Page 20 - 2022 January Report

January Report
Oglala Lakota College press release (2)
In 1995, the College’s operational budget was $6.8 million. Excluding CARES ACT Funding over the last two years, the College’s budget over the last 7 years has nearly averaged $35 million.
Also in 1995, the College’s endowments were at $1.1 million. Today, OLC has a $1.3 million Maintenance Endowment, $37.54 million in Faculty Endowments, and $37.239 million in Student Scholarship Endowments.
In the early 1980s, OLC began a direct mail effort to raise funds from donors who were interested in helping the College offer higher education for the people on the Pine Ridge Reservation. OLC is very indebted to the friends of the College including individuals, foundations, corporations and federal programs. who have maintained their confidence in the college through thick and thin. The current goal of the College is to eventually raise funds so that every student attending OLC will have their financial need met by the College. This will likely take another 50 years.
With OLC serving the second and third poorest counties in the United States, this is what necessitates the goal of having scholarships for unmet OLC’s students financial needs.
In 2005, OLC took over the management of the Pine Ridge Reservation’s Head Start Program and has successfully provided early childhood education for children from birth to 5 since. In 2006, the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe requested OLC to come onto their Reservation, and establish the Cheyenne River College Center which has provided higher education services to students for 15 years.
Since 2010, the Diverse Issues in Higher Education magazine has ranked all colleges and universities that produce the best results in graduating ethnic students. OLC has consistently ranked among the highest in graduating Native Americans. In 2020, OLC was among the top 20 who produce Native American graduates in the following programs: AA in Lakota Studies (2020: Rank 1), AA in Tribal Law (1), AA in General Business (2), BA in Lakota Studies (2), AAS in General Construction (2), AA in Elementary Education and AA in Early Childhood (3), BS in Elementary Education and BA in Early Childhood (4), AAS in Automotive Technology (5), BS in Business Administration (7), AA in Nursing (12), Bachelor in Social Work (12), and BS in Natural Science (14).
The advertisement of the OLC President’s position will be from January 5 -March 5, 2021. Next, a Search & Screen Committee will review the applications and forward up to 3 candidates to the Board of Trustees by the end of April. The OLC Board of Trustees plans to hire a new President at its May Board of Trustees meeting.
The new President’s first day in office will be in July, 2022 with an agreed upon start date negotiated with the Board of Trustees. More information on Oglala Lakota College is available at www.olc.edu.
Oglala Lakota College (OLC) is a four-year tribal college with nine college centers on the Pine Ridge Reservation, one on the Cheyenne River Reservation, and a learning center in the Black Hills, serving over 1300 students a semester. OLC is chartered by the authority of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association. 605-455-6000 phone, 605-455-2787 fax, www.olc.edu.
18