Northwest Indian College

Northwest Indian College (Xwlemi Elh>Tal>Nexw Squl[3]) is a public tribal land-grant community college in Bellingham, Washington. It was established by the Lummi Nation and is the only accredited tribal college or university serving reservation communities of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.[4][5]

Northwest Indian College
Former names
Lummi Indian School of Aquaculture, Lummi Community College
TypePublic tribal land-grant community college
Established1973 (1973)
PresidentJustin Guillory
Academic staff
100 (33 full-time, 67 part-time)[1]
Undergraduates594 (fall 2019)
Location
Bellingham, Washington
,
U.S.

48°47′39″N 122°36′51″W
CampusUrban/Suburban Lummi Nation (main campus) reserve, Swinomish, Tulalip, Port Gamble S'Klallam, Muckleshoot, Nisqually, and Nez Perce.
AffiliationsAIHEC
Websitewww.nwic.edu
[2]

History

NWIC was created in response to the higher education needs of American Indians, particularly geographically isolated populations that have no other means accessing education beyond the high school level.[4]

The institution began in 1973 as the Lummi Indian School of Aquaculture, which was established to provide local technicians for employment in Indian-owned and operated fish and shellfish hatcheries in the United States and Canada. In 1983, the Lummi Nation chartered the Lummi Community College to fulfill the need for a more comprehensive post-secondary education for tribal members.[6]

The Lummi Community College campaigned for accreditation by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities in 1988.[5] The commission affirmed accreditation in 1993, and Lummi Community College became Northwest Indian College.[6] One year later, the college was designated a land-grant college alongside 31 other tribal colleges.[7]

Years of program expansion and dedication resulted in the college gaining accreditation by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities as a four-year, baccalaureate degree-granting institution, effective September 2008.[8][5]

NWIC's president since 2012 is Justin Guillory (Nez Perce Tribe), from the Nez Perce Indian Reservation in Lapwai, Idaho.[6]

Academics

NWIC offers Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Associate of Arts and Sciences, Associate of Science (Transfer), Associate of Applied Science (Transfer), and Associate of Technical Arts degrees.[9] As of 2011, it was one of seven tribal colleges in the U.S. to offer a degree related to tribal administration.[10]

The college is an open enrollment school, meaning no SAT or ACT scores are needed to apply.[11]

Campus
Buildings on the NWIC Lummi campus

Northwest Indian College is an accredited four-year college located on the Lummi Indian Reservation in Washington state, near the city of Bellingham. In addition the NWIC's main campus in Lummi, the college has six sites located in Swinomish, Tulalip, Port Gamble S'Klallam, Muckleshoot, Nisqually, and Nez Perce.[12]

Partnerships

NWIC is a member of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC), which is a community of tribe- and federal-chartered institutions working to strengthen tribal nations and make a lasting difference in the lives of American Indians and Alaska Natives.[4]

Scholarships are available through the American Indian College Fund (AICF) and the NWIC Foundation.[13]

References
  1. "College Navigator - Northwest Indian College". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved 2016-09-22.
  2. "Northwest Indian College". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved 2021-11-15.
  3. 2017–2019 College Catalog
  4. American Indian Higher Education Consortium Archived 2012-06-14 at the Wayback Machine
  5. "Commission Grants NWIC Four-year Accreditation". Tribal College Journal. 22 (2). Winter 2010.
  6. "Our Story". Northwest Indian College. Archived from the original on 14 April 2017. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
  7. "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.
  8. "Northwest Indian College announces successful accreditation as four-year degree granting institution". Northwest Indian College. Archived from the original on 14 April 2012. Retrieved 27 October 2011.
  9. "Programs of Study and Awards of Completion". NWIC.edu. Northwest Indian College. 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  10. Ronquillo, John C. (March–April 2011). "American Indian Tribal Governance and Management: Public Administration Promise or Pretense?". Public Administration Review. 71 (2): 285–292. doi:10.1111/j.1540-6210.2011.02340.x. JSTOR 41061189. S2CID 153911704. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  11. "Northwest Indian College (NWIC)". Campus Explorer. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
  12. "Northwest Indian College Sites". Northwest Indian College. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
  13. "Financial Resources". Northwest Indian College. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
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