NWTC and Oneida Tribe formalize partnership

From thewheelerreport.com: “NWTC and Oneida Tribe formalize partnership” — A charter formalizing a partnership between the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin and Northeast Wisconsin Technical College was signed on Thursday, June 20 on NWTC’s Green Bay campus.

The document, endorsed by Oneida Nation Area Manager of Education and Training Norbert S. Hill and NWTC President Dr. H. Jeffery Rafn, outlines the long-term goals of collaboration between the nation and College. Goals include increased post- secondary educational attainment for tribal members, more cooperation on higher education policy and programming, and ultimately, sustained economic vitality for the Oneida Nation.

“This builds on a relationship between an institution and a nation,” said Hill. “It starts with students, but education is also the vehicle to help Oneida build a nation.”

“We talked about how we could do more together, and this really commits us to increasing the educational level of tribal members, making sure people have the access that they need, and most importantly, that they’re successful,” said Rafn.

Approximately 100 Oneida students attend NWTC per year, making it one of the most highly attended higher education institutions for tribal members. Still, Hill and Rafn see opportunities to increase degree completion and to strengthen community relationships.

“We’ll be working together to only to assess how successful students currently are, but also how we can continue to improve the overall success of their students,” said Rafn.“We sit right on reservation land, right across the street is the Oneida Nation. It seems to me that we have a great opportunity to do some really good things together.”

Other goals contained in the document include increased employment for tribal members, improved student satisfaction, and more collaboration on workforce development issues, internships, and grants.

The charter builds on two recent partnerships between NWTC and Oneida that included the Food Sovereignty Summit in April, and visits to Oneida Nation High School by NWTC’s Mobile Manufacturing Lab.

“We’re holding each other accountable to achieve some specific goals,” said Hill.

“It’s really more than just sending kids to school and achieving a diploma or a two- year degree. It’s much more than that, it’s saying ‘how do we make this work?’ and it could be a model for other tribes across the nation.”