NEBRASKA INDIAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE Report of the Self-Study

Table of Contents

Preface: Umon hon (Omaha) Creation Legend ........................................................................................ i Santee Sioux Creation Legend ................................................................................................ ii History of the Omaha Indian Tribe ........................................................................................... iii History of the Santee Indian Tribe............................................................................................ iv Chapter One: Introduction The College Profile and History................................................................................................1 The College’s Self-Study Purposes.......................................................................................... 1 Audience for the Report............................................................................................................ 2 Accreditation History................................................................................................................. 2-3 The Self-Study Process............................................................................................................ 3 Assessment Plan Report .......................................................................................................... 3-4 Chapter Two: Significant Institutional Developments Since November 1999......................... 5-9 Chapter Three: Responses to the 1999 Higher Learning Commission Report General Institutional Requirements .......................................................................................... 10-12 Responses to NCA Team Concerns Regarding Criterion........................................................ 12-19

Chapter Four: Outline of Evidence of Criterion One Findings .................................................................................................................................... 20-21 Challenges................................................................................................................................ 21

Chapter Five: Outline of Evidence of Criterion Two Findings .................................................................................................................................... 22-23 Challenges................................................................................................................................ 23

Chapter Six: Outline of Evidence of Criterion Three Findings .................................................................................................................................... 24-27 Student Support Services......................................................................................................... 28 Business Industry/Partnerships................................................................................................ 28-29 Institutional Research ............................................................................................................... 29 Chapter Seven: Outline of Evidence of Criterion Four Findings .................................................................................................................................... 30 Challenges................................................................................................................................ 30-31 Chapter Eight: Outline of Evidence of Criterion Five Findings .................................................................................................................................... 32-34 Challenges................................................................................................................................ 34 Chapter Nine: Self Study Planning Process Self-Study Steering Committee ................................................................................................ 35 Self-Study Editing Committee...................................................................................................35 Study Group #1 ........................................................................................................................ 35 Study Group #2 ........................................................................................................................ 35 Study Group #3 ........................................................................................................................ 36 Study Group #4 ........................................................................................................................ 36

Preface

Umon hon Creation Legend

“At the beginning, all things were in the mind of Wa Konda. All creatures, including man, were spirits. They moved about in space between the earth and the stars (the heavens). They were seeking a place where they could come into bodily existence. They ascended to the sun, but the sun was not fitted for their abode. They moved on to the moon and found that it also was not good for their home. Then they descended to the earth. They saw it was covered with water. They floated through the air to the north, the east, the south and the west, and found no dry land. They were sorely grieved. Suddenly from the midst of the water uprose a great rock. It burst into flames and the waters floated into the air in clouds. Dry land appeared; the grasses and the trees grew. The hosts of the spirits descended and became flesh and blood. They fed on the seeds of the grasses and the fruits of the trees, and the land vibrated with their expressions of joy and gratitude to Wa Konda, the maker of all things.”

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Santee Sioux Creation Legend

In the beginning, prior to the creation of the earth, the gods resided in an undifferentiated celestial domain and humans lived in an indescribably subterranean world devoid of culture. Chief among the gods were Takushkanshkan ("something that moves"), the Sun, who is married to the Moon, with whom he has one daughter, Wohpe ("falling star"); Old Man and Old Woman, whose daughter Ite ("face") is married to Wind, with whom she has four sons, the Four Winds.

Among numerous other spirits, the most important is Inktomi ("spider"), the devious trickster. Inktomi conspires with Old Man and Old Woman to increase their daughter's status by arranging an affair between the Sun and Ite. The discovery of the affair by the Sun's wife leads to a number of punishments by Takuskanskan, who gives the Moon her own domain, and by separating her from the Sun initiates the creation of time.

Old Man, Old Woman, and Ite are sent to earth, but Ite is separated from the Wind, her husband, who, along with the Four Winds and a fifth wind presumed to be the child of the adulterous affair, establishes space. The daughter of the Sun and the Moon, Wohpe, also falls to earth and later resides with the South Wind, and the two adopt the fifth wind, called Wamniomni ("whirlwind").

The Emergence

Alone on the newly formed earth, some of the gods become bored, and Ite prevails upon Inktomi to find her people, the Buffalo Nation. In the form of a wolf, Inktomi travels beneath the earth and discovers a village of humans. Inktomi tells them about the wonders of the earth and convinces one man, Tokahe ("the first"), to accompany him to the surface.

Tokahe does so and upon reaching the surface through a cave, marvels at the green grass and blue sky. Inktomi and Ite introduce Tokahe to buffalo meat and soup and show him tipis, clothing, and hunting utensils. Tokahe returns to the subterranean village and appeals to six other men and their families to travel with him to the earth's surface.

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History of the Omaha Tribe

The Omaha Tribe originated because of a "split" with the Sioux Nation in the early 1500's. They had lived together near the junction of the Ohio and Wabash Rivers, near present Cincinnati, Ohio. Migrating westward with the Quapaw, the Omahas settled at the mouth of the Missouri River on the northern edge of present day St. Louis, Missouri. The Quapaw traveled further south and located on the western side of the Mississippi. The Omahas, "those going against the wind or current," remained near St. Louis until the late 1700's. At this time they migrated north up the Missouri River to the mouth of the Big Sioux River, near present day Sioux City, Iowa. From there they followed the Big Sioux to the Rock River and finally stopped near Pipestone, Minnesota. From here the Omahas began a migration back south to the Missouri River, now known as Nebraska. Their territory extended from near Yankton, South Dakota, south to Rulo, Nebraska and up to 150 miles west, an area of 35,600,000 acres. Their movements are not exactly known over the next 30 to 35 years, but it is recorded that they had villages at Homer and Bellevue, Nebraska, and probably several other locations up and down the river. Every eight to fifteen years they moved their village to clean ground and new hunting areas. Around 1750 the Omahas encountered the first Europeans fur traders in the Bellevue area. Around 1800, the first of these fur traders married into the Omaha Tribe. The Omahas thrived through the 1700s, as they were excellent hunters and good farmers. They always grew good gardens of corn, beans, squash and melons. Buffalo served as their "general store," providing food, clothing, blankets, rope, moccasins, fuel, shelter and utensils. By 1815, the Omahas became very worried about their food supply and protection from hostile tribes. This led to the first signing of a treaty with the United States government. The Tribe today consists of some 5,000 enrolled members with approximately 3000 residing on the reservation, which is headquartered at Macy, Nebraska. Resident members elect a seven-member tribal government every three years.

History of The Santee Sioux

The Santee, known as the frontier guardians of the Sioux Nation, were a woodlands tribe whose homeland ranged from Minnesota to the northern Rocky Mountains in Montana and south through the northwestern part of Nebraska.

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They were a division of the Sioux Nation called the Dakota that consisted of four bands called the Mdewakanton, Wahpeton, Sisseton and the Wahpekute. In the English language, Dakota means allies or friends. The woodland Santee lived in semi-permanent villages and engaged in agriculture. Hunts were conducted twice a year Around 1660 French explorers were the first Europeans to encounter the Santee Sioux. Due to their forced relocation to the plains, their culture soon resembled that of the nomadic tribes to the west. The biggest tragedy to befall the Santee was the "Uprising of 1862." Broken promises by an apathetic government left the Santee facing eventual starvation. Mistrust felt by settlers and the Santee led to isolated outbreaks of violence. An argument between two young Santee men over the courage to steal eggs from a white farmer became a dare to kill and resulted in the death of three white men and two white women. Anticipating retaliation by "bluecoats," the Santee took the offensive, but were soon forced to surrender under the overpowering attack of U.S. troops. As a result of this short-lived uprising, 38 Santee were mass executed in Mankato, Minnesota, in December of 1862. This was the largest mass execution in the history of the United States. In 1863, Congress abrogated all existing treaties between the Santee and the government. They were exiled to a site in South Dakota called Crow Creek. Over 300 Santee died during the first month mostly from disease and malnutrition. Recognizing the unfeasibility of making Crow Creek a permanent reservation site, the government settled the Tribe in Northeast Nebraska in 1866. In 1870 missionaries established the Santee Normal Training School greatly influencing the development of the Tribe during the latter decades of the 19th century. In 1936 the school closed because of lack of funding. Today the Santee Sioux Reservation is located in Northeast Nebraska along the Missouri River. Bordered on the north side by Lewis and Clark Lake, it encompasses an area approximately 17 miles long and 12 miles wide. In spite of severe punishment from the U.S. Government and tragic removal from their traditional homelands in 1862, the Santee Sioux Tribe continues to strive toward self-determination through economic development and education. The Santee Public School District and the Nebraska Indian Community College provide education.

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CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

College Profile and History Nebraska Indian Community College is unique in several distinctive ways: It serves two separate and distinct tribes, each with its own language, culture and customs. The College also serves non-Indian students and has since its inception. It typically serves non-traditional students both Indian and non-Indian who are, for the most part, economically disadvantaged. The College prides itself on being flexible in meeting the particular needs of its students through culturally designed educational programs and services. The College began as the American Indian Satellite Community College in 1973, under a grant from the Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education. The grant was administered through Northeast Technical Community College in Norfolk, Nebraska, to provide post-secondary education on the Omaha, Santee Sioux, and Winnebago reservations. The American Indian Satellite Community College established classrooms and administrative offices in communities on each reservation with the central office located in Winnebago. In 1979, the schools of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, of which the Nebraska Indian Community College is a member, succeeded in persuading Congress to pass and fund public law 95-471, the Tribally Controlled Community College Act. The College and other Tribally controlled community colleges thus became eligible for direct funding from the federal government. With this newly available financial resource, the institution established itself as a fully independent two-year college. It was granted a charter by each of the three Nebraska Indian tribes. A Board of Trustees comprised of three members of each tribe was appointed by each of the Tribal councils to govern the College. To reflect its independent status, the new Board of Trustees renamed the institution Nebraska Indian Community College. The College’s Self-Study Purposes The purpose of the Self-Study Report is to demonstrate the College’s viability and success in addressing the problems documented in the last Commission report and to request a change in accreditation status. Undertaking a comprehensive Self-Study and being removed from probationary status gave the College and its constituencies the impetus to examine itself thoroughly and to find solutions to its varied problems. Many became involved in the planning and execution of the study and took it as an opportunity to suggest ways for addressing the College’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT). The study ignited a commitment to planning for future improvements.

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Audience for the Report The audience for the College’s Self-Study report includes the College’s Board of Trustees, administrative personnel, the faculty, the support staff, the students, the reservation communities, the communities immediately surrounding the College sites, and all Commission members represented in the evaluation for accreditation. Copies of the Self-Study Report will be available at all College sites. For others interested in the report, the Self-Study will be available for reading on the College’s web site. College-identified constituencies will be notified of the upcoming site visit. Accreditation History The Nebraska Indian Community College began in 1972 as the American Indian Satellite Community College under a grant from the Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education. The grant was administered through Northeast Technical Community College in Norfolk, Nebraska, to provide post-secondary education on the Omaha, Santee Sioux, and Winnebago reservations. Nebraska Indian Community College attained the status of candidate for accreditation in June 1981. Candidacy status was continued through visits in 1982 and 1984. The College was granted initial accreditation as an associate degree granting institution in August 1986. Accredited status continued after a 1989 comprehensive review. A comprehensive review occurred in 1992 followed by a focus visit required in 1993-1994 for evaluating the College's institutional planning, the development of a comprehensive system of student tracking and the plan for assessment of academic achievement. The 1992 comprehensive review team recommended the next comprehensive visit be scheduled for 1996-1997. The 1994 focus evaluation team recommended the next on-site visit for continued accreditation be conducted during 1998-1999. The Commission approved the recommendation to extend the comprehensive visit by two years. In 1996 the withdrawal of the Winnebago Tribe from the College resulted in a change of ownership, and prompted a focused visit on governance in 1997. The Commission approved the team's recommendation for continued accreditation and scheduled the next comprehensive visit in 1999-2000. The NCA team conducted its evaluation on November 15-17, 1999. This visit resulted in the College being placed on accredited on probation status. The College later requested a focus visit for the addition of a campus site. The Commission’s site team conducted that visit on April 23-24, 2001 focusing on the topic of opening a new site in Omaha, Nebraska to offer associate degree programs, along with credit and non-credit courses, to Native American and other underserved students in the area. The College received permission from the Commission to begin operating during the Spring 2001 semester. The result of

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the focus visit allowed the College to offer degrees in General Liberal Arts and Integrated Office Technologies, as well as certificate programs in Integrative Office Technologies, and any listed courses in the College Catalog. The Self-Study Process In the spring of 2000 the interim Academic Dean selected the Sioux City Site Coordinator to chair the Self-Study Committee and be the Self-Study Coordinator. The appointment of Self-Study Steering Committee members soon followed. Since the College has a small community of full-time personnel, the original committee members selected were the Student Support Services Director, one faculty member, the Finance Director and the Vice President of Academic Affairs. Later, it was decided to add the chairperson from each Self-Study Workgroup and the writer of the Self-Study to keep lines of communication open within the College community. The College contracted a former employee to help with research on the Self-Study; she composed a timeline for the steering committee to follow and conducted a Self-Study training workshop that all college personnel attended in March 2001. Since the full-time college staff is relatively small, the committee decided to utilize the standing committees and ask their assistance in data gathering. In order to gain a wider variety of views and perceptions of the various college components, which were being evaluated, the steering committee designed a Strength, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) survey instrument, which were distributed on March 8, 2001 to members of the College community. The College community included: faculty, administration, support staff, alumni, Board of Trustees and students. The compiled results of these surveys are available in the Resource Area at the Macy Campus for the Higher Learning Commission visiting team. In April 2000 the interim Academic Dean attended the Annual NCA Conference. In March of 2001 three persons from the College attended the NCA annual meeting in Chicago. Following this meeting, a report was given to the staff and faculty acquainting them with the Self-Study process and inviting their participation. Self-Study workshops and work-study group meetings have been ongoing during the past year and will continue until such time as the Higher Learning Commission team conducts their next scheduled visit in April 2002. The College will institutionalize the Self-Study process for continuity and stability in all areas of institutional development. Assessment Plan Report The College has instituted a formal review and assessment process. This includes the establishment of the Academic Council; Administrative Council;

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Faculty Council; Development Council; Curriculum Assessment, Policies, and Procedures Committee (CAPP); Students Taking Active Responsibility (STAR) Committee; Finance and Budget Committee; and other committees which meet monthly and bi-weekly depending on their particular schedule (see college calendar, committee organizational chart, committee minutes, and committee structure forms). These committees assess the effectiveness of both the students and the institution. The Faculty Council has adopted Student Outcome Statements, which focus on more specific standards for higher education criteria to assist and facilitate better student learning. Each department head is required to complete master syllabi to ensure that multiple sessions of a course retain the same course goals and objectives. In addition we list in the 2001-2002 College Catalog the Student Outcome Statements in regard to the general education goals and outcomes statements for Communication; Native American Studies; Math, Science, and Technology; Fine Arts and Humanities; Health and Physical Education; and History and Social Sciences. As a part of the admissions process a placement test is completed and reviewed with the student to assess the individual’s readiness for college level course work in English, Math, and keyboarding skills. The faculty, under the student outcomes process conducts pre-tests and post-tests. A sample of courses are selected for a pre-test at the beginning of the quarter, and a post-test is administered after the course is complete to evaluate that the course objectives have been reached, and student learning has been achieved. The purpose of pre and post-tests is to evaluate the effectiveness of the course and to be sure that the desired outcomes have been reached. The College will use the results of the tests to strengthen and improve the quality of the courses.

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Chapter Two Significant Institutional Developments Since November 1999

In January 2000, following the November 1999 commission’s findings, a Report of a Visit to Nebraska Indian Community College, the College hired the interim Academic Dean. Weekly meetings were created until a committee system could be formally established. During this time the weekly meetings reestablished a cohesive group of faculty and staff to provide communication, information, and clear lines of decision-making authority. The goal was to review the mission statement and purposes of the institution, and develop strategies to address both institutional and Higher Learning Commission concerns. Since that time the administration, faculty and staff have been meeting and continue to meet on a regularly scheduled basis and have made significant progress in planning, development, and implementation of college goals and functions.

• Upon appointment, the President set about reorganizing and restructuring

the College's administration. He advertised for, recruited and hired qualified personnel to fill key administrative positions. Most specifically, he advertised, recruited and hired the Vice President of Academic Affairs and shifted the interim Academic Dean to the position of Vice President of Administration. All recommendations to hire have been ratified by the Board of Trustees.

• The new administration reorganized the committee structure and

produced an institutional calendar of regularly scheduled meetings. The administration distributed this calendar to all employees and the public. These committees are meeting according to the schedule and keeping minutes of all proceedings. Minutes are kept on file in the Resource Areas at each campus for public review.

• The College filled committee positions through appointment and elections

of necessary and qualified personnel. Included among these committees is the Curriculum Assessment, Policies, and Procedures Committee (CAPP) that includes full-time faculty to review, evaluate and make recommendations on the College's educational programs.

• Although the mission and purposes were not cited as a concern by the

November 1999 site team, the Board of Trustees and the College began a review of the mission statement and purposes as a part of its Self-Study and long range planning process. At its July 15-17, 2000 Board of Trustees retreat, the Board of Trustees, President, Vice President of Administration, and Facilitator reviewed the College's mission statement and purposes and recommended a revision that would reflect the College since the withdrawal of the Winnebago tribe. The review and revision has

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been accomplished and is a part of the Nebraska Indian Community College’s Strategic Plan.

• Since the time of the NCA accreditation visit, the College has applied and

was approved for a campus addition. The new campus, located in Omaha, Nebraska on 2451 St. Mary’s Avenue, offers two degree programs and four certificate programs to satisfy Omaha’s constituencies needs.

• During the past three years, the College formulated a plan for a new

building in Macy, Nebraska. The administration began planning by surveying all staff and departments asking for current and future needs and concerns. Complete financing of the building came through a variety of grants, gifts, and one-time donations. The building will be located southeast of the Omaha Tribal Police Department across Highway 75. The ground breaking for the new building has taken place. The new building construction is projected to begin in April of 2002 with a completion date in November. The new building will be the College’s first completely owned facility.

• The College moved the Sioux City site to 2306 Dakota Avenue, South

Sioux City and proceeded with substantial renovations of the building. The new site location contains four classrooms and in the near future the College plans to create a science center.

• The College has experienced a much lower administration, staff, and

faculty turnover rate since the new administration. Since the implementation of the new administration the institution has retained nearly all of its employees. The institution has retained five faculty members and four staff members that were here from the NCA visit. Most of the people hired by the institution after the team’s visit have remained with the institution. The employee directory demonstrates other examples of the decrease in the turnover rate.

• The College has also entered into various partnership and articulation

agreements. Various articulation agreements have been established or re-established with surrounding institutions. Partnership agreements have also been set-up with the Department of Education and the Department of Agriculture in the form of grant programs.

• The College has created a master plan. The Master Plan includes the

long range and short range planning of facility development. Phase I of the plan consists of the construction of new facilities at the Macy Campus and Phase II consists of the construction of new facilities at the Santee Campus.

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• The College has created, re-created, or updated various documents since

November of 1999. Among these documents are the Strategic Plan, Employee Handbook, Faculty Handbook, Student Handbook, Disaster Plan, College Catalog, Computer Policies Handbook, and other departmental handbooks. The College also developed other policies and procedure manuals, which include the STAR Office, the Financial Aid Office, the Registrar’s Office, the Business Office (in progress), Informational Technologies (in progress), the Library, and the Admission’s Office (in progress). All of these documents constantly evolve to better suit the needs of the College.

• The College has developed the Admissions Office. Currently the

admission’s program is concerning itself with the Omaha and South Sioux City Campuses. One individual maintains the office because of a lack of funding.

• The Administrative Council created a human resource team in response to

the need of a personnel office. With the College’s current budget restrictions a team of administrators and staff constitute the human resource team to focus on creating policy on employment issues.

• Office staff has updated the personnel folders. These updates include the

maintenance of accurate records and documents.

• The institution currently has computers for all employees. The College has advanced technologically its capabilities to maintain Internet access through the use of servers.

• Other technological advances are a Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area

Network (WAN), and a Web page. The LAN and WAN systems are still in development, but the College has established LAN’s on the Omaha, Santee, and Macy campuses, and connected a WAN system between the Omaha Campus and the Macy Campus.

• The library purchased books, software, periodicals, and newspapers.

Even though useful acquisitions have been made the institution continues to look for more funds to increase the library’s budget.

• All financial audits are current. Another significant financial improvement

is all administrative departments have their own budgets. Also the College has a Budget and Finance Committee set up to address upcoming issues. The newly founded committee examined the College’s fiscal year and changed from a July to June system to an October to September fiscal year to more closely correspond with the institution’s major funding cycles, PL-95-471 and other federal funding sources.

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• All financial processes are currently in accordance with sound financial

procedures. The College accomplished this by increasing the staff in the Business Office, to include not only a Finance Director, but also a Billing Clerk, and an Accounts Payable Clerk.

• The College has recently changed student record systems. The new

program EMPOWER, has the ability to link Student Records and Registration, Admissions and Tracking, Alumni/Donor Development, Financial Aid, Degree Audits, Protective Services, Student Housing, and Student Billing. Another capability the new management information system will provide (as soon as finances allow) is online registration from each campus.

• The administration has also become more involved with the American

Indian Higher Education Consortium, other Indian education movements, and the Higher Learning Commission.

• The Board of Trustees (BOT) developed its policy and procedure manual.

The BOT has received proper board training and meets regularly. An evaluation survey of the BOT is planned for early 2002. The BOT membership has been primarily stable, and only two new board members have been added since the NCA team’s November 1999 visit. Another area in which the BOT has been effective is in creating autonomy from the Tribes as is evident by the Santee Tribal Council’s Statement of Autonomy from the College.

• Since the NCA Team visit, the Student Senate meets and holds yearly

election of officers. The Student Senate comprised of students from all the campuses of the College revised their Student Bylaws.

• The College has also had a significant increase in grant allocations

including but not limited to a USDA grant, a Johnson Foundation grant, a Student Support Services grant increase, a College Competition Challenge Grant, an increase from the American Indian College Fund, Institutional Strengthening grant, and private allocations, including an $800,000 one-time gift from the Mdewankanton Sioux Tribe. A major source of these grants came from the Development Office, another major resource created since the team’s visit.

• The College has also made significant strides in reducing its outstanding

debt because of a more efficient Business Office.

• Yet another important application, the College has standardized all its forms. Institutional forms have been formalized, including letterhead, memos, minutes, and business cards.

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• The College has also used the services of outside consultants to assist

with some of the institutions activities. Examples of these include a Grants Consultant to provide assistance with grants and the grant writing process, and an Assessment Consultant to provide assistance with the Self-Study, the Self-Study process, and assessment.

• The faculty currently has a voice in governance of the institution. Faculty

has ownership of academic issues as they relate to curriculum and educational program development through the Academic Council, primarily comprised of faculty, and the Faculty Council, comprised of only faculty members. Also faculty development programs have been in progress and are funded by a Bush Foundation Grant. These programs include service trainings, faculty conferences, and faculty workshops.

• The staff has undergone training. The staff trainings range from being

informed about legislative and regulatory requirements for grants to college-wide financial aid training.

• The current administration has implemented job descriptions for all

employees. The faculty received contracts, which are renewed annually. Adjunct faculty also received contracts, which are renewed every quarter.

• Another area that has been improved since the team’s prior visit is that of

marketing and student recruitment efforts. Examples of these efforts can be seen from various advertisements (print, radio, and television).

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Chapter Three Responses to the 1999 Higher Learning Commission Report

The following is a short rendition of the Request for Institutional Change Report the College’s President sent to The Higher Learning Commission: North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. General Institutional Requirements: Having reviewed all available information and visited with administrators, staff, and Board of Trustees, the visiting team concluded that Nebraska Indian Community College is in danger of not meeting all of the General Institutional Requirements. The GIRs in question are 5, 7, 9, 11, and 16. GIR 5: …perceptions that the Board of Trustees is not sufficiently autonomous from the administration. Response: Since hiring the new President for the College, the Board has consistently demonstrated its autonomy by meeting on a monthly basis, giving direction to the President and allowing the President the freedom to implement its directives. The Board has also demonstrated its autonomy by recognizing the need for relative independence from the respective Tribal Councils of the two tribes. In September 2000, the Santee Sioux members of the Board of Trustees placed before the Santee Sioux Tribal Council a resolution calling for elected membership on the College's Board of Trustees, staggered terms of five, three and one year terms to ensure continuity, and continuation of the present membership for two years or until such time as the College is no longer on “accredited on probation” status by the Commission. The Santee Sioux Tribal Council unanimously passed the resolution (see document in the College’s Resource Area in Macy). The Omaha members of the Board of Trustees have agreed to present a similar resolution to the Omaha Tribal Council per the motion unanimously passed at the September 16, 2000 Board of Trustees meeting in South Sioux City, Nebraska. Moreover, the College's President and other key administrators enjoy a good working relationship with the Board of Trustees. Clearly, the Board of Trustees for Nebraska Indian Community College has taken seriously the team's concerns about GIR 5 and has taken steps to address and strengthen this area of the General Institutional Requirements. GIR 7: …at the time of the visit the College did not have a President. Response:

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The College's Board of Trustees took steps almost immediately to address this concern by hiring an interim President of the College in December 1999. On May 8, 2000 the Board held interviews for a permanent President of the College and on May 9, 2000 offered the position to the current President. The President assumed his duties on May 10, 2000. Again, the Board of Trustees has clearly demonstrated its commitment to ensure the integrity and continued stability of the College. GIR 9: Questions about GIR 9 arose because of insufficient and incomplete faculty transcripts. Response: One of the first acts the President took was to enlist the aid of staff to review all personnel files and to ensure their completeness. Personnel files have been updated to include all appropriate documentation, including faculty transcripts. A checklist of required personnel forms, documentation, and credentials has been created and is currently being used to ensure completeness and compliance with all regulatory agencies for past, present and new hires of all college personnel. GIR 11: Faculty not having a significant role in developing and evaluating all of the institution's educational programs raised concerns about GIR 11. Response: One committee and two councils have been instituted which develop and administer programs in the academic area. The Curriculum Assessment, Policies and Procedures Committee (CAPP) and the Faculty Council have faculty as full voting members. Faculty Council is comprised of the seven academic department heads (full-time faculty members). All adjunct faculty may serve in ex-officio capacity to this Council. The CAPP committee is comprised of the seven academic department heads as full voting members. Additionally, CAPP includes as ex-officio members the Vice President of Academic Affairs, the Registrar, the IT Director, the Student Support Services (STAR) Director, Library Director, and a faculty mentor. The Academic Council is chaired by the Vice President of Academic Affairs and is comprised of the seven academic department heads, the campus Site Coordinators, the Registrar, the STAR Director, the Financial Aid Director and a faculty mentor The Faculty Council, each fall, elects faculty membership to three additional committees. The Faculty Grievance Committee, Faculty Welfare Committee, and the Faculty Assessment Sub-Committee.

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GIR 16: It was difficult to ascertain whether the undergraduate degree programs included a coherent general education requirement consistent with the institution's mission. Response: A principal task of the newly established Curriculum Assessment, Policies, and Procedures Committee was to review, evaluate, and make recommendations on the College's general education component to assure its consistency with the mission of Nebraska Indian Community College. The College has maintained that a part of the general education core is and will continue to include Native American history, language and culture courses. Further, general education goals and outcomes have been established and published in the College Catalog (see pages 33-34), which require students to demonstrate an established level of competency in the areas of Communications, Native American studies; Math, Science and Technology; Fine Arts and Humanities; Health and Physical Education; and History and Social Sciences. Responses to Higher Learning Commission Team Concerns Regarding Criteria: Criterion Two: The Institution has effectively organized the human, financial and physical resources to accomplish its purposes.

1. Governance by the Board of Trustees is inconsistent in that it has not met as a governing policy body during the last six months.

Response:

In January 2000, an interim President conducted regular meetings with the Board of Trustees. A permanent President for the College was hired in May 2000. The Board has met on a monthly basis, giving direction to the President and allowing the President the freedom to implement its directives.

2. The Board of Trustees has not defined for itself a code of conduct related

to Board members’ responsibilities as policy makers and overall Board governance;

Response: The Board developed, drafted and ratified an ethics statement during a regular Board meeting on March 6, 2000. The ethics statement is in a “We Agree”

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format, in which the Board of Trustees agree to demonstrate a constructive attitude and a cooperative demeanor; unconditional support for the President and administration; to put Tribal and personal politics aside and place the College’s best interest first; to not interfere with the operations by writing up any and all concerns and submitting them to the President; to conduct brainstorming sessions where we generate ideas and ways for the board to become positively involved; to read all documents, reports, and materials that is requested by the administration; to get permission from the Chairperson and President to put any item on the agenda; to support, as a matter of respect, any decision of the Board, even though we as individuals may not agree; to participate on the College’s Self-Study Teams we are requested to serve on; and to hold our Board meetings for no more than three hours.

3. Ineffective administration resulting in less than well-defined and

understood organizational structures, policies and procedures. Response: The College has instituted an organizational and committee structure and has implemented a schedule of regular, monthly meetings. Each committee has a chair and members representative of the various functions of the committee. Each committee has published its own list of committee responsibilities and accountability. These committees are distinguished as “Councils,” “Committees,” and “Sub-Committees.” (See organizational chart in the Resource Areas)

4. Questionable qualifications of administrative personnel who oversee

institutional activities and exercise appropriate responsibility for them. Response:

The College has hired a qualified President who has, in turn, recruited the following qualified administrative personnel to effectively operate the institution:

• A Vice President of Administration who holds a Masters of Science degree in Human Resource Management from the University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD and who has nine years experience in management.

• A Vice President of Academic Affairs who holds a Masters of Arts in

History plus graduate course work beyond the masters level in Communications and who left a tenured, full-time faculty position of twenty years at Briar Cliff University, Sioux City, IA to assume a role with the College

• An Information Technology Director who is completing a Bachelor of

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Science degree in Computer Information Systems. Work experience includes eleven years in the military with computer networking systems and three years experience working in Information Technology at Briar Cliff University.

• A Director of Libraries with library experience… five years at Briar Cliff

University in Sioux City, IA and four years at Westmar University in LeMars, IA. The librarian holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and will be enrolling in a Library Sciences degree program.

• A Development Officer who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in

Business from Bellevue University, Bellevue, NE and who has successfully raised over $3,000,000.00 in cooperative grants for the Omaha Nation Public Schools over the past three years.

• A Financial Aid Officer who is attending the College and is graduating in

the spring of 2002. This staff member has completed several weeks of financial aid training through the U.S. Department of Education.

• A Registrar who attends Wayne State College, Wayne, NE and is

completing a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resource Management.

5. Lack of a system of governance that provides dependable information to

the institution’s constituencies and involves them in the decision-making processes.

Response:

• The College has re-instituted a Student Senate that meets on a regular

basis, elects officers, plans student activities, and makes recommendations to the appropriate administrative body.

• The College has re-designed the organization and committee structure to

open up lines of communication within the College.

• The Board of Trustees has opened its agenda to allow time for visitors to provide discussion and recommendations.

• Site and general staff meetings are held on a regular basis to solicit

concerns and suggestions from all levels of the College community.

• Both Tribal Councils (Omaha and Santee Sioux) provide membership on the College’s Board of Trustees, as well as provide partnerships to develop programs between the College and the communities.

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• The College also has identified a staff member with media experience to handle all news releases. There is an on-going program of dissemination of information about College functions and progress reports to area media.

• The College maintains and publishes, as part of the journalism class, a

student newsletter from the Santee campus that is distributed throughout the local community.

6. Because of incomplete personnel files the team was unable to verify that

the faculty had the necessary educational credentials appropriate for the courses they teach.

Response: All College faculty personnel files contain the appropriate documents necessary to establish their credentials. Faculty credentials are also listed in the current College Catalog.

7. A physical plant that does not adequately support effective teaching and learning.

Response: With a Development Officer in place, the College began addressing a Master Plan for facilities, and the President initiated discussions with the Board of Trustees to improve the physical state of the College. As a result of those discussions, the Board of Trustees has directed the President through consultation with the Vice President of Development and all College personnel, students, and other constituencies to develop a strategy to provide facilities that will effectively support teaching and learning at all College locations. The College secured funding for the construction of new campus facilities at Macy and Santee, NE. The Macy structure will be a 23,000 square foot building that will house faculty and administrative offices, classrooms, science lab, library, amphitheatre, child development center, distance education classroom, vocational education and other pertinent areas. The College held groundbreaking ceremonies in October 2001. Actual site preparation and construction will commence in April 2002. Similar plans are in the College’s Master Plan for purchase of land and construction of a new campus building at Santee. The College is completing renovation of an 8,000 square foot campus in South Sioux City, NE. This structure will house administrative offices, four classrooms, a computer classroom and a science lab.

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A campus site in Omaha, NE opened in January 2001 to serve the urban Native American population. The 16,000 square foot facility is a newly renovated structure located in downtown Omaha and houses administrative offices, four classrooms, a computer classroom, and lunchroom and commons area.

8. A pattern of financial management that does not show commitment to provide both the environment and the human resources necessary for effective teaching and learning.

Response: The College’s Vice President of Finance has been rehired following the administrative shift to a new College President. He has nearly nine years experience in financial management in higher education. He will complete his Bachelors in Accounting from Wayne State College, Wayne, Nebraska. Within the next year and a half, he plans to test for CPA licensing. He and the College President consult closely on all financial matters necessary "to provide both the environment" and "the human resources necessary for effective teaching." Criterion Three: The Institution is accomplishing its educational and other purposes. The team noted the College does not have:

1. An evolving program for assessing student academic achievement in all of its programs which precludes the ability to provide faculty with valuable information which they can use to improve teaching and learning;

Response: The institution has implemented course evaluations each term. Faculty administer pre-tests and post-tests of randomly selected courses. Additionally, the Faculty Council and Curriculum Assessment, Policy and Procedures committee are developing a student outcomes assessment model for each discipline.

2. Transcripts, which follow commonly accepted practices, and accurately reflect student learning;

Response: The College has acquired a state-of-the-art total campus management system. This system, EMPOWER, will perform degree audits and transcript evaluations more effectively than the previous NIAS management information system.

3. Documentation, both statistical and anecdotal, to show it is accomplishing

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its purposes." Response: The College’s Assessment Consultant provides narrative descriptions of the results of course evaluations as well as a statistical table that correlates the data collected in the classroom. The tabulated results are reviewed by the chief academic officer and returned to the individual faculty member for their review and assessment. The data is also used for determining the expenditure of funding for teaching technology and faculty development. Criterion Four: The institution can continue to accomplish its purpose and strengthen its educational effectiveness.

1. The College must have a strong and qualified administration and Board of Trustees.

Response: The College has a strong, qualified and effective administrative team that has been empowered by the Board of Trustees to implement its directives and operate the institution consistent with sound policies and procedures of an institution of higher education. Evidence has been provided above in addressing the concerns in Criteria Two and Three. Moreover, given the combined administrative experience of the new administration at the College and the decision making processes implemented by that team, the College now has the capability of responding effectively to challenges.

2. The College's current resource base -fiscal, physical and human-, does not position it well for the future.

Response: The College has augmented its financial resource base through grants, steady student enrollment and expected increases through the opening of new campuses in Omaha and in South Sioux City, Nebraska. The College is further addressing this concern through the Development Office, which has the primary goal of pursuing new college acquisitions consistent with the mission of the organization. Facilities remain a considerable challenge to the College. However, the College has developed a long- range plan document that addresses the critical needs for facilities and financial strength. This Master Plan provides for improving facilities, new construction for the Macy campus, a new facility at the Santee campus, and the opening of new campuses in Omaha and South Sioux City, Nebraska. All these accomplishments provide evidence that considerable progress continues

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to be made to effectively meet this criterion. The College has filled key administrative positions, support staff positions with qualified personnel and has recruited and hired qualified full-time and adjunct faculty. The College will continue to recruit and expand its core of full-time faculty. Through articulation agreements, partnerships with other higher educational institutions and networking and faculty exchanges, the College will also increase its human resource pool beyond its present level.

3. The institution lacks decision-making processes with tested capability of responding effectively to all challenges to the College.

The College has a decision-making process. Decisions at the College are made through the use of the committee structure with the Administrative Council, Academic Council, Faculty Council, and the Development Council in charge of the committees under them. The councils take authority over different areas of the institution.

4. The College does not have a continuous process to measure student learning which will continue to provide meaningful and useful information to institutional constituencies.

Response: As discussed previously, the College has already put in place processes to develop a useful assessment of student academic achievement. Research in this area has begun. The College constructed a committee structure through which to facilitate discussion and planning for making recommendations for implementation. Faculty have considered campus wide pre and post testing that was designed to fit each discipline within the curricula and has through the guidance of the Assessment Consultant considered other models and methods to address the need for a consistent program to measure student academic achievement. Criterion Five: “The institution demonstrates integrity in its practices and relationships.”

1. The College has not met the expectations of the federal compliance requirements as evidenced by the recent audit findings.

Response: According to the 1998-1999 audit findings, and the near completion of the 1999-2000 audit, the College is currently in compliance with the federal government regulations regarding sound financial accounting procedures. Additionally a financial aid handbook has been revised in accordance with the Department of

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Education guidelines and is free of any inconsistencies. The College has posted a letter of credit through a financial institution acceptable to the Department of Education and is now operating its Title IV financial aid programs through the reimbursement system. The College hopes to return to the direct draw-down system in no more than two years, but certainly as soon as the Department of Education is satisfied that our Financial Aid Office is in total compliance with federal requirements.

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Chapter Four Outline of Evidence of Criterion One

Criterion One: "The institution has clear and publicly stated purposes, consistent with its mission and appropriate to a postsecondary Educational institution. " Criterion One Findings:

The Nebraska Indian Community College's mission statement has been revised to define the College's role as a Tribal College: “The Nebraska Indian Community College provides quality higher education and opportunities for life long learning to the Umon hon (Omaha) and I'santi (Santee Sioux) people, and other students.” The College's goals have been revised and are clearly defined as values. These Core Values can be validated through established committees dedicated to fulfilling the College's mission. The Core Values are:

• Cultural preservation and continuity consistent with the people's needs • Preservation and continuity of the Omaha and Dakota languages • Preservation and transmission of Tribal knowledge • Transmission of values historically rooted in traditional nature spiritual

systems • The belief that learning is a life-long process • Providing a safe and healthy working and learning environment • Providing an environment that promotes free expression and exchange of

ideas • Providing an environment that challenges students to think holistically, to

live responsibly, and productively in an ever-changing global society. The College's organizational and governance structures are appropriate for our institution. However, the success of the College is equally as important to the effectiveness of these structures as it is to the effectiveness of the relationships and the communication among all those who work for the institution. It is the vision of our mission statement, the quality of those people within the institution and the upward momentum of these people that are the basis of what is the Nebraska Indian Community College. The College has worked hard to implement new democratic procedures that facilitate faculty, staff and student participation in institutional governance. The committee structures, Student Senate and councils provide effective avenues for involvement in governance of the College. The Student Senate participates in institutional governance with the ability to attend Board of Trustees meetings and through the ability to bring other items to the relevant committees.

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Faculty and staff have attended Board of Trustee meetings and department directors file monthly reports to the Board. The College encourages freedom of inquiry and freedom of expression among faculty, staff, students, and community members. Established campus grievance systems are in place to help resolve conflicts and other human resource issues. Challenges: Continuity and longevity of leadership had been an obstacle in the stability of the College. The College has addressed these concerns regarding the new leadership and the formal organizational structure by integrating them into the institutional culture. In order to be successful the College must continue to maintain the open communication and the positive working relationships it now possesses. These two factors are equally important and will influence the degree to which the College succeeds in its endeavors. The College continues to make progress in this area through the use of electronic mail, electronic memos, standardized forms, the academic affairs web site, regularly scheduled meetings, and publicly accessible committee minutes at all campuses.

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Chapter Five Outline of Evidence of Criterion Two

Criterion Two: "The institution has effectively organized adequate human, financial and physical resources into educational and other programs to accomplish its purposes." Criterion Two Findings: The Board of Trustees (BOT) is now meeting on a regular monthly basis and a copy of the minutes from the meetings are available at each campus. The BOT also has a current board charter and bylaws. The Santee Tribal Council has made a resolution to govern and administer the Tribal College as a separate entity from the Tribal government, as specified in the Tribally Controlled Community College Assistance Act. The institution has hired a President with a three-year contract. Other position's filled include a Vice President of Academic Affairs, a Vice President of Finance; a, Vice President of Development, Vice President of Administration, Director of Student Support Services, Assistant Registrar, Library Director, Admission's Officer, Information Technology Director, and Security/Maintenance in Macy and Omaha. Other key offices include a fully staffed Financial Aid and Registrar’s Office. According to the personnel policy and procedure manual, the personnel files for all staff, faculty, and administration contain the required information. The files include appropriate educational credentials for faculty and staff members. A committee structure is in place that includes Self-Study committees that meet on a regular basis. Copies of attendance sheets, agenda, and meeting minutes for each committee are on file. Along with creating a committee structure, the College revised the organizational chart. The organizational chart and the committee structure chart have been posted, distributed, and discussed with all faculty and staff at all four campuses. The College has additional funding available to provide ongoing training and seminars for staff, faculty, and administration. Under the Bush Foundation grant, the College faculty are furthering their education and obtaining additional training. Additionally, staff members at all four campuses trained in procedures for financial aid and registration. Professionals in the respective areas provide training on a regular basis. For example the staff attended workshops provided by the U.S. Department of Education, college department heads provided in-house training and ComSpec International provided EMPOWER trainings.

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In an effort to help our students succeed, the College hosts a Student Support Services grant. The Student Support Services program, or STAR Program provides tutoring, counseling, advising, mentoring, and assessment to eligible students at all four campuses. All four sites have emergency/Disaster Plans and the emergency exit floor plans are posted in key places. Security sirens and lights have been installed at all of the College’s campuses. The employed security guards for Omaha and Macy are both current on their CPR certification. Additionally, OSHA-approved first-aid kits are now available at all four locations. These efforts are all a conscientious effort to provide students with a safe and healthy environment. The institution has purchased and leased additional buildings for adequate facilities. Construction for the new Macy campus will be under way by April 1 2002. These new acquisitions have been made possible through additional funds from several different grants applied for by the College. Challenges: The College recognizes the need for Human Resource personnel. Because of the current financial situation, the College cannot afford to employ a full-time person. The College has implemented a Human Resource team to undertake the responsibilities of that role until finances will allow employment of a full-time person. The College will need to develop a bookstore policy once the new facilities are built. The Finance and Budget Committee will decide the issue. Although Macy and Santee have on-site libraries, they are in need of updating. Since the last site visit, the College has updated library resources. (See Librarian’s Report in the Macy Resource Area)

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Chapter Six Outline of Evidence of Criterion Three

Criterion Three: "The institution is accomplishing its educational and other purposes.” Criterion Three Findings Nebraska Indian Community College is accomplishing its educational purposes. Currently, The College faculty comprises seven full-time and 43 adjunct faculty members delivering courses at four campus locations: Macy, Santee, Omaha and South Sioux City, Nebraska. The College hired a full-time Vice President of Academic Affairs at the beginning of the fall 2000 academic year. The College has hired an additional twenty administrators and staff since that time. The directors each have assistants in order to initiate cross training within each department. This procedure has resulted in higher efficiency and productivity, as well as student and employee satisfaction. The College built and implemented the faculty and administrative committee structure. Sixteen committees meet on a regular basis according to an annual calendar. As part of the committee evolutionary process, the College plans to consolidate a number of these committees in order to make the committee structure more efficient. The College offers Associate of Arts degrees in General Liberal Studies, Business Administration, Native American Studies and Early Childhood Education; Associate of Science degrees in General Science Studies and Natural Resources; Associate of Applied Science degrees in Carpentry and Integrated Office Technologies; and certificates in Carpentry, Early Childhood Education, Horticulture and Integrated Office Technologies. The College plans to strengthen the existing certificate programs by including basic writing, mathematics and computer skills. A goal is to introduce an oral presentation, computer proficiency and a writing-across-the-curriculum element within each course. During the fall of 2001, academic department heads will develop master syllabi for all courses in order to maintain quality and continuity of the same course across the four campus sites. The Academic Dean is responsible for all non-credit and adult/continuing education programs. The Dean implemented a successful non-credit, certificate program at the Omaha campus site in January 2001. Eight students participated in a certificate presentation ceremony in May 2001. The College is currently exploring a request from the Macy Police Department to conduct a workshop for police personnel in computer technology.

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The current catalog lists the goals of the general education core and clearly states the intent of the breadth of knowledge and the intellectual inquiry that the core courses provide. The 1998-99 Nebraska Indian Community College Catalog listed more than 256 courses in 29 academic areas. The College reduced the number of courses by 126, a 51 percent reduction in order to more closely reflect the interests of the students and the needs of the greater community The Academic Dean appointed seven full-time faculty members as academic department heads. Department heads for each discipline area (General Liberal Arts, Vocational Technical, Integrated Office Technology, Native American Studies, Early Childhood Education; General Science Studies; and Business Administration) are responsible for supervising the part-time faculty within their respective divisions. Department heads are further vested with the responsibility of developing and maintaining master syllabi for the courses within their discipline. The College has advertised for a Natural Resource department head/faculty member. The seven academic department heads are developing master syllabi. A syllabus template is available on the College web site for downloading by faculty. All syllabi currently in use are on file in the Academic Affairs Office. Faculty submit syllabi each term with revision dates clearly provided in the designated location on each syllabus. The Curriculum Assessment, Policies and Procedures committee regularly reviews and approves all course requests for new offerings and requests for curriculum changes. Academic department heads are implementing student outcomes assessment procedures that will establish tools for measuring outcomes for students in each discipline. These assessment tools will be tabulated and reviewed on a yearly basis. Students have expressed a high degree of satisfaction with the quality of education at the College. This can be documented by way of three assessment tools…individual course evaluations, a general college survey and the exit interview surveys of graduating students. Plans are underway to include ten faculty offices and an office for adjunct faculty in the new Macy campus building. Textbooks for classes are now ordered and delivered in a timely manner. Under a new textbook ordering system implemented in the fall of 2001, an average of 85% of all textbooks are shipped to the main campus shortly after midterm of the preceding term. Seventy-five percent of all textbooks are now ordered through a single source. Bookstore facilities are being planned for the new Macy campus and the Omaha campus site.

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The STAR program conducts exit surveys of each graduate. Because of the transient nature of the graduated student, it has been difficult to track students once they graduate. The College recognizes the need for an alumni director. In the interim, the STAR and registrar’s offices are working with key members of the community who have first-hand knowledge of the whereabouts of a majority of the College’s graduates. The data that will be gathered through this process will be used to begin the initial building of an alumni database. The Registrar’s office will maintain a list of all requests for transcripts in order to track transfer students. Additionally, the College web site will house an alumni page which will enable graduates to e-mail personal information back to the College regarding their current address, place of employment, and other vital statistics.

The College is exploring a method to track employer data of former students. Although this effort will not pose a problem with the two reservation-based campuses, the task will be more difficult at the urban-based campus sites. The College has on-going articulation agreements with several area colleges and universities and continues to develop such agreements with others. An agreement with the University of Nebraska at Lincoln provides funding for teacher training. Now in its third year of a five-year grant cycle, three of the College’s graduates of the UNL teacher cadre program have been hired as full-time teachers at the Macy, Winnebago and Santee public schools. The University of Nebraska at Lincoln has an Educational Articulation Coordinator in place at both the Macy and Santee campuses. Articulation agreements and program partnerships also exist with Wayne State College, the University of South Dakota, Si Tanka/Huron University, Sinte Gleska University, the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. Because of the proximity of the Santee campus to Yankton, South Dakota, the College plans to pursue an articulation agreement with Mount Marty College. New students meet with an advisor to determine their class schedule. All advisors undergo advisor training conducted by the STAR, Financial Aid and Registrar’s offices. COMPASS tests for math and English are required pre-tests for each student, the results of which determine placement into regular or developmental courses. In order to determine if a student is ready to move out of the developmental courses, a post-test using the COMPASS test is used. In the meantime, the College will design an institutionally generated test to replace the COMPASS tests.

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The main library at the Macy campus now has a full-time library director with an assistant librarian at the Santee campus. Under the guidance of the new director, the College Library now has its own web page with student access to thousands of educational Internet links and databases. The library staff has culled out dated materials and rearranged the library holdings for better access by its patrons. The Macy library added open hours one evening a week so that students who work during the day can conduct research activities for their course assignments. The students have access to Electric Library, Wilson Web and OCLC Firstsearch online databases provided by the Nebraska Library Commission. The American Indian Higher Education Consortium provides access to the Virtual Library service. Since the Omaha and South Sioux City sites do not currently have library facilities, students are using both the public libraries and nearby university libraries. Faculty salaries have improved since 1999 with the average full-time salary in the range of $30,000. For the first time in many years, the salaried faculty received a five-percent raise for the 2001-2002 academic year. Additionally, the College has received a Bush Foundation grant beginning with a $15,000 planning grant, which will allow the College to apply for the full implementation grant of $30,000 each year for the next three years. The chief academic officer will disperse these funds for faculty development events, in-service training, workshops and conferences. In order for the faculty to be proficient on instructional technologies, the chief academic officer began conducting and continues to conduct faculty in-service training in presentation graphics (PowerPoint), electronic grade book maintenance (Excel) and web-enhanced course design (Blackboard.com). Various faculty have attended conferences and seminars on faculty development issues funded by the Bush Foundation grant. A workshop was held on November 10th for all academic department heads at Briar Cliff University to introduce the teachers to the Briar Cliff University faculty development program. Introduction to this successful, on-going program will enable the College’s Faculty Council to develop a comprehensive faculty development program funded by the Bush Foundation. The appropriate committee structure has delegated academic leadership to the faculty by way of the Faculty Council, Faculty Grievance Committee, Faculty Welfare Committee and Curriculum Assessment, Policies and Procedures Committee (CAPP), which are all faculty owned. The CAPP committee includes the registrar, Academic Dean, financial aid director, STAR director, library director and IT director serving as ex-officio members only.

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Student Support Services The Nebraska Indian Community College provides the traditional student services, which includes academic advising, registration, counseling, and orientation, career and college survival planning and financial aid. New students meet with an advisor to determine their class schedule. All advisors undergo advisor training conducted by student support services (STAR), Financial Aid and Registrar offices The College is seriously exploring the implementation of a required freshman college survival course and a sophomore exit course on careers and advanced studies. The vast majority of the College’s students qualify for services provided by a U.S. Department of Education Student Support Services (SSS) grant. This grant, which began on September 1, 1993, was refunded in September 2001. The total budget allocation for the current year is $225,000. The grant will serve 150 participants who demonstrate low income, first generation, and/or students with a handicap and who have an academic need for the program. The SSS Program Director and four advisors serve as mentor/advisors to the student participants, as well as provide tutorial services in the core classes and college/life skills areas. The SSS grant also provides funding for peer tutor/mentors in mathematics, science, English and basic computer applications. The grant provides student development and day travel expenses to gain cultural, career and academic exposure. For example, four students at Santee participated in the annual Black Hills American Indian Journalism Conference sponsored by the Freedom Forum at Custer, South Dakota in April 2001. Seven students participated in the American Indian Higher Education Consortium student competitions in April 2001. Business/Industry Partnerships The students in the carpentry courses work with individuals and businesses in the communities as needs are identified and assistance requested. Carpentry students completed the majority of the work needed to gut and renovate a 5,000-square foot area in the new South Sioux City campus site. A Vivian Johnson entrepreneurship grant is being used to train individuals in the reservation community on how to develop a business plan and seek funding for small business enterprises. The College has an on-going internship procedure in place that enables area agencies to seek the assistance of students. The College’s student may earn up

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to six credit hours by working a minimum of 30 hours per credit. A contract is signed with the student intern, the on-site supervisor and the course instructor. The on-site supervisor conducts two evaluations and the course instructor makes regular visits to the student’s work place. The chief academic officer approves all internship requests and ensures the proper documentation is maintained. The College worked closely with the county extension offices. The University of Nebraska Agricultural Extension Service provided funds to hire two Extension project assistants for 10 hours per week at Santee and Macy campuses. The Extension Service will provide training to those hired on the proper methods of safe handling of food. The assistants will then provide information and seminars to persons in the community who prepare and handle food for community events. Institutional Research Although the College currently has no one specifically assigned to institutional research, it has hired a full-time Vice President of Development. The Vice President of Development regularly engages in gathering institutional data as required by most of the funding grants. The College now has the ability to access college-wide data due to the centralization of committee minutes, Board of Trustee minutes, course syllabi, and other documents. The College has an on-going process of issuing IPED reports, College Board data collection, and U.S. Department of Education report requirements. All this institutional data is available for institutional research purposes. The College has acquired a powerful student records maintenance software program (EMPOWER) which integrates all data that is input by the offices of financial aid, student support services, registrar, accounts receivable, admissions and academic affairs. This system will allow rapid access to all student records, accurate record keeping and, time and cost management efficiency. Data since 1992 was housed in the NIAS database for the College’s student vital statistics. Data from NIAS will be transferred to the new EMPOWER system. Access to the above data will facilitate institutional research requirements.

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Chapter Seven Outline of Evidence of Criterion Four

Criterion Four: "The institution can continue to accomplish its purposes and strengthen its educational effectiveness.” Criterion Four Findings: Planning at the College is a continuous and ongoing process. Because the College is a decentralized institution, most of its planning is done by those closest to the issues or problems. Once a plan comes together it is presented through the committee structure to generate ideas and opportunities to consider. This approach has served the institution for the past year and it will continue to do so well into the future. College planning also is an inclusive and continuous process. Within the College’s campuses decentralized culture, each administrator has considerable control of his/her resources. This latitude allows units to identify needs and concerns quickly and to deal with them efficiently. This process also helps keep the College at the cutting edge of innovation in a time of rapid and sometimes radical change. College goals drive both campus and college-wide planning activities at the institution, but the activities of the planning groups, such as the Development Council, also effectively create, modify, and amplify the College’s goals. The results of these planning processes are also integrated into the College's budget planning processes and are thus reflected both in the Nebraska Indian Community College’s legislative requests and the manner in which the institution allocates its resources. After institutional plans are adopted and changes are implemented a review, assessment, and feedback process regarding their impact and effectiveness are evaluated. This cyclical, ongoing planning and evaluation process clearly demonstrates that the Nebraska Indian Community College can continue to accomplish its purposes and strengthen its educational effectiveness. Challenges: The greatest challenge related to the College's decentralized planning structure is to keep all the individuals and committees affected by the plans and implementation of decisions fully aware of the actions being contemplated and pursued. The College must continue to pay great attention to maintaining open channels of communication across committee boundaries to ensure that

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everyone is and stays fully informed through the use of the resource rooms, committee minutes, and the institutional web site. The College is further challenged in maintaining and preserving the culture and language of both the Omaha Tribe and the Santee Sioux Tribe of Nebraska. This challenge is ongoing, and will continue to be a struggle regardless of the institution’s fight to keep the language and culture of the two Tribes alive.

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Chapter Eight Outline of Evidence of Criterion Five

Criterion Five: "The institution demonstrates integrity in its practices and relationships.” Criterion Five Findings: Nebraska Indian Community College is a member of North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, declaring that the College is an accredited on probation institute of higher education. The College’s degree programs are compatible with the institution's mission and are based on recognized fields of study at the higher education level. The College offers eight (8) degrees: Associates of Arts in Business Administration, Early Childhood Education, General Liberal Arts, and Native American Studies. The College also offers Associate of Applied Science degrees in Carpentry, Integrated Office Technology and Associate of Science degrees in General Science Studies and Natural Resources. The College further offers terminal Certificate programs with emphases in Carpentry, Early Childhood Education, Integrated Office Technology and Horticulture. The College’s degrees are appropriately named following acceptable practices by institutions of higher education. All programs are in compliance with institutional terms in regards to length and content. Nebraska Indian Community College provides coherent higher education requirements consistent with the institution’s mission and are designed to ensure breadth of knowledge and promotes intellectual inquiry as can be shown by syllabi for each class offered and assessment requirements. The College has legal authorization to grant its degrees by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Institutions of Higher Education and the Corporate Charter of the Nebraska Indian Community College. The College is in receipt of legal documents to confirm its non-profit standing, which can be found in the Resource Room at the Main Campus in Macy. Meetings of the College’s Board of Trustees occur monthly. The executive administration attends these meetings, while the directors send in monthly Board reports with information regarding the past month’s activities. An example of the integrity of the institution is through these meetings when the Board approved and ratified the President in the May 8, 2000 board meeting. The College has also submitted revised Policy and Procedures Manuals for approval and ratification to the Board of Trustees. These manuals were for the

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Employee Policy and Procedure Manual, Student Handbook, Disaster Plan, Faculty Handbook, and the College Catalog. The Board of Trustees Manual has not been revised at this time. The Board of Trustees has reviewed, approved and ratified other handbooks and manuals. The dates of approval are located in the Board of Trustees minutes in the Resource Room. The Santee Sioux Tribal Council has issued a position statement entitled, "Autonomous" for the Nebraska Indian Community College. This is a true and legal document on file in the Macy Resource Area. The College does not have one from the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska Tribal Council but is still working on wording that will satisfy the requirements of the Omaha Tribal Council. The governing Board authorizes the institution’s affiliation with the Commission, which can be substantiated by the minutes of the Board of Trustees. This affiliation includes admission policies and practices that are consistent with the institution's mission and are appropriate to the institution’s programs, i.e., Student Handbook, College Catalog, Employee Handbook, Faculty Handbook, Board of Trustees Policy and Procedure Handbook and the Disaster Policy and Procedure Manual as well as Departmental Procedures Handbooks. The College employs full-time and adjunct faculty, who have earned from accredited institutions degrees appropriate to the level of instruction offered by our institution. The College currently employs four full-time faculty members with masters degrees and two with bachelors degrees, and one with an associates degree in the required field. Currently the College employs seven full-time faculty members, and has on staff forty-three (43) adjunct faculty members. The search for a full-time Natural Resource faculty member is ongoing. All members of the faculty are members of the Faculty Council and the Curriculum Assessment, and Policy & Procedure's Committee. Adjunct Faculty are ex-officio members. Both committees have the task of evaluating current educational programs and developing new programs for future implementation. The College’s Admission policies and practices are consistent with the institution’s mission and are appropriate to its educational programs. The College provides its students access to those learning resources and support services for its degree programs. The Institution’s Library has been updated with visual libraries and Internet access for research purposes. The STAR program is designed to aid students in support services to ensure transition from their first class to graduation. The Institution’s vocational programs have a shop area and have hands on learning through community projects The College’s audits are up to date and can be found in the Resource Area in Macy. The College makes available upon request information that accurately describe its financial condition through audits performed yearly. The College’s financial documents demonstrate the appropriate allocation of its resources is

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able to support its educational programs. The College’s financial practices, records and reports demonstrate fiscal viability. The College also has information for public distribution. The Catalog and other official documents include the Mission Statement along with accurate descriptions of its educational programs and requirements, such examples include:

• Academic Calendars • Learning Resources, i.e., Library, Visual Libraries, Internet Admissions

Policies and Practices • Academic and non-Academic Policies and Procedures directly affecting

students (Cross-referenced with Student Handbook) • Charges and Refund Policies • Academic Credentials of its faculty and administrators • Accurately discloses its standing with accrediting bodies with which it is

affiliated • Makes available upon request information that accurately describes its

financial condition through audits performed yearly. Challenges: The largest challenge the College currently has regarding that practices and relationships demonstrate integrity is that of accreditation. The College is currently accredited on probation from the Higher Learning Commission of Schools and Colleges. This demoted standing has severe negative connotations in regard to the integrity of the institution as seen through the eyes of the public.

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Chapter Nine Self-Study Planning Process

Self-Study Steering Committee: • Concentration on ensuring accurate information is displayed in the Self-

Study and the issue of getting student, Tribal, and BOT values and opinions.

• Composed of the following members: Sheila Morris, Self-Study Coordinator Bob Stands, Study Group #1 Chair E. W. Webster, Study Group #2 Chair F. Lee Holiday, Study Group #3 Chair Ralph Swain, Study Group #4 Chair Michael Oltrogge

Self-Study Editing Committee

• Concentration on editing the Self-Study and preparing the final single-voiced document.

• Composed of the following members: Roberta Engstedt, Editing Chair Bob Stands, Study Group #1 Chair E. W. Webster, Study Group #2 Chair Ralph Swain, Study Group #4 Chair Michael Oltrogge Sheila Morris

Study Group #1 "Mission, Purpose and Institutional Integrity"

• Concentration on Criterion 1 and 5, and its allied GIRs. • Composed of the following members:

Bob Stands, Chair Ina Caramony Ida Miller Tara DeCory Sheila Morris Dennis Hastings Michael Oltrogge

Study Group #2 "Development and Planning"

• Concentration on Criterion 4 and its allied GIRs. • Composed of the following members:

E. W. Webster, Chair Dan Cotter Yatty Fischer George Johnson Jodene Reynolds Julia Sage

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Study Group #3 "Human Resources, Financial and Physical Resources"

• Concentration on Criterion 2 and its allied GIRs. • Composed of the following members:

Lee Holiday, Chair Don Hanzlik Ron Kemp Sarah Smith Lorraine Scott Shelley Baxter Melissa Brown Teresa Caramony Phyllis Thomas Vance Parker

Study Group #4 "Curriculum and Co-curricular Resources"

• Concentration on Criterion 3 and its allied GIRs. • Composed of the following members:

Ralph Swain, Chair Shelly Avery Sherrie Bosse Carmene Tyndall Richard Lundy Don Torgerson Stuart Fischer Roberta Engstedt Ed Stevens Margaret Maass Marjorie Harvey-Chambers Ernie Ricehill Barbara May Pat Phillips

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