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