Sisseton Wahpeton College (SWC) is a

Public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...

tribal The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to conflic ...

land-grant A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...

community college A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior se ...

of the

Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate The Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate of the Lake Traverse Reservation ( dak, Sisíthuŋwaŋ Waȟpéthuŋwaŋ oyáte), formerly Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe/Dakota Nation, is a federally recognized tribe comprising two bands and two subdivisions of the '' ...

on the

Lake Traverse Reservation The Lake Traverse Indian Reservation is the homeland of the federally recognized Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, a branch of the Santee Dakota group of Native Americans. Most of the reservation covers parts of five counties in northeastern South Dakota ...

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large porti ...

. It was established in 1979 and serves the

Dakota Dakota may refer to: * Dakota people, a sub-tribe of the Sioux ** Dakota language, their language Dakota may also refer to: Places United States * Dakota, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Dakota, Illinois, a town * Dakota, Minnesota, ...

people. SWC has an average enrollment of about 250 students, of whom more than 80% are tribal members. It has both vocational and academic programs, and arrangements with four-year colleges so that students can transfer for continued studies.

History

SWC was originally a vocational and technical school; an academic program was added as enrollment climbed. SWC is one of the few post-secondary schools in South Dakota to offer both vocational and academic degrees.

Academics

Although SWC is accredited to offer associate degrees only, it has agreements with several 4-year degree-granting institutions that allow SWC students to take much of their coursework at SWC or seamlessly matriculate to another institution. The agreement between SWC and

Mount Marty College Mount Marty University is a private Benedictine university in Yankton, South Dakota. Athletics The Mount Marty athletic teams are called the Lancers. The university is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), pr ...

offers SWC students the opportunity to earn a Baccalaureate degree in Business and Tribal Governance, the only such program in the state.

Partnerships

SWC is a member of the

American Indian Higher Education Consortium The American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) was established in 1972 to represent the interests of the newly developed tribal colleges, which are controlled and operated by American Indian nations. The four founders were Gerald One F ...

(AIHEC), a community of tribally and federally chartered institutions working to strengthen tribal nations. SWC was created in response to the higher education needs of American Indians. It generally serves geographically isolated populations that have no other means to access education beyond the high school level.American Indian Higher Education Consortium

Institute for Dakota Studies

SWC was one of the first tribal colleges to establish an institute for the study and preservation of tribal culture. The college created the Institute for Dakota Studies in 1992. This center's mission is to teach, study and preserve the tribe's unique history and traditions.

Center for Excellence in Dakota Language

The Center for Excellence in Dakota Language, established at SWC in 2005, works with the college's strong Dakota studies and Dakota Language programs to revitalize the Dakota language. Eventually, this program hopes to establish a revitalization model that can be replicated anywhere in Indian Country.

Campus

The college has recently expanded its facilities and programs; one of the final products of this was Song to the Great Spirit, the new SWC Vocational Education Building. Designed as a facility where students could learn building trades by constructing a single-family home inside, the building's unique design makes the SWC campus a local landmark. The building is an example of culturally contextual architectural design: it is in the shape of four Indian figures who, with drumsticks raised, are singing a traditional Dakota song using their drum. The building honors SWC's history and that of the Dakota people. The figures are made of fiberglass and are almost fully functional. Two house stairwells, one the elevator, and the other the utility and storage closets. SWC has also almost doubled its square footage, with added classrooms and offices and an Early Childhood Education Center. Also part of the campus is a auditorium, which also houses the transmitter for KXSW, a local radio station.

References

External links

* {{authority control American Indian Higher Education Consortium Educational institutions established in 1979 Education in Roberts County, South Dakota Buildings and structures in Roberts County, South Dakota 1979 establishments in South Dakota Community colleges in South Dakota Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Native American history of North Dakota