CASS LAKE -- The U.S. Department of Education announced Friday more than $50.4 million in grant funding has been awarded to American Indian tribally controlled colleges and universities. Leech Lake Tribal College in Cass Lake is the recipient of $1.2 million.
Ginny Carney, interim and former LLTC president, said the grant will support the college’s mission to provide quality higher education grounded in Anishinaabe values.
“Leech Lake Tribal College is very grateful for -- and excited about -- being awarded a tribal college grant in the amount of $1,233,035 from the U.S. Department of Education,” Carney said. “This grant will greatly assist the college in fulfilling its mission by strengthening the quality of our cultural and academic programs, providing state-of-the-art technology and lab equipment for our students and improving the fiscal stability of the college.”
Carney is serving as president until a permanent replacement can be found for past president Don Day, who resigned from his position in June.
The fiscal year 2015 discretionary grants were distributed in two parts. LLTC was awarded one grant for $586,196 and another in the amount of $646,839. Amarin Chanthorn, director of institutional advancement at LLTC said the funds will be received in the first of the five-year life-term of the grant, and the funds are part of a grant renewal the college was already receiving. Chanthorn said LLTC is not eligible for state funding, and most revenue comes from federal grants. The money will be used to purchase supplies, equipment and public relations items and support instructors salaries.
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“This indicates federal commitment on the education of indigenous people throughout the United States,” Chanthorn said. “Initiatives like this have major impact on our abilities to provide accredited education to our communities.”
LLTC has 178 students enrolled for fall semester, with the most popular majors being business management, early childhood education and liberal education. LLTC will be the administrator for Red Lake Nation College as it undergoes the accreditation process. Chanthorn said the college has grown into an institution that has helped first generation students and second generation students have started enrolling.
“This validates the positive impact the college has on the community and future generations of students,” Chanthorn said.
William Mendoza, executive director for the White House Initiative on American Indian and Alaska Native Education, described tribal institutions as serving a valuable role for American Indian students.
“As accredited institutions, tribal colleges are unique. In addition to functioning in a similar fashion to community colleges or small, public four-year schools, they support the preservation and revitalization of Native languages and serve other cultural needs of their students,” Mendoza said in a release. “They deliver instruction in culturally appropriate ways, thereby promoting tribal culture and academic achievement.”
As a qualifier for funding the schools must be controlled or have been formally sanctioned or chartered by tribal government. Only one institution could be recognized per tribal band.
White Earth Tribal and Community College in Mahnomen received two $500,000 grants. Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College in Cloquet was awarded one grant for $500,000 and one for $547,244. Thirty-one schools in 12 states received funding including: Alaska, Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington and Wisconsin. Navajo Technical University in Crownpoint, N.M. received the most funding with one grant for $2,247,693 and one for $2,480,221.
