Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
The goal of Igluwiyeya (Prepare Oneself): Continuing Pathways from Preparation to Graduation at Land-Grant Institutions is to create and sustain American Indian (AI) student pathways to access and success at South Dakota State University and Tribal College and University (TCU) partner Sinté Gleška University (SGU). This project builds upon the success of SDSU's Wokini Initiative (WI) and leverages existing student programs at SGU and SDSU to strengthen current programming, create additional pre-college and transition programs, develop sustainable resources, and increase support for American Indian (AI) students through targeted outreach and cultural competency building.This project will streamline AI student journeys by providing AI student-centered approaches to college access and success. It will enhance Lakota/Dakota/Nakota cultural competency to increase engagement and community-building and will create sustainable resources that will continue to promote access to college degrees and student support for tribal high school students, TCU students, and AI undergraduate students. Igluwiyeya offers an attainable vision for tribal students on their path to securing a valuable career in their tribal communities through higher education.The project's impact will be measured by the number of AI students adequately prepared to pursue higher education and their enrollment count, retention rate, and graduation rate at SDSU and SGU. The program will lay the foundation for tribal students to gain knowledge of and participate in college preparation programs, transition programs, and academic and personal support services to strengthen students' persistence through graduation in higher education.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
As the Wokini Initiative continues to focus on the needs identified by tribal leaders to promote American Indian student success in higher education, the Igluwiyeya project was born. The overall goal of the Igluwiyeya project is to create student pathways to access and success in the unique institutional context of WI's partner, Sinté Gleška University (SGU). The previous award of this grant began in Fall 2020 to address some of these challenges by creating and hiring college access liaisons (CAL) at three partner Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), including current partner SGU, from the communities in which they reside. However, due to COVID-19 restrictions in place at the time, in-person contact was limited. CALs began work on establishing relationships, surveying partnerships, identifying strengths and challenges, and beginning to develop resources to support AI student recruitment from TCUs.This proposal builds off and continues the work completed in the previous USDA grant award. The current proposed Igluwiyeya project has three main objectives:Streamline American Indian (AI) student journeys by providing AI student-centered approaches to college access and success for three audiences: tribal high school students, TCU students, and AI undergraduate students.Enhance Lakota/Dakota/Nakota cultural competency to increase engagement and community building; foster a supportive campus environment that promotes academic and social integration improving AI student success.Create sustainable resources that will continue to promote access to college degrees and student support for tribal high school students, TCU students, and AI undergraduate students.These pathways and resources aim to address the low recruitment, retention, and graduation rates of AI students pursuing higher education. Building on the success of the WI and the college access liaison (CAL) positions created in the first iteration of this grant, the established CAL at SGU will provide outreach to project partners and develop resources to foster sustainability of the project. Outreach consists of, but is not limited to, the following: promotion of pre-college programs (i.e. SDSU's summer college preparation program), career exploration, assistance in how to navigate the college application and financial aid processes, and opportunities for advance degree obtainment.This project will enhance the cultural awareness and competence of SDSU faculty and staff through an experiential workshop to a local reservation, as well as a professional development course offered on SDSU's campus. These opportunities will help foster a more supportive and inclusive SDSU campus environment for AI students through intentional faculty and staff learning about Lakota/Dakota/Nakota history and culture.An additional focus of the project is to develop the following sustainable resources: an AI pathway model at SGU that identifies strategies to transform education institutions to better support tribal students' access to and success at college, and a tribal workforce directory that outlines the workforce development needs in students' tribal communities. The SGU college access liaison (CAL) will continue to build upon existing high school and college programs and services to inspire and guide students to pursue and succeed in higher education at SGU and SDSU. Additionally, the CAL will assist in the creation of resources focused on key areas noted above to promote postsecondary degree attainment and utilization of project developed resources with tribal high school and TCU students.Igluwiyeya will instill hope by creating an attainable vision for tribal students on their path to securing a valuable career in their tribal communities through higher education. The impact of the project will be measured by the number of AI students adequately prepared to pursue higher education and their headcount, retention rate, and graduation rate at SDSU and SGU, a local TCU partner. The program will lay the foundation for tribal students to gain knowledge of and participate in college preparation programs, transition programs, and academic and personal support services to strengthen students' persistence through graduation.
Project Methods
The WI itself is a one-of-a-kind endeavor, taking land grant funds and reinvesting in AI students and tribal collaborations. This is the first time this has been done in the U.S. and goes above and beyond by fostering relationships with tribal communities. The WI director is responsible for facilitating open dialogues between members of SD tribes, SDSU and other key stakeholders to best serve tribal constituents, the university, state, and region. The director facilitates and provides support for the Wokini Leadership Council (WLC) and the President's Wokini Advisory Council (PWAC) to improve outcomes of the WI. The WLC is comprised of key SDSU personnel and Brookings (where SDSU's main campus is located) community leaders and provides strategic advice and insight into the overall goals and objectives of the WI. The PWAC consists of tribal chairpersons, or their delegates, from SD's nine tribal nations, tribal education directors, and presidents, or their delegates, from each of SD's TCUs. The PWAC provides input, guidance, and counsel in SDSU's efforts to support AI students, tribal nation-building and improve the outcomes of the WI.