Native American MonthVolume 1 Number 3 October 2011NICCMessenger

Academic Dean Don TorgersonNews of our Academic Highlights Page 3

Honoring our EldersMake time for the important things Page 4

The Wisdom of the PeopleExpanding our Breadth of Knowledge

Mark Gordon Director of Development

News in Brief

Linda Whipple and Wyatt Thomas share teachings through emersion language classes in Santee, NE

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Insurance for NICC EmployeesOver the last year the NICC has been reviewing and now have selected a carrier for health, life, vision, dental, and disability benefits. These new benefits will start in the month of October 2011.

If you have questions concerning these benefits, please contact our Human Resources Director, Kristan Oltrogge at ext. 2581. Sporting OpportunitiesStudents interested in Volleyball, Basketball and other sporting

events should contact our coordi-nating student services represent-ative Kyla Cline-Snake at ext. 2589 so you may be added to the list and play dates can be announced. New Classes: Hunter Educa-tion courses A New Hunter

Education class is planed for this semester to be taught in Macy, Santee, and South Sioux City by Dr. Michael Oltrogge. Inquires can be made by contacting Kyla Cline-Snake in Student Services at ext. 2589.

Much of these learning’s are also shared with other communities through initiatives such as the Dakota Alliance and the Dhegiha language conferences. These gatherings allow for knowledge collaboration through similar Siouan dialects and offer us new sources of teaching methods for improved implementa-tions within our communities and as a result these initiatives have reinforced our COE programs.

Cultural wealth is furthered through our events such as the Dr. George Tinker visit and

the Cultural Sensitivity Program which aids and equips community members and other program managers with the ability to under-stand the Native American perspective and culture so they may better equip themselves to serving our communities. If you would like to learn more or would like to share ideas about our COE contributions to preserving cultural language and knowledge please contact us at info@thenicc.edu. •

Over the last five years our organization has been blessed by having the capac-ity to develop and implement a tribal

language program for both the Umonhon and Isanti communities. The fruits of these en-deavours have yielded our communities with two Centers of Excellence (COE) programs that have implemented language certification standards for both of our Siouan languages. Through these two podiums we have truly strengthened our organizations ability to pre-serve and revitalize the Umonhon and Isanti people’s language and culture.

Wyatt Thomas, Dakota COE Director and Alice Saunsoci, Umonhon COE Director, guided by the wisdom and forethoughts of our boards of elders have provided course work for our language programs that are highly visible in our communities. Through our immersion dinners we are providing family and youth education, in urban and reservation communi-ties. These outreach efforts have increased the college’s breadth of influence as an instrument for positive revitalization of our cultures.

2 NICCMessenger | October 2011

StudentFocus

President’sMessage

NICCMessengerA monthly college newsletter

Editor: Mark GordonDesign: Mark GordonPhotography: Mark GordonContact: 402 494 2311

Printed on recycled paper

News in Brief continued

Dawne M. Price Dean of Student Services

2011 Academic Year is shaping up to be a gang buster year for Nebraska Indian Com-munity College. There are more than 150 students registered in the Fall 2011 term. We have some upcoming courses that are being offered that NICC is excited about. Regalia Making in Santee is currently being offered and will be coming soon to Macy. Micheal Oltrogge will be teaching a Hunter Safety Course at the Macy campus; we will be hang-ing posters soon for times to sign up.

Remember students you need to get all of your Financial Aid applications completed. Apply online for your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (commonly known as Pell) at www.fafsa.ed.gov and your American Indian College Fund Scholarships at www.collegefund.org. These financial supports will help pay your tuition during the term. For those students who are ineligible talk to your

AAR staff about Campus Based Work Study.We want to welcome Kyla Cline-Snake who

is the new AAR staff for the Macy Campus. She has highly efficient computer knowledge so if you’re a student and having difficulty adapting to our mostly online systems get with Kyla and she can help you. Troy Munhofen is the permanent AAR in SSC campus and is very helpful with financial aid, and Linda Whipple is our corner stone AAR staff at Santee.

Interviews for Federal Work Study will happen the last week in September and we are planning to start training by October 2nd.Have a great semester, and remember we want to help you so come visit with us if you are having any difficulties with technology or course work. •

Student SupportStudents experiencing issues related to attendance and class work should contact your student services representative-for potential solutions. In Macy contact Kyla Cline-Snake at ext. 2589, in Santee contact Linda Whipple at ext. 2573 and in South Sioux City please call Troy Munhofen at ext. 2586.

Monthly Bus TicketsStudents in Sioux City, Iowa (Woodbury County) can obtain a monthly bus ticket to attend classes at the NICC from the American Indian Council 2508 E. 4th provided they fill out the necessary paperwork with Suzanne Woodruff, Employ-ment Specialist at 712-233-9036. This process takes up to 2 weeks for approval through the Kansas City office. For students in South Sioux you can obtain a bus ticket from Cuba Dabney at the Omaha Indian Center WIA program.

New Campus NewsLast month Jim Hallum Shov-elled the great soil in Santee that will one day very soon be a new facility for all to learn and celebrate education, tradition and culture. In the words, of the Great Sioux Chief Red Cloud (Makhipiya-luta) I am poor and naked, but I am the chief of a nation. We do not want riches but we do want to train our children right. Riches would do us no good. We could not take them with us to the other world. We do not want riches. We want peace and love.

Let this be a place to train our children right.

Dr. Michael Oltrogge President

Welcome to the 2011-2012 Academic Year at the Nebraska

Indian Community College. The college is eager to assist you in reach-ing your goals whether you are a student or a community member. The college continues to build and we hope those who have known us the in the past and those of you who are new to us are pleased with what you see.

The new Macy Campus’s Grand Opening and Dedication Ceremony is scheduled to be held on November 10, 2011. As you all can see, the Macy Campus construction is nearly complete and we hope to have construction 100% complete by the ceremony date.

The Santee Campus ground has been ac-quired; it is located in Santee proper. The parcel consists of 20 acres of ground and is an ideal location for construction. The ar-chitectural bids have gone out and a selection of the architecture firm should take place on October 11, 2011. If you know of any good, Native friendly architecture firms, please have them place their bid.

The college is closer to being removed from probation with the Higher Learning Commis-sion. The college received outstanding marks at the March, 2011 comprehensive visit. The college received the reaffirmation of removal of probation by the review committee in Sep-tember, 2011. The final removal of probation should occur on November 3 or 4, 2011 at the Learning Commission’s Board of Direc-tor meeting.

The college strives to serve Omaha, Santee and other students. Should you have any sug-gestions for improvements at the college, please feel free to contact me directly at moltrogge@thenicc.edu or any of the staff and/or personnel at any of our campus locations. The college is here to serve you. Thank you for your time and I wish you the best of luck on your journeys. •

Our future home in Santee, Nebraska

October 2011 | NICCMessenger 3

CommunityNews

NICCCalendar

Faculty/StaffUpdates

Our new home in Macy, Nebraska

Genevieve and Dwight Robinson with Janelle Wolfe learning all about

computers

■ October 4thFree Class for Native American MonthSantee Campus 5-10pmPeyote stitch beading

■ October 6th Guess Speaker, B.G. Tall Bear Iowa Department Human Services will be presenting at the Introduction to Human Service Class 9:30 to 10:45 VTC 2. The topic will be Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Visitors are welcomed.

■ October 7th Presidents report due NICC staff in Macy Homecoming Parade (time to be announced) Grant Compliance Training in Macy from 9:30 to 12:00.

■ October 10th All Campuses are closed for Native American Day The Great Hurt A Readers Theatre Presentation of Historical Accounts of American Indian Boarding Schools 7:00pm at the Orpheum Theatre in Sioux City, IA

■ October 11, 2011 Free Class for Native American MonthSantee Campus 5-10pmQuill design and teaching

■ October 17th to 20th Mid-term week

■ October 18, 2011Free Class for Native American MonthSantee Campus 5-10pmBuffulo skull painting and cleaning

■ October 21st to 23rd Wisdom of the People: Final Convening of Projects Summit in Denver, CO

■ October 22nd to 25th FALCON 2011 Annual Conference in Denver, CO for USDA Grants

■ October 24th Mid-term Grades Due

■ October 25th, 2011Free Class for Native American MonthSantee Campus 5-10pm Craddle board making/

■ October 31 HalloweenCandy will be provide for children during our business hours

Mark Gordon Director of Development

Earlier this year, the college provided an “Elders on Computers” class at the Santee and Macy Campuses. We are

planning on providing an additional class in November of this year at the South Sioux City Campus. So please stay tuned for more information. Theses classes focus on the basic elements of computers, such as how they work, security, surfing the web and connecting with

family and friends through e-mail and Face-book. As an instructor, I was excited to see so many from the community present and interested in learning about technology. One of the participants sent her first email at the age of 83 to her son who also participated in the class. These classes and many more like this one, such as our Regalia Making class, are made possible through our USDA extension funds. If you would like to know more about programs like the Elders on Computers class contact us at info@thenicc.edu •

Don Torgerson Academic Dean

An n o u n c -ing that the Board of

Directors and Presi-dent, Dr. Micheal Oltrogge offered The Academic Dean Position to Don L. Torgerson, MA, and it is with honor and enthusiasm that I accepted the position!

Increase the number of text books orderedEncourage early student enrollment Increase the number of classes offeredReview and Revise the Class Rotation to reflect the New Catalog 2011-2013Institutional Assessment Target:To include NICC Graduates and their Careers.To include NICC Strategic Planning Data •

2011 Academic Highlights:

NICC Enrollment is over 150 students “The Way to Go”The New NICC Catalog is now available. The Early Childhood Education Division is growing and is at an all time high for students seeking an AA in ECE, total of 27 students. Spring 2012 Schedule will be out by mid-term (A working draft will be sent out the first part of October). Planning for the increase in students for the Spring Semester has been implemented:

1111 Hwy 75 PO Box 428Macy, NE 68039

NICCMessenger

TechCorner

Students learning over our VTC System

Honoring Our EldersHonoring Ceremony at Macy Campus

Mike Berger Grants Writer

On Friday, September 30th from 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., the NICC’s Omon-

hon Language Center of Excellence and the Omaha Nation Community Response Team will honor Elders and Veterans with a ceremony in the new auditorium at the Macy campus. The honoring ceremony will feature the hand game and the war dance. Rufus and Maxine White are in charge of the ceremony, with Mitchell Sheridan as MC.

Videoconferencing a classroom is the next best thing to being there. At the NICC you’re able to communicate via

facial expressions, body language, and vocal variances in all three of our locations, Macy, Santee, and S Sioux City, at the same time. But

getting the most out of our videoconferenc-ing classrooms requires some preparation and planning for instructors and students. All the same rules apply as when attending a single site classroom such as, don’t be late; don’t interrupt or speak when others are speaking. Introduce yourself the first time you speak (unless it’s a one-to-one meeting with some-one you know well). State your positions

or comments clearly and concisely — don’t ramble on or hog the floor, and don’t bring up issues that aren’t related to the class. Should you run into challenges with videoconferenc-ing system or have questions, please contact Justin Kocian in Information Technology at ext. 2571•

The head singer will be Tim Grant and Edna Freemont head lady. For generations, Native Americans have had the highest rate of military service of any ethnic group in the country. This is an opportunity to thank our warriors and honor them for their personal sacrifices and bravery. It is important for us to remember the difficulties and challenges faced by our veterans and honor them for their courage, dedication, and selflessness in protecting our communities and freedoms. •

Event: Honoring CeremonyLocation: NICC Macy Campus AuditoriumSponsors: NICC’s Omonhon Center of Excellence, Omaha Nation Community Response TeamIn charge: Rufus and Maxine WhiteMC: Mitchell SheridanHead Singer: Tim Grant

Head Lady: Edna Freemont

Omaha Elder and Veteran, Clarence Walker