: elizabeth.normandy@uncp.edu

The historical foundation of the University of North Carolina at Pembroke as the Croatan Norman 

School provides the University with a strong legacy of supporting Native American education. 

Even with that foundation, many Native American students struggle with “belonging”. The

proposed project is based on a single, comprehensive goal that addresses the need of currently

enrolled UNCP students: to increase persistence and graduation rates by focusing on student’s 

social belonging needs. 

We will address this goal through the following objectives:

1) DESIGN, IMPLEMENT AND EVALUATE NEW COURSES/ PROGRAMS THAT 

WILL IMPROVE SOCIAL BELONGING THEREBY INCREASING ACADEMIC 

OUTCOMES FOR NATIVE AMERICAN AND LOW-INCOME STUDENTS

2) FACULTY DEVELOPMENT TO INCREASE STUDENT SUCCESS IN ACADEMIC 

PROGRAMS AND COURSES

3) FACULTY/STUDENT MENTORSHIP IN RESEARCH AND SERVICE TO INCREASE 

SOCIAL BELONING AND STUDENT SUCCESS.

All student retention and persistence depends on engagement (Habley, Bloom, and Robbins, 2012),

but a wealth of research shows that a sense of connection to campus is particularly important in 

retaining Native American students. Through the activities in this project, we hope to have a better

understanding of the needs of our students and ways to increase that sense of connection. It is 

hoped that faculty will learn to question their epistemology and to move toward what Belczewski 

(2009) describes as “becoming decolonized in our thinking and teaching practices” (p. 1).