作者：辛西娅·休伯特

2024年4月16日

萨克拉门托 State and the 加州部落学院 are teaming up to help more Native American students succeed in higher education.

Beginning this month, the tribal college’s administration will be based at 囊状态, where Native students will receive campuswide support as they work toward their undergraduate and graduate degrees.

萨克州立大学校长卢克·伍德（Luke Wood）表示，新的联盟将有助于为更多本土学生的学业成功铺平道路。

“We want to be the No. 1 college for serving Native American students,” he said.

In addition, 囊状态 administrators and faculty members will provide intensive mentorship to the tribal college as it seeks to become an accredited institution that can independently award bachelor’s and master’s degrees. That process could take seven years or longer, said Mark Wheeler, 囊状态’s senior advisor to the President.

“We will provide them with access to mentoring and other resources, helping them develop the capacities they need to earn accreditation,” Wheeler said. “They will learn about student affairs, outreach and enrollment, student life, finance, academic affairs and much more.”

惠勒在4月18日与来自全州各地的部落领袖举行的会议上说，这种合作关系是独一无二的。 “No other four-year college or university is working with the 加州部落学院 to secure their accreditation,” he said.

会议期间，CTC董事米凯拉·琼斯表示，学院很高兴与萨克州立大学合作，为美洲原住民学生创造更美好的未来。

“囊状态 is a perfect home for our tribal students,” Jones said.

部落学院通常位于印第安人保留地或附近，提供与文化相关的副学士学位和部落领导和管理等领域的证书。

“囊状态’s leadership has shown a willingness to bring us to the table and sincerely work with us. It’s a breath of fresh air.” -- Thomas Lozano, 加州部落学院 deputy executive director.

管理人员说，加州部落学院以前位于伍德兰，已经为全州700多名学生提供了服务。 在萨克州立大学，它的项目和资源将向所有学生开放。

“Academic opportunity definitely is needed in California for Native Americans,” said Juliet Maestas, the college’s interim president. “The partnership with 囊状态 offers an opportunity to open up those doors.”

The college and Native students across the state and nation will gain access to a wealth of additional resources from 囊状态, including its Esak’timá Center for Native students and a 美洲原住民研究项目.

As a 联邦政府指定的亚裔美国人和美洲土著太平洋岛民服务机构, the University also receives additional grant funding to support student success.

这种伙伴关系是萨克州立大学与美洲原住民社区合作的更广泛努力的一部分。 In addition to the opening of the Esak’timá Center, the University has recently taken positive steps to work with tribal nations to 归还其拥有的尚未归还的美洲原住民文化物品.

“囊状态’s leadership has shown a willingness to bring us to the table and sincerely work with us,” said Thomas Lozano, deputy executive director of the tribal college. “It’s a breath of fresh air.”

More than 200 of the University’s students identify as American Indian, said Native Success Coordinator Rena Horse. 这些数字反映了全国的数据，该数据显示，美国不到1%的大学生是美国印第安人或阿拉斯加原住民。 截至2021年，只有约15%的美国原住民获得了大学学位。

“We want to work with students, their families and tribes to build trust and to grow those numbers,” said Maestas. “We would like to be the bridge that connects our students to four-year universities.”

据美国印第安人教育基金会（American Indian education Fund）称，西方教育体系往往缺乏对美国原住民文化的了解，许多为保留地学生提供服务的学校资源有限。

Wheeler said 囊状态 has a “profound moral mission” to better serve the Native American community.

“The mission of the CSU is to educate the people of California,” he said. “Native Americans in California have suffered genocide and other horrific losses, and the colonial system we have imposed on them has made it difficult to pursue opportunities in higher education. We have a duty to help repair the damage.”

For more information about the 加州部落学院 and its alliance with 囊状态, 电子邮件 info@CaliforniaTribalCollege.com.