Kelly LaChance

DENVER — The American Indian College Fund announced it selected five tribal colleges and universities to participate in a new 30-month program to increase the schools’ capacity to better recruit and work with students while also increasing their sustainability as higher education institutions in the process.

The AICF’s “Cultivating Native College Student Success Program” targets tribal colleges and universities (TCUs). TCUs work hard to provide affordable access to higher education for Native students, which also helps build sustainable tribal communities through education.

The American Indian College Fund hired Kelly LaChance (a citizen of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz and descendant from the Dakubetede of Southern Oregon and the Northern California and Southern Oregon Shasta Nation) to manage the program.

LaChance has devoted her education and career to American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) education with a focus on student success. Prior to joining the College Fund, she served as an Education Director and Education Specialist for two federally recognized tribes. She is currently completing a doctorate of education degree in educational methodology, policy, and leadership from the University of Oregon.

Five TCUs were chosen to participate in a program that represents a diverse group of institutions with different sizes, program scopes, and program stages to create a cohort for cross-institutional support and to develop a community of practice around strategic enrollment and staff implementation strategies.

The five TCUs selected include:

• Oglala Lakota College, Kyle, South Dakota
• United Tribes Technical College, Bismarck, North Dakota
• Stone Child College, Box Elder, Montana
• Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College, Hayward, Wisconsin
• Salish Kootenai College, Pablo, Montana