Page 24 - 2022 June Report

June Report 2022
Site visit report from Aaniiih Nakoda College
May 16, 2022
By: Richard Williams, Indigenous Program Consultant
ANC Participants
Kristi Syvertson - Director Business Department Laurie Owens - Business Faculty
JSF Participants
Bobby Krause, CEO
Mike Miller, JSF Board Member
Richard Williams, JSF Indigenous Program Consultant
Introductions
After a brief round of introductions, we begin to discuss the difficulties of operating a business program and a small rural tribal college. Kristi Syvertson was promoted to the Dean of Students this past year. Kristi’s nickname should be “superwoman.” In addition to teaching up to 21 hours of coursework a semester, she is also the advisor for the American Indigenous Business Leaders (AIBL) student chapter. After hours she serves as an EMT and is the owner of a bar in town. She said she often has students in the bar at night – not for a round of drinks. They are there for a shot of tutoring.
Aaniiih Nakoda College is not your typical academy of higher education. The place is located near the Canadian border and we drove over 300 miles from Missoula, Montana to get to the school. The surrounding community’s ambiance takes us back to the mid-fifties of the last century. We arrived early, so we took a tour of the local area. It took us five minutes, but the severe poverty was ominously present. There were severely damaged uninhabitable homes, some burned out shells with an abundant assortment of dilapidated cars which are fondly called “res runners.” We learned later that there was a severe housing shortage where up to three generations of families lived in a single dwelling.
We discussed a litany of challenges the faculty and students faced on a daily basis. COVID exacerbated the challenges causing an immediate shutdown of the college. Internet instruction is very difficult in an area that is notorious for poor or non-existent internet connectivity. Kristi thanked JSF for the COVID grant. The money was used for computers for both faculty and staff. They were also able provide resources for “hot spot” connections for the students. It should be noted that for the first time in the history of the Tribal College movement, the Tribal Colleges received “full funding” on par with other higher education institutions. The unusual challenge facing ANC is the restrictions placed on the funding has left them with $13M that they are having trouble legally spending. They can spend the funds on remodeling but not new construction. This is sadly ironic in a community that has an immediate need for 300 homes.
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