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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 1990)
Smoke Signals December 1990 page 6 . Nonprofit Partnership Launches Tribal Commerce Plan Falmouth, VA - Fueled by grants from Carnegie Corporation of New York and Unity Avenue Founda tion, First Nations Financial Project and the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management today announced the launching of the Tribal Commerce and Enterprise Management Program. (TCEMP) TCEMP is a unique partnership-involving American Indian tribes, First Nations, the Carlson School, and the H. H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs-designed to empower promising American Indians with the skills and resources they need to be successful business leaders on Indian reservations. It is the only program in the country to combine professional management training in business and public affairs with direct follow up work on reservations. "Every day," says Rebecca Adamson, an Eastern Cherokee and President and founder of First Nations, "tribal leaders are faced with the same decisions that confront CEO's of Fortune 500 companies. But without the special skills and information needed to make sound and creative business decisions in a highly competitive marketplace, Indian leadership is often at a serious disadvantage. The too frequent result is that tribal funds end up in someone else's pocket." "One approach to the problem" says Adamson, "has been to hire non-Indian consultants to manage the business affairs of the tribe, but this has not worked well because these consultants usually bring their own agendas and lack an understanding of tribal culture. TCEMP is so significant because it is the first program to attack the problem directly by training and placing Indian managers on reservations to work." "The vast majority of minority education programs have failed to serve the needs of minority communities because they do not direct graduates back into their communities for work," adds Sherry Salway Black, and Oglala Lakota and Vice President of First Nations. "Generally, they end up working for corporations and, while diversity in corporations is important, the need for skilled leadership in minority communities is profound and growing. TCEMP is a model in this respect and we hope that it can influence the future of minority educa tion towards the needs of minority communities." "When First Nations approached us with this project," says Don Bell, Assistant Dean of MBA Programs at the Carlson School, "we saw that indeed it had the potential to help us serve the needs of minority communities, but also we saw it as an opportunity to diversify and strengthen our program. The fellows entering TCEMP this fall, true to form, have outstanding backgrounds and will be real assets to the MBA program." Terry Mason Moore, an Osage from Oklahoma, was selected as Outstanding Young Woman of the Year in 1983. She has a law degree from the University of New Mexico and has been providing legal and business counsel in her community while raising two children. Aurolyn Stwyer, a Warm Springs tribal member from Oregon, was selected as a 1989 Outstanding Adult Learner of the Year by the National Committee on Adult and Continuing Education and 20 other associa tions, including Barbara Bush. She is a single mother and completed her undergraduate education on week ends while working full-time for the Tribe as an ac countant. "Both of these candidates have demonstrated a strong commitment to Indian issues," concludes Mark Jacob son, TCEMP Director, "and through TCEMP they will be prepared to fulfill this commitment by fortifying their tribes with business and managerial expertise." First Nations Financial Project is a national, cross tribal American Indian development institute dedicated to helping tribes build sound, sustainable reservation economies. The program features: - an adapted curriculum combining in-depth study in business and public management leading to a Master of Business Administration Degree. - a two-year package covering tuition and liberal living cost allowance. the availability of summer corporate internships. - a public lecture series on tribal development issues. - at least one year in a full-time position with a sponsor ing tribe. The Problem In managing the affairs of American Indian nations and reservations, Indian leaders arc called upon to make many of the same decisions that confront CEO's of "Fortune 500" companies. But without the special skills and information needed to make sound and creative business decisions in a highly competitive marketplace, Indian leadership is often at a serious disadvantage. Too frequently the results are failed business ventures and tribal funds ending up in someone else's pocket. TCEMP: A Soulution In response to this situation, First Nations Financial Project and the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota have developed the Tribal Commerce and Enterprise Management Program (TCEMP). TCEMP is the only tribal leadership program to provide promising American Indians with professional business and public administration training in combination with direct follow-up work on reserva tions. The Goal TCEMP's long-term goal is to substantially increase the number of skilled American Indian business leaders working on reservations. The program enrolls fellows in September of each year from tribes across the country. The Program TCEMP features extensive graduate study in business at the Carlson School in areas including accounting, economics, finance, marketing, information systems, operations management, statistics, organizational behavior, and strategic policy. It complements this private sector business education with in-depth explora tion of public management issues through the renowned H. H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. The program is enriched by the availability of summer internships with Twin Cities corporations and through a public lecture seHes on reservation development issues. Fellows completing the two years of academic study receive a Master of Business Administration degree (MBA). TCEMP fellows receive full tuition and a generous stipend for living expenses while studying at the Univer sity of Minnesota. The program's third year is spent employed by a sponsoring tribe in a reservation setting. Fellows are encouraged to continue their involvement in tribal management beyond this one year. The TCEMP Partners TCEMP is a unique partnership among the Carlson School, First Nations Financial Project and the Ameri can Indian nations for the express purpose of building business leadership for the alleviation of reservation poverty. Centrally located to Indian Country, the Carlson School has a national reputation for excellence in graduate management education and has one of the top five faculties among the country's public schools. First Nations Financial Project is internationally known for its highly successful model reservation development projects and programs. Tribal sponsors nominate fellows and agree to employ them for at least one year following their studies. Qualifying To qualify for TCEMP you must be an enrolled member of an American Indian nation and have an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university. Fellows will be selected competitively from among the qualified candidates. Applications are to be submitted by April 1 each year. As part of the process, you must also take the Graduate Management Admis sion Test. Plan to take this test no later than March of the year in which you wish to enter the TCEMP pro gram. (For more information on the GMAT contact the Educational Testing Service at 609-771-7330). Applying To obtain application materials for TCEMP, contact Mark Jacobson at First Nations Financial Project by phone or letter, or contact Dr. Don Bell, Assistant Dean of MBA Programs, Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota. Any questions about your ap plication to the MBA degree program should be directed to Dr. Bell. TCEMP A Jointly Sponsored Program -of First Nations Financial Project and the Carlson School of Management at the . . - University of Minnesota Support for this program comes from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Unity Avenue Founda tion, and the Carlson School of Management. Thursday AA Meetings Have Been Changed From 8:00 pm to 7:00 pm
