IAIA will launch graduation incentive program for 2017 freshmen
SANTA FE, N.M. – The Institute of
American Indian Arts announced on April
17 that it will begin a financial incentive
program for incoming freshmen for the
fall 2017 semester that will reward stu-
dents for attaining their bachelor’s degree
in four years (eight semesters) or less.
Students who accomplish this will
receive a rebate on tuition for their senior
year, earning a 25 percent savings on their
tuition. Because IAIA includes books in
tuition costs, the books required for their
senior year classes also will be free if they
meet the criteria of the program.
To qualify, full-time, degree-seeking
freshmen students will need to take a
minimum of 15 college credit hours each
semester, meet program requirements and
remain in good academic and disciplinary
standing – along with signing an agree-
ment for admission into the program.
Studies have shown that students who
complete their degree program in four
years have a greater degree of career suc-
cess than students who take five or more
years to finish – and many students who
don’t complete their program in four years
are less likely to receive their degree for a
variety of reasons.
The program (with varying incen-
tives) is known nationally as “15 to Finish”
and has been implemented in a number of
colleges (and states) across the country. It
is modeled after a University of Hawai’i
program that experienced a significant
increase (14.7 percent in one year) in the
number of students who completed at
least 15 college credits a semester.
Encouraging college students to
complete at least 15 credits a semester,
or 30 a year, will put them in a position
to graduate on time (on-time graduation
for bachelor’s degrees is four years). A
key part of the program will be to change
the long-standing perception that taking
12 credit hours a semester is enough
to graduate on time. For most degree
programs at IAIA, a bachelor’s degree
requires120 credits.
The primary goal of the campaign
is to improve college completion rates
at IAIA and reduce the cost and time for
degree completion for students partici-
pating in the program. The idea is that a
full course-load helps increase academic
success and decrease student costs.
Research indicates that students are
more likely to get better grades, improve
their financial state (by getting into the
workplace sooner) and experience more
options for their immediate future (by
finishing on time, students have more life
choices. They can get an advanced degree,
take time off to travel or volunteer, or start
working full time).
The historic data has revealed a com-
mon thread – and an animating principle
to guide efforts to boost graduation rates at
IAIA: The longer it takes to graduate, the
more life gets in the way of student success.
The program will be supported by an
advertising campaign targeting prospec-
tive IAIA students along with their key
influencers, which include parents and
families, K-12 teachers and staff, and
college faculty and staff.
A group of recent IAIA graduates who
finished their bachelor’s degree in four
years are now employed by their Tribes
in various positions, one is employed by
the American Indian College Fund and
another has been accepted into the IAIA
MFA in Creative Writing program.
Much of the research for this program
has been provided by Complete College
America. Established in 2009, Complete
AICF receives $1 million for traditional arts and culture
preservation program at Tribal colleges and universities
DENVER – The American Indian
College Fund has received a $1 million
grant to continue its Restoration and Pres-
ervation of Traditional Native Art Forms
and Knowledge program at Tribal colleges
and universities (TCUs).
The program expands knowledge
and skills at these institutions across the
country while also placing endangered art
forms at the center of its focus.
The program places elders in TCU
classrooms, giving them the opportunity
to teach endangered art forms and share
their knowledge, experiences and stories
with younger generations. Apprentices
and artists-in-residence have the opportu-
nity to learn cultural knowledge firsthand
from these master artists.
TCUs in Minnesota, Wisconsin,
North Dakota and South Dakota are eli-
gible to apply to participate. Applications
are available by contacting Bridget Skena-
dore, Native arts and culture projects coor-
dinator, at bskenadore@collegefund.org.
Deadline for application is May 5, 2017.
The generous grant is funded by the
Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies.
About AICF
Founded in 1989, the American
Indian College Fund has been the nation’s
largest charity supporting Native higher
education for more than 25 years. This
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Siletz News
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May 2017
College America is a national nonprofit
with a single mission – to work with states
to significantly increase the number of
Americans with quality career certificates
or college degrees and to close attainment
gaps for traditionally underrepresented
populations.
Learn more about the program at
completecollege.org.
For more information on the IAIA
incentive program, and details on qualify-
ing criteria for incoming students, please
go to: www.iaia.edu/4for3.
Offering undergraduate degrees in
studio arts, creative writing, cinematic arts
and technology, indigenous liberal studies,
and museum studies – and a graduate
degree in creative writing – IAIA is the
only college in the nation dedicated to the
study of contemporary Native arts. The
school serves 593 Native and non-Native
college students from across the globe.
IAIA is accredited by the Higher
Learning Commission of the North Cen-
tral Association of Colleges and is the
only college in New Mexico accredited
by the National Association of Schools
of Art and Design.
UO offers in-state
tuition to Siletz
Tribal students
The University of Oregon contin-
ues to offer in-state tuition benefits to
enrolled Siletz Tribal members regard-
less of their current state of residency.
The Residency by Aboriginal
Right Program was first offered in
2001 to 44 Tribes that have aboriginal
territories within the state of Oregon
that pre-date 1850. Out-of-state
students will pay in-state tuition, a
$20,000 savings each academic year.
For more information about UO,
visit uoregon.edu.
Courtesy photo from AICF
Butch Thunderhawk (Dakota), 61, an enrolled member of the Standing Rock Tribe,
presents a horse effigy demonstration at United Tribes Technical University (UTTC).
Thunderhawk, whose family roots are in the Tribe’s Cannonball District, teaches
traditional Native arts at UTTC. In his 36 years with the university, he has specialized
in the interpretation and creation of Plains Tribal objects and art. As the college’s
Tribal arts instructor, Thunderhawk is a beloved figure on campus, an accomplished
and well-known artist, and a respected member of the faculty.
fund believes “Education is the answer”
and has provided more than 100,000
scholarships since its inception and an
average of 6,000 scholarships per year to
American Indian students.
The fund also supports a variety of
academic and support programs at the
nation’s 34 accredited Tribal colleges and
universities, which are located on or near
Indian reservations, ensuring students
have the tools to graduate and succeed
in their careers. The fund consistently
receives top ratings from independent
charity evaluators.
For more information, visit colleg-
efund.org.
Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians –
800-922-1399
Salem Area Office – 503-390-9494
Salem Finance Office – 888-870-9051
Portland Area Office – 503-238-1512
Eugene Area Office – 541-484-4234
Contract Health Services (CHS) –
800-628-5720
Siletz Community Health Clinic –
800-648-0449
Siletz Behavioral Health – 800-600-5599
Chinook Winds Casino Resort –
888-244-6665
Chemawa Health Clinic – 800-452-7823
Bureau of Indian Affairs – 800-323-8517
Website – ctsi.nsn.us