# Native American-Serving Nontribal Institutions Program

# FY 2015 Project Abstracts

## Arizona 

## Navajo County Community College District d.b.a. Northland Pioneer College

## Holbrook, AZ

Northland Pioneer College (NPC) serving all of Navajo and Apache Counties, a rural, remote region of over 21,000 square miles in Northeastern Arizona’s First Congressional District, proposes Technology to Advance Learning Outcomes at Northland (TALON). This five-year project will make post-secondary educational opportunities available to students across the service area, which includes the tribal lands of the Navajo, Hopi and White Mountain Apache people, through a robust network of audio-visual (AV) linked classrooms located on the campuses of ten partner high schools that have committed to providing facilities and personnel to the project in Year One: Shonto Prep, Pinon, Red Mesa, Sanders, Winslow, Joseph City, Holbrook, Snowflake, Blue Ridge, St. Johns, and six additional high schools by 2020. Offerings will include high school dual enrollment, and College and Career Prep (CCP), serving over 550 students, not less than 50 percent of who is Native American, and promoting these goals:

PROJECT GOAL Academic Programs:  (1.) By September 30, 2020, increase the number of students at partner schools who complete MAT 152 and at least two additional college courses prior to high school graduation from 38 to 260 (584 percent), not less than 50 percent of who is Native American. Academic Programs.  (2.) By September 30, 2020, increase the percentage of students who participate in dual enrollment, then enroll at NPC following high school graduation from 39 percent (average from 2010-14) to 78 percent, with not less than 50 percent being Native American.  Academic Programs.  (3.) By September 30, 2020, increase the number of students enrolled in DLT CCP from 40 to 280 (600 percent), not less than 50 percent of whom are Native American.

PROJECT GOAL Institutional Management: By September 30, 2020, 95 percent of all TALON DE and CCP students will receive ancillary services via DLT, including, but not limited to academic advisement and counseling for college, career and financial planning, and tutoring.  PROJECT GOAL Fiscal Stability:  By September 30, 2020, to increase the number of Full-Time Student Equivalents (FTSEs) by 15 percent, resulting in a total operational savings of nine percent.

Grant funds totaling $1,754,710 are requested for the following activities:

· Acquisition and installation of all AV-linked classroom technology and peripherals;

· Purchase of adequate network capacity (bandwidth) to assure all sites are supported;

· Employment of a full-time technician to:  1) maintain the network for all partners; and 2) train IT technicians at each partner school to maintain the equipment at their sites;

· Employment of a full-time Support Center Operator to provide end-user assistance at all partner sites;

· Employment of a full-time Project Director; Stipend for a contracted outside Evaluator.

Because of its capacity to bring post-secondary educational access to a region profoundly marked by the effects of poverty, and its potential to improve the quality of life for their students, NPC and its partners are committed to sustaining TALON beyond grant funding.

## Minnesota

## University of Minnesota

## Morris, MN

Project Title:  Morris Native American Student Success (NASS) Project 2015 

## Campus Overview: University of Minnesota-Morris (UMM) is the four-year undergraduate campus of the University of Minnesota and the state’s only public liberal arts college. UMM is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association, and a founding member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC). One of Minnesota’s most diverse universities, 1,162 (64 percent) of United States degree-seeking students identify as one or more of the populations underserved in higher education, including Native American (NA) students from tribes, people and cultures indigenous to the United States (19 percent); low-income individuals (LI) (31 percent), first-generation (38 percent), rural (34 percent) students and students from other racial/ethnic minority populations. 

Project Goals and Expected Outcomes: The Morris NASS Project’s primary goal is to increase the educational attainment of NA students by eliminating college achievement gaps, particularly for those with additional risk factors including first-generation students and those from low-income households or rural areas. First year NA students generally arrive at college less prepared with fewer advantages than traditionally college bound students including lower college placement scores, fewer credits at entry, higher placement into remedial coursework, financial instability, and significant personal challenges. Such setbacks generate barriers to persistence and retention. Outcomes of the Project are to increase NA first-year retention from 76 percent to ≥82 percent, and increase the four-year NA graduation rate from 29 percent to ≥50 percent. Impacts of the Project will also increase the six-year graduation rate of NA students from 50 percent to 70 percent at UMM by fall of 2021. 

Population to be Served: UMM’s 317 degree seeking NA students comprise 19 percent of the student body. The Project will serve students with the highest need for services, focusing on the 245 NA students who are from low income households, first generation, and/or rural; those entering with academic success and college persistence risk factors; and those alerted as at risk by faculty. 

Project Overview: Grounded in student development theory, research and lessons learned from UMM pilot projects, Morris NASS will support NA student success, retention, and on-time graduation by targeting improvements in academic skills, advising and non-cognitive development; providing culturally relevant support and learning opportunities; and developing a supportive campus climate. NASS expands the Gateway summer bridge program supporting new students’ college transition and math, English, and science readiness. Academic success coaches provide intensive intervention, coaching, and an Individualized Academic Success Plan tailored to student needs and challenges to create a path to successful degree completion, with support from peer mentors and a workshop series building academic skills, connecting to campus resources, and fostering financial aid literacy. Increased student employment opportunities provide financial resources and meaningful work connecting college to career. A Residential Living Community builds community and cultural identity for students interested in NA cultures, languages and lifeways. Elders, Leaders and Scholars in Residence, a Post-doctoral Fellow; Dakota language instructor, greater Anishinaabe language support, and curriculum development grants add role models and support for NA students and culturally relevant educational programs to foster identity development, intercultural competency, skills, knowledge and commitment for college completion and leadership in graduate study and careers, with a focus on language revitalization and building strong sovereign Native communities. Professional development for faculty, staff and administration builds NA cultural awareness, student success strategies, and capacity for a more inclusive campus.

## Montana

## Montana State University-Northern

## Havre, MT

The Little River Learning Alliance has adopted the Blackfeet name for the 700 miles of meandering waterway coursing through northern Montana’s “Indian Country.” Like the Little River, the 37,000 ft.2 service area of Montana State University-Northern (MSU-N) reaches from the Blackfeet Reservation in the northwest, passing by the Rocky Boy and Fort Belknap Reservations in the center, and on to the Fort Peck Reservation in the east.

MSU-N, located in Havre, Montana, is north-central Montana’s comprehensive university for programs at the associate, bachelors, and masters levels. Our service area includes four of the state’s seven Native American reservations and the population center of the non-federally recognized Little Shell tribe. Two of these reservations are within a 45-minute commute.  MSU-N has an annual enrollment of around 1,400 students, 12 percent of whom are of American Indian descent.

The Little River Learning Alliance will address NASNTI’s absolute priority: improving chronically low on-time completion rates among American Indian students at MSU-N. The project aims to double six-year graduation rates among this student group and proposes four activities focused on increasing academic and social engagement opportunities for this student group. Crucially, each activity is designed to foster an environment of cultural responsiveness toward American Indian culture and tradition. The physical arrangement of activities also places student support services in close proximity to a designated gathering and study space for American Indian students, in order to increase visibility and encourage use of these services. This holistic approach to services guides our project vision.

Reflecting NASNTI’s first competitive preference for enhanced student support services, project activities include: 1) tutoring; 2) faculty professional development; 3) mentoring; and 4) physical space and guidance for the existing Sweetgrass Society student club.  Reflecting NASNTI’s second competitive preference, the proposed services will make use of a renovated, technology- enhanced learning and gathering space called the Sweetgrass Society Commons and a renovated, technology-enhanced experimental teaching space called the Sage Learning Lab.

Anticipated results from the activities implemented will incrementally increase American Indian fall-to-spring and fall-to-fall retention rates to 75 percent and 54 percent by Year five, respectively. Anticipated results will also include increased academic as well as social engagement among American Indian students, as demonstrated by student grades and course completion rates, as well as participation rates in tutoring, mentoring, and club activities. Based on pedagogical research addressing effectiveness for minority populations and American Indians specifically, services will be tailored to evaluate and improve the cultural responsiveness of tutoring and mentoring methods, as well as faculty teaching methods.

Focusing not only on academic services but also the social context that grounds them will allow the Little River Learning Alliance to double American Indian on-time completion rates from 12.55 percent to 25 percent.

Funds Requested:  We are requesting $1,929,062.33 over five years from the Department of Education NASNTI Program to complete this project.

## Oklahoma

## Carl Albert State College 

## Poteau, OK

Established in 1933, Carl Albert State College (CASC) is a comprehensive public two-year state college serving the rural eastern region of Oklahoma from its main campus in Poteau and a secondary location in Sallisaw. CASC offers transfer associate degrees, as well as career oriented degrees designed for applied knowledge fields. CASC is both a residential and commuter campus serving approximately 2,500 students. CASC’s largest minority enrollment is Native American, averaging from 22 percent to 30 percent of total enrollment over the last few years. The College is accredited by the Higher Learning commission of the North Central Association for Colleges and Schools from 2013 to 2023.

The purpose of the NA FAS-TRACC grant-funded program is to Improve Native American retention and graduation rates through evidence-informed interventions and enhanced educational access through technology. We propose to increase our institutional capacity to serve Native American/low-income students through Native American Freshman Achievement Strategy- Through Retention, Access and Coaching for Completion or NA FAS-TRACC. The activities to be developed will improve the retention and graduation rates for AI/AN (American Indian/Alaska Native) students at CASC.

This project addresses the Absolute Priority and both Competitive Preference Priorities I and II.

Priority I - Academic tutoring and counseling programs and student support services: The NA FAS-TRACC Project at CASC will increase the percentage of high-need students who persist in and complete college education by:  (a) providing student coaching and related activities through the *InsideTrack*coaching methods; (b) providing Native American freshman orientation classes where students will learn non-cognitive skills and learn from a panel of peers through a “Difference Education” (Stephens, N. M., Hamedani, M. G., & Destin, M., 2014) discussion about overcoming barriers to success; (c) development of a Native American Center where grant-funded services and activities will be coordinated and provided by trained professional staff.  Professional development of faculty and staff will be provided to enhance cultural awareness and sensitivity to AI/AN students’ potential barriers.

Priority II - Projects that are designed to leverage technology through implementing high- quality accessible digital tools, assessments, and materials that are aligned with rigorous college- and career-ready standards:  The NA FAS-TRACC Project will build institutional capacity to serve all students through the installation of enhanced distance learning technology to provide convenient access to required coursework to students at any CASC location. This will address the difficulty many students have completing their degree plans in a timely manner due to required classes being cancelled or inconsistently offered, especially at the Sallisaw location.  In addition, professional tutoring and other support services will be provided for online students in order to comply with HLC’s assertion that online students should have parity of services with on-campus students. Thirty-five percent of CASC online students are AI/AN.

## Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College

## Miami, OK

Northeastern Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College (NEO) is a comprehensive two-year, public, Native American-Serving Nontribal Institution, located in Miami, Oklahoma in the northeast corner of the state.  NEO’s three service area counties (population 88,194; 28 percent Native American) are home to ten tribal jurisdictions: Cherokee, Eastern Shawnee, Shawnee, Miami, Modoc, Ottawa, Peoria, Quapaw, Seneca-Cayuga, and Wyandotte. Most service area residents live in socioeconomic distress, following generational patterns of poverty and low educational attainment.  Nationally, Oklahoma ranks seventh highest in the percentage of residents who live in poverty (17 percent), and NEO service area counties have even higher rates of poverty, ranging from 18 percent to 22 percent, and up to 28 percent for Native Americans. Tellingly, only 15 percent of area adults—12 percent of Native American adults—have earned a bachelor’s degree compared to 28 percent for the U.S.

NEO’s mission to provide “*opportunities that promote excellence in learning, service, and leadership in a global society”*is critical to the region’s residents, and the College serves as the educational access point for thousands of disadvantaged area residents.  In Fall 2014, NEO served 2,217 students, offering 46 transfer and occupational programs.

Fall 2014 Student Profile:  41 percent of NEO students are minority (Native American, 23 percent).  Most NEO students enroll full-time (73 percent), average age 24; 55 percent are female, and 82 percent receive financial aid. Almost all NEO students are first generation in college students (82 percent).  Many NEO students juggle multiple responsibilities in addition to their college studies, including jobs (63 percent work) and parenting (23 percent). Over half (55 percent) are commuters.

Increasingly, NEO students are turning to flexible online and hybrid course offerings as a way to pursue higher education while juggling work and family responsibilities. At the same time, regional company Bolt Fiber Optic Services began work in 2014 on a $9 million initiative to bring super speed internet access to Northeast Oklahoma. NEO is eager to leverage increased demand for online and hybrid programs and the opportunity afforded by internet upgrades in the service area to increase educational access for disadvantaged residents.  However, the College is facing several key institutional gaps and weaknesses that stymie the institution’s efforts.

To address the institution’s identified problems and weaknesses; NEO proposes a project entitled Investing in Access and Success that is composed of three interrelated initiatives:

*Initiative 1:  Increase Access through High Quality Online and Hybrid Degree Options*. Through this initiative, NEO will add a new, hybrid Network Security CIS option;  revise its online Business program according to best practices in online education; and convert its Agriculture, Process Technology, and Psychology programs for online/hybrid delivery.

*Initiative 2:  Increase Access to Support Services.*Through this initiative, NEO will develop a suite of online services to bolster students’ academic and non-cognitive skills. The services will include self-paced, interactive modules for basic skills in reading, writing, and math as well as for non-cognitive skills, such as time management and study skills. A new online coaching system will also be developed to create virtual connections between students in online and hybrid courses and local Tribal Elders and NEO faculty/staff.

Initiative 3:  *Promote Native American Culture and Language Preservation*. Through this initiative, NEO will convert is Freshman Year Experience course for online delivery and revise it to include the creation and use of micro-documentaries capturing the language, customs, artifacts, and history of the 10 local Native American tribes.

NEO is addressing the Absolute Priority, both Competitive Preference Priorities, and the Invitational Priority for the NASNTI FY 2015 competition.  NEO’s five-year budget request is $1,999,818.

## Redlands Community College 

## El Reno, OK

Redlands Community College (Redlands):  Located in El Reno, Oklahoma in the west central section of the state of Oklahoma, established in 1938, a public, open entry community college, fall 2014 Full-Time Equivalent enrollment equaled 1244 students, current (2015-2016) operating budget, $11,278.440. Dr. Jack Bryant, President; Telephone: (405) 422-1258; Fax: (405) 422-1202; e-mail: jack.bryant@redlandscc.edu. 

Activity:  “New Program Development: Environmental Science Technology

Purpose: To improve the college’s capacity to increase the participation, academic success and graduation of Native American and low-income students in Pre-Professional Sciences. New science lab capabilities and instructional modules will be established through leveraging technology, giving students access to both software and hardware that boosts individual skill sets and classroom participation.  The college will develop new academic support strategies for science students in need of additional assistance to succeed in college level courses.  Cohort students will participate in symposia that enrich their knowledge of cultural connections to science as well as the importance of language revitalization and preservation. Faculty development opportunities will focus on culturally appropriate teaching strategies for underprepared students and improving delivery methods for teaching and learning in science. 

This proposal addresses Competitive Preference Priorities One and Two and the Invitational Priority.

Project Management: $441,484 over five years (22.2 percent of the total budget) will be applied to the salary of a full-time director and a full-time secretary.  External evaluation: $7,000 per year of the five-year project.

## Utah

## Utah State University Eastern, Blanding Campus

## Blanding, UT

Educational Service to the Four Corners Through Technology and Innovation 

Utah State University Eastern, Blanding Campus (previously College of Eastern Utah – San Juan Campus) is a public two-year comprehensive community college accredited by the Northwest Commission of Colleges and Universities. The service area covers over 40,000 square miles and encompasses portions of the Navajo, Ute Mountain Ute Indian, and Hopi Nations.  Offerings include degrees in Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, Associate of Applied Science, and certificates of completion. 

Utah State University Eastern (USUE) Blanding has the largest enrollment of Native Americans of the nine state and two private institutions of higher education in Utah.  Approximately 72 percent of the student body at the Blanding Campus is Native American.  Sixty-seven percent are female and 72 percent are under the age of 30.  Seventy-nine percent of this campus’ students are first-generation college, 83 percent are low-income, and 33 percent are single parents (USU Eastern Office of Admissions and Records, 2012).  Seventy-six percent would be classified as disadvantaged according to the U.S. Department of Human Services guidelines. Current institutional data indicate that over 91 percent of the student body in the Fall 2014 semester were recipients of Pell tuition funding. 

USUE Blanding Campus will address the most pressing needs of the area in a “grow your own” Native American teacher education program and by increasing the numbers and completions of Native Americans in STEM. To better ensure the success of students in these fields, the Blanding campus will offer opportunities for increased parental involvement, cultural activities, and upgrades in tutoring and counseling capabilities. Additional support to offsite learning centers will be provided with the addition of a Distance Site Liaison and an experiential hands-on mobile lab. 

These two interventions will greatly increase the success of our Native American students.

In a CNN Money 2012 report, USU Eastern was ranked third in the nation for student success among over 1,800 community colleges. The Blanding Campus has also demonstrated an outstanding track record in grant administration, currently managing or recently concluding nine federal and state grants with awards totaling $3.8 million.  As one of the few higher education institutions in the area, USUE Blanding prides itself on its ability to quickly and effectively respond to the educational and employment training needs of this unique region and population.

� These four high schools located on Navajo Nation

� These six high schools located adjacent to Native American tribal lands