Joe McDonald
PRESIDENT'S ANNUAL REPORT, AY 2002-03
SALISH KOOTENAI COLLEGE'S 25 TH ANNIVERSARY

Dear Friends:

I am pleased to provide you my annual report regarding Salish Kootenai College's accomplishment of its mission and goals.   This past year we celebrated our 25th Anniversary.   The College started in 1977 in an abandoned public school building in Polson.   The campus was moved several times prior to locating at its present site east of Pablo.   Today, we have 21 major modern buildings occupying nearly 142,000 square feet, situated on 128 contiguous acres on the east side of Pablo, the geographical and tribal government center of the Flathead Reservation.   The value of this property exceeds $15 million.   We are always proud to point out that our Building Trades students contributed substantially to the construction of these beautiful, environmentally harmonious buildings, earning course and certificate credit while gaining practical experience at the same time.    

The College has performed remarkably well since its inception.   I am pleased to report to you some additional highlights of our accomplishments during the past 25 years, especially the last ten.   Before I share these highlights with you, it is incumbent upon me to report that the College and community suffered a great grievous loss with the passing of Jerry Slater October 7, 2002.   He was one of the founders of the College.   He possessed a keen intellect, boundless energy, and a driving desire to have the College serve students well.   He served Salish Kootenai College selflessly for twenty-five years as Vice President for Academic Affairs.   He is missed, yet will be long remembered.   The College strives to continue the tradition and example of academic leadership, excellence, and service that he advanced.

In this spirit, we are proud to present selected highlights of the College's growth, development, and accomplishments in attaining our mission and goals over the years, including the following:

  • Twenty-five years ago we had 45 students enrolled in a handful of certificate programs; this past year 1,061 students were enrolled in 21 bachelor's or associate degree or certificate programs on campus--a 24-fold increase in enrollment in 25 years.
  • Twenty-five years ago, we had 10 full-time employees. We now average 185 full-time employees each year--greater than an 18-fold increase.
  • During 2002-03, SKC employed 49 full-time faculty members and 60 part-time instructors each quarter.   They taught 988 courses on campus, averaging 329 each quarter for an average class size of 18 students.
  • Our graduation classes have grown from a handful to an average of more than 150 graduates each year during the past three years.  
  • During the past 25 years, we graduated 2,035 students with bachelors and associate degrees and certificates of completion.   The clear majority of these graduates are enrolled members of federally recognized tribes; and the clear plurality of these are enrolled members of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes.
  • During the past ten years, we graduated 852 enrolled members of federally recognized tribes: 162 with bachelor's degrees, 396 with associate degrees, and 294 with certificates of completion.
  • During the three-year period 2000-03, we conferred 268 degrees or certificates upon enrolled tribal members, and 186 upon non-tribal members.
  • During the past five years, we placed 501 of 600 vocational education graduates in jobs or advanced training programs, for a combined placement rate of 84 percent; the job placement rate alone for these graduates in the labor market pool was 77 percent (331 of 430).
  • During the past ten years, we have vastly improved our library and information resources infrastructures and capacities to state-of-the art.   The library progressed from a simple card catalog system to a fully computerized online catalog.   It has over 50,000 items in its core collection and offers widespread access to a variety of online databases.   Information technology improvements include recent installations of state-of the-art telecommunications and fiber optic computing network systems.

Like all tribal colleges, SKC is confronted daily with the challenges of providing high quality education with limited resources.   Rising operational costs are a particular concern.   The College has received considerable funding from the Tribally Controlled College or University Assistance Act (TCCUAA), Title III of the Higher Education Act, Land Grant Programs, the National Science Foundation, the Johnson Foundation, the Packard Foundation, the Kellogg Foundation, the Arthur Vining Davis Foundation, the American Indian College Fund, and many other federal agencies and private donors.   For this we are thankful.

Nevertheless, the College still must contend with substantial inequitable federal and state government funding shortages each year.   Basic institutional support for operations has been significantly impacted.   All 34 tribal colleges throughout the United States are woefully under funded under the TCCUAA, which is a primary source of support.   Congress has long authorized up to $6,000 per full time Indian student per year under this law, but the most it has ever appropriated is $3,908 per year.   This is only two-thirds of the amount authorized.   This is far below the per student national average that state legislatures typically appropriate to defray the educational costs of community college students.   For this reason alone, tribal colleges begin the race for educational excellence far behind their mainstream counterparts.   

I have been working closely with the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) the past several years to seek amendments to the TCCUAA in order to get tribal colleges to the starting line on an equal footing with comparable colleges and universities throughout the nation.   I intend to continue this crucial work until we succeed.

Lack of sufficient federal funding is not the only government-funding impediment that prevents tribal colleges from starting the race on an equal footing.   Most state governments put tribal colleges further behind the starting line by failing to pay their fair share of educational costs incurred by non-tribal members who are state residents.   Tribal colleges, like SKC, are "open door" colleges that provide education for all students.   As a result, many tribal colleges have student bodies that consist of significant numbers of non-tribal members who do not generate any TCCUAA or other federal support to defray the costs of their education.

In our situation, the non-Indian population outnumbers the Indian population on the Flathead Reservation by a ratio of 3:1.   Naturally, a large number of non-tribal members attend SKC each year.   During 2000-02, for example, they accounted for 35 percent of all student credit hours generated on our campus.   However, the state of Montana has not provided base funding for these students, even though the vast majority of them are state residents and pay state (and federal) income and local property taxes--just like most students attending units of Montana's public higher education system.   In effect, tribal colleges are compelled to subsidize the postsecondary education of "non-beneficiary" students, which can be a substantial amount.   In our case, more than one-third of our annual institutional expenditures for instruction, service, and support can be attributed to non-beneficiary students.

Tribal colleges view the non-beneficiary funding question as an equity issue--another one that puts them yet further behind the starting line with respect to their state-supported counterparts.   For the past ten years I have worked actively with the other tribal colleges in the state, and with the Montana Legislature and its Members, to try to rectify this inequity.   Unfortunately, this statewide issue remains unresolved.   I fully intend to continue to actively participate in this equally crucial matter until we succeed.

In spite of our constant struggle to establish and maintain sufficient and stable funding bases, our finances continue to be relatively strong.   We have achieved a balanced budget each year, and have maintained unrestricted cash reserves in excess of $1,000,000.   It is our goal to double this amount in the next several years.   We also have consistently met our primary financial management goal to receive unqualified annual audits.   And we continue to provide high quality education for the 1,100 plus students enrolled in our educational programs.   Our energetic and creative faculty and numerous administrators have helped make this possible.   For example, they wrote 92 successful proposals that brought several million dollars to our College and community last year, each which advances one or more of our institutional goals.

We will continue this good energetic work into the future.   However, the aforementioned federal and state government funding inequities have driven the College to a critical juncture: we struggle daily to provide a quality education for all, but we are rapidly reaching the limit of students that we can sufficiently serve.   For the time being, our total Indian Student Count (ISC) (enrolled tribal members) last year will generate enough income under the TCCUA for 2003-04 to meet our total revenue expectations.  

During the past two years, the College has been engaged in an institution wide self-study process for re-accreditation for the next ten years.   The 2003 Self-Study was completed in accordance with the accreditation requirements of the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.   In mid-October 2003 the College will host an Evaluation Committee site visit. The Committee will make its preliminary recommendations.   It is the College's hope that its accreditation will be reaffirmed for another ten years.  

It is my honor to have served as SKC's President during our first quarter-century.   I look forward to leading us into the next quarter-century to maintain and advance the quality institution of higher learning that SKC is; and to assure that our esteemed College remains at the forefront of the tribal college movement in cutting-edge fashion--for which it is recognized widely.   We are proud of our faculty, staff, administrators, and students for making this possible.   The continuing support of the Board of Directors, the Tribal Council, and the community has also been crucial to the college's success.   We are grateful to all.       

Thank you for being a friend of higher education and a friend of Salish Kootenai College.

Very truly yours,

 

Joe McDonald
President


MISSION

"The mission of Salish Kootenai College is to provide quality postsecondary educational opportunities for Native Americans, locally and from throughout the United States.   The College will strive to provide opportunities for individual self-improvement to promote and help maintain the cultures of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Indian Nation."

 

 

 

Some of our recent accomplishments and highlights include:
  • During the past five years, Native American students comprised between 79-86 percent of Salish Kootenai College's student body each year.   During 2002-03, the College enrolled 1,061 students.   Of these, 837, or 79 percent, were Native American students: 725 were enrolled members of federally recognized tribes, 100 were tribal descendants, and 12 were Canadian Indians.
  • Enrolled members of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes comprise by far the largest number of Native American students, followed in number by members of the Blackfeet Tribe.
  • During 1998-2002, 64-72 Indian tribes from 20 different states were represented in the SKC student body.   Cumulatively, over 100 tribes have been represented at SKC during the past five years.
  • During the past ten years, the College awarded 852 degrees or certificates to enrolled members of federally recognized Indian tribes, with 162 bachelor's degrees, 396 associate degrees, and 294 certificates of completion conferred.   
  • During the past three years, the Continuing Education Center sponsored 627 continuing education courses serving 14,903 students (not disaggregated to account for duplication) throughout the Flathead Reservation, the state of Montana, regionally, and nationally.   During 2002-03, the College conducted 250 continuing education courses serving 5,377 students.  
  • During 2000-03, the Distance Education (DE) staff made course demonstration and student recruiting visits to 26 Indian reservations or Alaska Native communities throughout the Pacific Northwest.   During this period, DE delivered experimental courses to 1,179 online students throughout Indian Country in these states.
  • KSKC-TV, operated by the SKC Media Center, broadcasts culturally relevant programs, including Salish and Kootenai language programs.   The Media Center and KSKC-TV also produced CD's and videos for SKC's distance education experimental courses.

GOAL ONE

"Assist with the preservation of the cultures, languages, histories,
and natural environment of the Salish, Pend d'Oreille,
and Kootenai people."

Some of our recent accomplishments and highlights include:

  • Johnny Arlee, a long-time SKC instructor and respected Salish cultural leader, wrote, directed, and played a major part in the truly spectacular pageant entitled "Salish and Pend d' Oreille People Meet the Lewis and Clark Expedition." With the work of hundreds of people and thousands of hours, the pageant presented a colorful, realistic re-enactment of the Tribes' historic meeting with Lewis and Clark and Sacagawea in the early 1800s, as seen through Indian eyes. The pageant was held at the Arlee Pow Wow Grounds September 4-7, 2002.   Five performances drew over 6,000 spectators, including children from most schools on the Flathead Reservation.   Jerry Slater, SKC's late Academic Vice President, played a key role in securing pageant funding.
  • The College offers a one-year certificate of completion and a two-year associate of arts degree in Native American Studies (NAS).   Under SKC's General Education Program, baccalaureate and certificate students are required to complete 12 NAS credits, and associate degree students must complete six NAS credits.
  • The SKC 2003-05 Catalog lists 47 Native American Studies courses which fall within three primary knowledge areas: 21 history and social science courses; 11 culture or fine arts courses; and 15 Native language courses, all which focus on the histories, cultures, and languages of the Salish and Kootenai peoples.   Culture classes include drumming and singing, hide tanning, tipi construction, and encampment.
  • SKC's Department of Environmental Sciences was established in response to tribal and student needs for training in environmental research, management, recovery, and protection while realizing the cultural importance of natural resources.   The Department offers a bachelor's degree program with options in Environmental Quality, Fisheries and Wildlife, or Restoration Ecology.   It also offers an associate of science degree in Forestry.
  • The SKC Extension Program provides education on native plant horticulture, weed science, water quality, and alternative and value-added agriculture through a variety of instructional media.   Extension manages the college's plant nursery that functions as a production, research, and teaching facility.   The nursery grows native plants for restoration to native habitats eradicated by farming, construction, or livestock grazing.
  • KSKC-TV produced and broadcasts a wide range of programs about the languages, cultures, histories, and natural environment of the Salish and Kootenai peoples and the Flathead Reservation area.

GOAL TWO

"To provide postsecondary education opportunities for Native Americans in the following areas: degree programs, vocational training, college transfer programs, community service, Native American culture and history, and adult education"

Some of our recent accomplishments and highlights include:

  • Our 25 th Anniversary was highlighted by the graduation ceremony of the Class of 2003, with honorary degrees awarded to Dorothy Felsman, Adele Peter Paul, and posthumously to the late Jerry Slater.
  • During the past 25 years, the College has conferred 2,035 bachelors or associate degrees and certificates of completion.   We now offer seventeen degree programs, including four at the bachelor's level, and seven certificates of completion.
  • During the past ten years, SKC graduated 1,428 students, awarding 246 bachelor's degrees, 791 associate degrees, and 391 certificates or completion    The Class of 2003 included 34 bachelor's degrees, 70 associate degrees, and 32 certificates of completion.
  • During the past three years, SKC graduated 454 students; of these, 268 (59%) were enrolled tribal members; 59 (13%) were tribal descendants.   Combined, the College conferred 327 degrees or certificates upon Native Americans during 2000-03, comprising 72 percent of all degrees or certificates conferred.
  • During 2002-03, SKC graduated 136 students; of these, 74 (54.4%) were enrolled tribal members and 19 (14%) were tribal descendants.   Combined, the College conferred 93 degrees or certificates upon Native Americans during 2002-03, comprising 68.4 percent of all degrees or certificates conferred.
  • During the five-year period 1998-2003, SKC graduated 600 pre-baccalaureate students from 17 vocational or technical education programs.   Of these students, 501 were placed in jobs, advanced training, or transfer institutions for a combined placement rate of 84 percent.   During this period, the College facilitated advanced training placement or transfer of 170 of these graduates.
  • During 2002-03, the College graduated 104 students with associate degrees or certificates of completion from these 17 vocational education programs. Of these graduates, 88 placed in jobs, advanced training, or transfer institutions for a combined placement rate of 88 percent.   During this period, the College facilitated advanced training placement or transfer of 20 of these graduates.
  • During 2002-03, Salish Kootenai College offered 35 different courses in Native American studies, including history, culture, languages, and fine arts.   The College has long-offered an associate of arts degree and certificate of completion in Native American Studies.
  • Service learning is required in all associate degree programs.   Some academic departments (for example, Environmental Sciences) offer service learning as a separate one-credit course; others (for example, Nursing) embed the requirement within a particular course or set of courses.   Faculty and staff members report that linking service to curriculum learning increases the potential for learning.
  • The College's Adult Learning Center continues to provide outstanding basic adult education services.   During 2002-03, the Center served 376 clients; 254, or 68 percent were American Indian or Alaska Native; of the 254 Native Americans served, 143, or 56 percent, were female.   Other notable accomplishments include (in cohort groups):
    • 55 of 74 adult learners were placed in jobs, for a job placement rate of 74.3 percent
    • 43 of 85 adult learners were placed in postsecondary education or training, for a postsecondary placement rate of 50.6 percent
    • 47 of 200 adult learners obtained a GED or secondary school diploma, for a 23.5 percent graduation rate


Some plans for the future include:

  • Launch an online distance education program that will offer associate and bachelor level degrees in some subject areas.   The Distance Education Program has developed and field-tested on-line courses during the recent past.   After institutional approvals are given, the College will apply to the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities for permission to offer these online courses and programs throughout Indian Country in the Northwest, and eventually throughout the United States.
  • Develop an associate of arts degree in the fine arts, with a focus on Native American fine arts.

GOAL THREE

"Provide a learning environment in which students develop skills
in effective communication, critical thinking, cultural
understanding and citizenship"

  • Salish Kootenai College's educational programs and courses emphasize development of skills in effective communication, critical thinking, cultural understanding and citizenship.   The "4Cs," as they are referred to, are hallmarks of an educated citizenry.   They are infused throughout the college's curricula.
  • To satisfy general education course requirements, courses must emphasize at least one of the 4Cs.   Many general education courses emphasize more than one, usually critical thinking and cultural understanding.
  • The College requires that all course syllabi list any of the 4Cs covered in the class as course objectives or outcomes.   It further requires faculty to measure attainment of these learning outcomes by direct evidence of student learning, such as examples of student work, and student portfolios (collections of student work).    

 

GOAL FOUR

"Provide comprehensive student services"

Some of our recent accomplishments and highlights include:

  • The College established the new student services position of Director of Enrollment Services.   This new position oversees the office of the registrar, recruitment, retention, financial aid, and class scheduling.   The new position helps the office serve students more efficiently.
  • The Career Center staff continues to provide outstanding service in career counseling and job and advanced training placement of SKC graduates.   During the five-year period 1998 to 2002, the Career Center staff facilitated job or advanced training placement for 501 of 600 vocational education graduates, for a commendable combined placement rate of 84 percent.   The job placement rate alone of these graduates in the labor market pool was 77 percent, as 331 of 430 graduates were placed in jobs related to training received at SKC.
  • The college's student loan default rate declined steadily from a high of 30.7 percent in 1997 to a remarkable 8.8 percent in 2001, which is the current official rate.   The default rate has satisfied federal regulatory requirements for several years, which a college must meet in order to be eligible to award and administer student financial aid.   This success is due to the hard work of the staff of our Financial Aid Office and Career Center, and to the quality education that students receive at SKC.
  • Salish Kootenai College also completed a comprehensive remodeling of the college Day Care Center.   This remodeling includes the addition of 1600 square feet of classroom space.   The Day Care Center provides a vital service to our students; over 45 children attend the day care each day.   This service enables SKC students to devote more time to their studies, with the added comfort that their children are under proper, state-licensed care.   The American Indian College Fund and the U.S. Department of Agriculture funded the remodeling work.


GOAL FIVE

"Provide life-long, continuing education opportunities for both personal and professional development through a variety of instructional formats offered on and off campus"

Some of our highlights and accomplishments include:

  • Each year the Continuing Education Center (CEC) sponsors continuing education courses on the Flathead Reservation, statewide, regionally, and nationally.   Virtually all continuing education courses are designed to meet the lifelong learning needs of Native Americans.   Courses range from financial management and tax preparation, to job readiness, first aid and CPR.
  • During the past three years, CEC has sponsored 627 continuing education courses serving 14,903 students (not disaggregated for headcount duplication): (1) 196 courses in 2000-01 serving 4,694 students; (2) 181 courses in 2001-02 serving 4,205 students; and (3) 250 courses in 2002-03 serving 5,377 students. Continuing education courses taught typically address the professional development needs of personnel associated with tribal or national Indian organizations, such as the following:
    • National Indian School Board Association
    • National Indian Housing Association
    • National Indian Timber Symposium
    • National Congress of American Indians
    • National Indian Gaming Managers
    • American Indian Higher Education Consortium
    • State of Montana Department of Commerce
    • Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CS&KT) Housing, Health, Law and Order, Education, Forestry, Natural Resources, Maintenance, Human Services, Fish and Game, Search and Rescue, Fire Control, Information Technology Department, Tribal Administration, Salish and Kootenai Culture Committees, Flathead Irrigation Project, Tribal Headstart, Two Eagle River School, Mission Valley Power, and the Kootenai Community Development Corporation.
    • The SKC Media Center and KSKC-TV provide validation of the languages and cultures of the Tribes by broadcasting historical, cultural, and language programs to the general public.
GOAL SIX

"Provide assistance to tribal entities and departments in
staff preparation, planning, research and services according
to identified needs"

Some of our recent accomplishments and highlights include:

  • Salish Kootenai College opened the Tribal Business Assistance Center in 1994 to provide technical assistance to local entrepreneurs. The Center provided training workshops and individual counseling in business plan preparation and small business loan applications.   It served over 1200 clients from 1994 to 2003. Unfortunately, we had to close the center at the end of this past year due to funding ending. Center activities led to increased interest in academic business courses, which SKC began to offer, adding more courses each year. This led to establishment of the Business Development Department, which offered an associate of arts degree in Business Management.   In 2000, a B.A. degree in Business Management with an Entrepreneurship emphasis was approved. The first student to complete the B.A. degree in Business Management graduated in Spring 2003.
  • Salish Kootenai College responds to requests for assistance from tribal entities, primarily the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, to provide educational services according tribally identified needs.   The College's primary vehicle for this assistance is delivery of continuing education courses, addressed under Goal Five.
  • SKC KSKC-TV has produced spot adds for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and Salish Kootenai Technologies for commercial broadcast.
  • KSKC-TV has produced promotional videos for the American Indian Business Leaders, a national organization.


GOAL SEVEN

"Assist the Indian community with economic development needs of the Flathead Indian Nation"

Some of our recent accomplishments and highlights include:

  • The SKC Media Center produced 17 programs for distribution on videotape and assisted with producing textbooks regarding Indian Entrepreneurs from the Flathead and Rosebud Reservations.   These educational materials are used in conjunction with classes in SKC's Business Management Department and Sinte Gleska University.
  • The College worked closely with the Tribal Welfare-to-Work program.   Special programs and courses were offered to help people on public assistance become employable.
  • The College's Adult Learning Center continues to provide outstanding basic adult education services.   During 2002-03, the Center served 376 clients; 254, or 68 percent were American Indian or Alaska Native; of the 254 Native Americans served, 143, or 56 percent, were female.   Other notable accomplishments include (by cohort group):
    • 55 of 74 adult learners were placed in jobs, for a job placement rate of 74.3 percent
    • 43 of 85 adult learners were placed in postsecondary education or training, for a postsecondary placement rate of 50.6 percent
    • 47 of 200 adult learners obtained a GED or secondary school diploma, for a 23.5 percent graduation rate


GOAL EIGHT

"Provide adequate institutional support and financial resources"

Some of our recent accomplishments and highlights include:

  • Completion in late summer 2003 of a much-needed 22,000 square feet science building with laboratories for physics, chemistry, and life sciences.   It includes: 12 classrooms with seating capacities ranging between 12-48 students, seating 376 total; faculty offices; a student lounge; and a herbarium.   The American Indian College Fund, Title III of the Higher Education Act, the Arthur Vining Davis Foundation, and the SKC Foundation provided funds to construct this modern building, named the Peter Beaverhead Building.   Pete Beaverhead was a Salish cultural leader and left our Salish Cultural committee a great deal of cultural information that is being passed on. We are honored to help keep his name remembered.
  • Recent completion and naming of the Late Louie Caye, Sr. Memorial Cultural Building.   It is a beautiful six-sided log building with a teepee type roof, with log beams providing ceiling support.   The building features a large 2,000 square feet large open area.   The Kellogg Foundation, the American Indian College Fund, and the SKC College Foundation provided construction funds.   Louie Caye, Sr. was a respected Kootenai spiritual leader who served the tribal community in many ways for many years. We are also honored to keep his name remembered.
  • Began landscaping the east campus, the location of the new science and art buildings and the new cultural building.
Future development when funding becomes available includes:
  • Construction of a library, student center, and classroom complex.
  • Construction of a gymnasium for health and physical education classes, intramurals, and athletics.
  • Construction of an information technology building.