Mar 17, 1997
The Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College (LCOOCC) educates students with fewer dollars than any other college or university in the State of Wisconsin. Although the college leaders are proud of this accomplishment, they see an increase in non-Indian student enrollment and a need for more funding to serve them.
The two tribal community colleges in Wisconsin, LCOOCC and the College of the Menominee Nation (CMN), located north of Shawano, WI, receive federal dollars from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) for the administrative costs of education. The level of BIA funding is based on the full-time enrollment of American Indian students. The tribal colleges use these federal dollars to educate all students -- Indian and non-Indian alike. Neither of the tribal colleges receive state aid for the administrative costs of educating non-Indian students.
The leaders of LCOOCC and CMN colleges met in historic first meetings with Governor Tommy Thompson and Katharine Lyall, President of the University of Wisconsin System, in early March to discuss the need for state funding in the tribal colleges.
While attending the Legislative Annual Reception in Madison sponsored by the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, LCO College President Dr. Minhas and Vice-President Gaiashkibos met with Governor Thompson to inform him of the tremendous job the tribal colleges do to educate all students in rural areas of northern Wisconsin. The BIA federal funding amounts to only 58 percent of the funding that the state allocates to colleges and universities. Yet, the tribal colleges graduate more American Indian students than any other college while stretching their limited funding to serve the increasing non-Indian student population.
University System President Lyall supported the tribal college leaders' proposal for state funding. At the same time, she agreed to offer her support for tribal colleges to look at innovative ways of strengthening, through technology, the university and tribal colleges' relationship. Currently, LCOOCC works with four University of Wisconsin campuses through a distance education network and 2 + 2 Baccalaureate degree programs to provide a greater range of services to students.
LCO College President Minhas was optimistic about the proposal for tribal colleges to receive state aid.
"The people we met in Madison, the Governor and Legislators, were very receptive to the idea. It will take time for the budget amendment to pass through various committees and hopefully be approved, but everything went very well in Madison," Minhas said.
Vice-President Gaiashkibos said they met with key members of the assembly and the senate to address the unmet need for state funding in the tribal colleges.
"The tribal colleges are new and they've never been included in the state budget before. Now that there are more non-Indian students in the tribal colleges, there's an increased need for state aid to provide services to those students. This is the first time the state has become aware of this need," Gaiashkibos said.
LCOOCC is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. CMN is a candidate for accreditation. Both tribal colleges are land grant colleges and provide quality education to many students in rural regions of Wisconsin.