Oglala Lakota College

Oglala Lakota College (OLC) is a public tribal land-grant community college in Kyle, South Dakota. It enrolls 1,456 students enrolled part- and full-time. OLC serves the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, which has a population of about 26,000 and covers 3,468 square miles in southwestern South Dakota.[1]

Oglala Lakota College
Oglala Lakota College in Kyle, South Dakota
MottoRebuilding the Lakota Nation through Education
TypePublic tribal land-grant community college
Established1971
Academic affiliations
AIHEC, Space-grant
PresidentThomas Shortbull
Students1,400
Location
Kyle, South Dakota
,
South Dakota
,
United States
CampusUrban/suburban reserve on the Pine Ridge Reservation
Websitewww.olc.edu
Marchers from Oglala Lakota College celebrating the opening of the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., September 21, 2004.

History

OLC is chartered by the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council in 1971.[1] In 1994, the college was designated a land-grant college alongside 31 other tribal colleges.[2]

Governance

OLC is governed by a 13-member Board of Trustees.

Campus

OLC has a decentralized campus system. There are OLC instructional centers in each of the nine districts across Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. There are college instructional centers in Rapid City and on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation.[1]

Academics

From its initial status as a community college, Oglala Lakota has grown to now offer Baccalaureate degrees and a master's degree in Lakota Leadership along with certificates and A.A. degrees. OLC is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Accrediting Agency to offer degrees at the associate’s, bachelor’s, and master’s levels. Education graduates are certified by the South Dakota Division of Education to teach in K-12 elementary systems and to serve in school administrative capacities. OLC nursing graduates are certified by the South Dakota State Board of Nursing and eligible to sit for the registered nurse examination. The social work program is accredited at the bachelor's degree level.[1]

Partnerships

OLC is a member of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC), which is a community of tribally and federally chartered institutions working to strengthen tribal nations and make a lasting difference in the lives of American Indians and Alaska Natives. OLC was created in response to the higher education needs of American Indians. OLC generally serves geographically isolated populations that have no other means accessing education beyond the high school level.[1]

References
  1. American Indian Higher Education Consortium Archived June 14, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  2. "NIFA 1994s The First 20 Years of the 1994 Land-Grant Institutions Standing on Tradition, Embracing the Future" (PDF). National Institute of Food and Agriculture. September 25, 2015. Retrieved December 20, 2020.

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