HUD AWARDS $4 MILLION TO NATIVE AMERICAN COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES - FORT PECK COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO RECEIVE $800,000
Tribal Institutions to improve and expand facilities

WASHINGTON - U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan today awarded $4 million to five Native American colleges and universities to build, expand, renovate, and equip their own facilities. Funded through HUD's Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP) (http://www.oup.org/programs/aboutTCUP.asp), these tribal institutions will also create programs to reduce their energy costs, produce faculty housing and construct state-of-the art classroom facilities.

"HUD is proud to stand with tribal colleges and universities as they strive to build, expand and renovate their
campus facilities to more effectively address Native American educational and cultural needs," said Donovan.
"These grants will help these institutions of higher education meet their infrastructure needs so they can
concentrate on the important work of building young minds."

The following tribal colleges and universities were awarded funding (see attached for a description of these
projects):

To qualify for HUD funding, tribal colleges and universities must be fully accredited, or provide a statement that the institution is a candidate for accreditation, by a regional institutional accrediting association recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. These colleges and universities may undertake a wide variety of activities, including:

• Building a new facility (for example, classrooms, administrative offices, health and cultural centers,
  gymnasiums, and technology centers);
• Renovating or expanding an existing or acquired facility;
• Equipping university facilities (for example, laboratory equipment, library books, furniture);
• Property acquisition;
• Health screening;
• Homeownership counseling/training;
• Technical assistance to establish, expand, or stabilize microenterprises;
• Crime, alcohol and/or drug-abuse prevention activities;
• Youth leadership development programs;
• Tutoring/mentoring programs;
• Childcare/development programs; and
• Cultural activities/programs.

The Tribal Colleges and Universities Program is one of several initiatives administered by HUD's Office of University Partnerships (OUP). Established in 1994, OUP is a catalyst for partnering colleges and universities with their surrounding communities in an effort to address pressing local problems. For more information about HUD's
partnership with institutions of higher education, visit HUD's website (www.oup.org/).

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HUD is the nation's housing agency committed to increasing homeownership, particularly among minorities;
creating affordable housing opportunities for low-income Americans; and supporting the homeless, elderly, people with disabilities and people living with AIDS. The Department also promotes economic and community development and enforces the nation's fair housing laws. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the
Internet and espanol.hud.gov.

Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP)
Grant Summaries

Fort Peck Community College
Poplar, Montana
$800,000

Fort Peck Community College (FPCC) intends to use its Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP) grant to construct four faculty housing units that will serve as inducements to the hiring of at least four new faculty
members. Special consideration will be given to professional faculty required to fill key positions in the disciplines of Math, Science, and Technology. With the addition of at least four professional faculty, FPCC will be capable of providing continuity in class scheduling. This will allow students to take required classes on a continuous schedule without a waiting period. This will encourage students to graduate within the two-year prescribed time frame for completion. It will also provide the essential continuity needed to attract the traditional student to FPCC, as the preferred institution for completing their first two years before transferring to a four-year institution. For more information, contact Warren Means at (406) 768-5555.

Nebraska Indian Community College
Masy, Nebraska
$799,545

Nebraska Indian Community College (NICC) intends to use its Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP) grant
to renovate approximately 75 percent of an existing building shell at NICC's Macy campus in order to create a 100-percent functioning campus. This will result in a two-level facility containing offices, general classrooms, a science laboratory, a cultural classroom, a recording room, a conference room, and a library. The location is the new Macy campus, which is a 20-acre site on Highway 75 in Macy, Nebraska. The target population to be served is the
Omaha Tribe of Nebraska, which consists of approximately 3,000 enrolled members. The immediate towns served
are Macy, the capitol of the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska, which is 97-percent Native American and has a population
of 962, and Walthill, which has a population of 909, the majority of whom are Native. The project will create a safe and healthy campus environment for learning, which is vital to NICC's continued accreditation; help increase recruitment and retention, which is vital for NICC fiscally; and help improve the standard of living for the Omaha
Tribe. For more information, contact Michael Oltrogee at (402) 837-5078 x2568.

Sitting Bull College
Fort Yates, North Dakota
$799,698

Sitting Bull College (SBC) intends to use its Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP) grant to implement a
100-kilowatt wind turbine generating renewable clean energy offsetting energy expenses for the college of at least $250,000/year over a 20-year life ($5 million minimum savings). SBC also plans to use the funding to complete renovations of the McLaughlin Learning Center, correcting major deficiencies including recurring sewer and water issues, handicap accessibility problems, lack of a paved parking lot, lack of effective safety and security measures (surveillance and alarm system) and outdated bathroom facilities. The overall fundamental and long-term goal of
both activities is to reduce SBC's alarmingly high 68-percent fall-to-fall student attrition rate. For more information, contact Koreen Ressler at (701) 854-8001.

Oglala Lakota College
Kyle, South Dakota
$800,000

Oglala Lakota College (OLC) intends to use its Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP) grant to expand the
He Sapa Instructional Center in Rapid City, South Dakota. The expansion will include a 4,300-square-foot addition
that will match the existing building in quality, appearance and material. The addition will include three classrooms with 15-student capacity, one classroom with 25-student capacity, and 1 office. The He Sapa Instructional Center began in 1986 at the request of the Rapid City Indian community and was housed in church buildings until 2000.
Once the original He Sapa Instructional Center building was constructed the enrollment reached 450 in 2008-09.
For more information, contact Thomas Shortbull at (605) 455-6020.

Sisseton Wahpeton College
Agency Village, South Dakota
$800,000

Sisseton Wahpeton College (SWC) intends to use its Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP) grant to complete the SWC auditorium. This will involve four separate activities: providing the finishing touches to the
building by installing basketball equipment, sound and lighting equipment for the stage area, and a phone and
intercom system throughout the building; equipping the building to serve as an emergency shelter by providing
cots, sleeping bags, pillows, medical supplies and other supplies necessary to provide shelter for up to 100 people; providing furniture for the building, furnishing a classroom, two offices, radio and TV studios, a control room, an editing room, and a large multi-purpose room to state of the art levels; and landscaping the immediate area surrounding the auditorium as well as helping adjoining areas of campus blend with the auditorium space. For more information, contact Pam Wynia at (605) 742-1114.