Indian education officials discuss virtual tribal college (fwd)

[Phil CashCash]

Indian education officials discuss virtual tribal college

Published: December 5, 2003
By Julia Lyon
The Bulletin
http://www.bendbulletin.com/news/story.cfm?story_no=11718

Education officials from Indian tribes throughout Oregon are discussing
the creation of a virtual tribal college. Proponents say the program
would the first of its kind in the nation.

The proposed institution would allow reservation residents to access
pre-existing college courses at other schools through fiber optics and
other technology.

Instead of a main campus, education centers could be built or improved
with increased technology at reservations across the state.

Paid for with federal dollars, the program could allow reservation
residents to access degree and training programs with video or
Web-based courses, among other methods.

Education officials say the next step is gaining approval from the nine
tribal councils in Oregon.

One of the main goals of the tribal college would be to train and
educate residents for reservation industries, said Wendell Jim, the
general manager of the education branch of the Confederated Tribes of
Warm Springs.

Curriculum might be created to meet the needs of the reservations, said
Clint Jacks the Oregon State University extension agent for Jefferson
County and Warm Springs. Tribal college faculty could teach the
curriculum, which could include topics such as natural resources or
casino management.

Another focus would likely be expanding the remedial education program
to help prepare students for degree programs.

"One of our experiences is that folks need to increase their math and
writing skills to be successful in a bachelor's or associate of arts
program," Jacks said.

Tribal experts could also teach courses in native languages, forestry
and other fields that could be distributed to other campuses.

Although many reservations, including Warm Springs, already have some
local higher education programs, the concept of the college would be to
bring in new education options in addition to expanding what's already
there.

Rather than just increasing what Central Oregon Community College
already offers at Warm Springs, for example, Jim would like to see
other schools' offerings added to the education options.

Many reservation residents can't leave the reservation for school
because they are already working locally, Jim said. And Warm Springs,
like some other reservations, is far away from many college campuses.

"We're trying to bring opportunity here," he said.

Warm Springs has been one of the tribes actively involved in the the
virtual school discussions.

The program would probably start as a two-year college and be linked
with four-year institutions like Oregon State University, said Bill
McCaughan, the dean of OSU Extended Campus, in a phone interview from
Corvallis. Students could do some college work at home and then move on
to a four-year degree at a main campus.

If the tribal councils approve the concept, the tribal college could
still be perhaps five years away from becoming a reality.

"That would be five years of a lot of hard work," McCaughan said. How
much it would cost to develop the college remains unknown. The
governing body of the college could be made up of tribal
representatives, he said.

If the program succeeds, the virtual tribal college could become a
national model, Jim said.

"If this works, it's a method for tribes in the state of Oregon, in the
Northwest and in the U.S. to train, to provide these opportunities
through technology," he said. "That's the wave of the future."


Julia Lyon can be reached at 541-617-7831 or atjlyon at bendbulletin.com.