2000 CIP

LCOOCC Characteristics

“...LCOOCC is viewed by its local constituents as much more than a college. It is deeply embedded into the social, economic, political, and cultural fabric of the community. It clearly is the center of the community's vision' in terms of not only promoting higher education. but also in terms of bridging cultures; creating a sense of hope and prosperity for future generations; and providing a central 'place' for the community to gather and celebrate-to ponder their collective talent, pride, achievements, and aspirations. This 'blending' of the College with the community has been accomplished at a level rarely observed in today's world of higher education..."

--          NCA team report of April 22,1998

    LCOOCC is a tribally controlled two-year institution founded in 1982. The college is a public institution and has both technical and community college status in Wisconsin.   LCOOCC achieved candidacy status from the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), in 1987. In 1993 the college was accredited for 5 years and in 1998 this status was renewed for another 8 years. As a non-profit institution, LCOC)CC is exempt from federal taxes under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

PRIMARY SERVICE AREA AND POPULATION

     The Lac Courte Oreilles Reservation is located within Sawyer County, about eight miles from the county seat of Hayward. The reservation consists of approximately 5,400 tribal member, roughly 3.500 of who reside on. or near the reservation. The county itself has population of 15,000 that is dispersed across 1,354 square miles.   Seasonal residents taking advantage of the many recreational activities available in the area bolster this population considerably.

    The area is geographically and. for the most part socially isolated. The difficulties imposed by distance are compounded by extremes in continental climate. Winters are especially difficult combining deep snow with high winds and severe cold. The economy of the region is based on tourism and retail trade. Household incomes are often based on seasonal, minimum wage or near minimum wage employment with few fringe benefit packages.  With the exception of the professional job sector, wages throughout the county are low. The Lac Courte Oreilles Tribal Government is the largest employer in Sawyer County. The majority of the jobs pay $5.00 to $7.00 per hour, keeping a large segment of the Sawyer County population hovering at or just above the poverty line. Unemployment on the LCO Reservation hovers around 53%.

     Although the Lac Courte Oreilles Casino brought 300 new jobs to the reservation in 1993, tribal employees struggle, at $5.75 to $6.50 per hour, to budget adequately for their families to have nutritious food and reliable transportation.  Former AFDC (welfare) recipients, now working, struggle with high childcare costs (approximately twenty dollars per child), and the loss of rent support subsidies. They also lack the well-established family support systems that assist single parents who are working. Many LCOOCC students have stated that "they are no better off financially and their children suffer because of the lack of proper parental guidance."  On the LCO Reservation, over 35% of the population over the age of 18 have not earned a high school diploma.

     Poverty is a daily routine for many reservation residents and a large number of Sawyer County residents as a whole.  According to the Sawyer County Housing Authority, 170 families in Sawyer County communities continue to receive rent supports from federal or state programs, and 442 HUD supported housing units exist on the Lac Courte Oreilles Reservation.

     Even with families helping families, some cannot find the sufficient support they need.   The Lac Courte Oreilles Social Services Department has documented cases of families with children living in tents, abandoned buses, camper-trailers, old mobile homes with barrel-wood stoves, 3-season cabins without adequate insulation or heat, in the backs of pick-up trucks with toppers attached, and in the garages of family members. LCO College students coming from these environments tend to have poor attendance and extremely low self-esteem, and they often dropout.

     These circumstances are similar to those in the surrounding Indian communities.  LCOOCC also serves three outreach sites located at the Bad River, Red Cliff, and St. Croix Reservations. The unemployment rates on these reservations are 43%, 53%, 63%, respectively. In the fall of 1999, Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College applied for a Change of Institutional Status with North Central Association of Colleges and Schools to make these Indian communities degree sites. This status change was authorized in February of 2000.

LCOOCC PROGRAMS OF STUDY

 Associate of Arts: The Associate of Arts Degree is designed to provide a sequence of instruction designed to prepare students for immediate employment and/or transfer to an upper-division baccalaureate degree program.  The Associate of Arts Degree emphasizes the social sciences, humanities, arts, and similar subject

Associate of Science: The Associate of Science Degree is designed for students who wish to major in engineering, agriculture, or the physical and natural sciences. This curriculum is designed to provide credits transferable to upper-division baccalaureate degree programs. 

Associate of Applied Science: The Associate of Applied Science Degrees are either designed to be an integral part of a four year degree, as in a 2+2 program, or to be a terminal program leading directly into a specific career.

Certificate: A certificate of completion is awarded for the successful completion of vocational training in the following areas.

UNIQUE QUALITIES OF LCOOCC

   Tribal Colleges have been created over the past 28 years in response to the unique higher education needs of Indian people. The tribal college movement has also addressed the importance of post-secondary education to tribal development, cultural preservation, and sovereignty. Collectively, Tribal Colleges represent the most successful development in the history of American Indian education, promoting academic achievement in students who otherwise may never have known educational success.

    On the whole, Tribal Colleges are working miracles, as more Native Americans than ever before are receiving a college education. According to a recent report by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, "Tribal Colleges are an inspiration. These institutions are creating opportunities for Native Americans, who, for more than 300 years, suffered shameful misunderstanding and abuse."

    LCOOCC and its outreach communities are located in remote areas that are not easily served by other post-secondary institutions. The College brings educational opportunities to students for whom higher education would otherwise be geographically, financially, or culturally inaccessible. Despite minimal funding, LCOOCC has had unmatched success in terms of student retention, matriculation, continuing education rates, and graduation rates in comparison to the Wisconsin University System. LCOOCC's annual budget is $1,447,500 FY 2000.

    Vital to the success of the students is a wide-ranging system of student services.  LCOOCC students often need comprehensive remedial work, skills development, personal and academic counseling, and, for many poverty-stricken students, a ride to school. For this reason, our student services department has played a critical role in enabling student success. Another function of the student services department is to foster and promote student involvement in all aspects of Indian education and tribal community development. They provide leadership skills training, student government organization, and activities that assist students in choosing empowering life habits key to strengthening students for future tribal leadership.

    LCOOCC is the only post-secondary institution in Wisconsin that maintains a policy of open enrollment. Where other institutions have rigorous admissions requirements, LCOOCC allows all students with an ability to benefit to enroll in classes. Some students take courses before they have completed their high school equivalency diplomas; older students are given easier access in returning to school; and students who did not achieve sufficient academic standards in high school are given a "second chance."

 STUDENT BODY CHARACTERISTICS

   Over the past 18 years, the composition of the student body at LCOOCC has changed considerably. Until recent years, the student population was close to 100 % Native American, with the exception of a few spouses of tribal members. The ability to disburse financial aid and the accomplishment of accreditation by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools brought an influx of non-Indian students.  However, many of the non-Indian students share the same characteristics as the Native students: low income, first generation college students, single parents, and beginning college at an older age than students nation-wide.

    While the campus is located on the Lac Courte Oreilles (LCO), Reservation, approximately one-third of the students each semester attend classes held at outreach sites on the Bad River, Red Cliff or St. Croix reservations. The following tables show the past six semesters of general student body characteristics:

Faculty Characteristics:

    Not included.