United Tribes Technical College (UTTC) Environmental Science & Research Department was awarded a $500,000 Grant from USDA-NIFA-Tribal College Research Area of Expertise (TCRAE) to study the ecology of Bats in North Dakota.
The Environmental Science department has been monitoring the health of bats and their impact on the state’s agriculture for approximately 10 years. The new TCRAE award is focused on monitoring population stability, habitat and potential declines. This proves to be a timely area of research as White Nose Syndrome (WNS), a fungus that is killing off bat populations, moves into North Dakota. WNS was reported to have reached North Dakota in early August. Knowledge of the distribution and habitat requirements of these various bat species and the roles they play in the ecosystem with help with conservation efforts and mitigation plans if their population does decline.
UTTC students Berlin West, (Cheyanne River) Amy Jackson, (Navajo Nation) and Kimberly Blevins (MHA Nation) have been busy this summer as student researchers of the grant. Berlin’s project is focusing on a less invasive way for the bats to be identified using DNA from guano and tissue samples. Amy is using the bat guano to look at the viruses that are carried by bats. Kim is using two different techniques to monitor the benefits bats have on agricultural in North Dakota.
At the end of the summer, students will compile their results and share them at several regional and national conferences.
At the end of the semester, students will compile research and results and be able to present their findings.
LuAnn Poitra (701) 221-1387, lpoitra@uttc.edu
BISMARCK (UTN) – United Tribes Technical College (UTTC) is celebrating the 50th year golden anniversary as a tribal college.
From humble beginnings in 1969 as the United Tribes Employment Training Center providing vocational training, adult education, and personal development classes, to United Tribes Technical College, an accredited institution offering certificate, associate, and bachelor, degree programs of study. UTTC continues to refine and offer educational programs that are focused on addressing tribal, state, and regional, workforce needs to ensure employment for our graduates.
Founded 50 years ago by the Sisseton Wahpeton Sioux Tribe, Spirit Lake Tribe, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, Three Affiliated Tribes, and the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, UTTC has served over ten thousand American Indian students from more than 75 federally recognized Indian Tribes across the nation. In addition to American Indians, the college welcomes and serves students of all backgrounds.
UTTC will host events throughout the year celebrating the anniversary. Here are some upcoming public events to which the public is invited free of charge:
STORIES OF ANCESTORS: Tim Mentz, SRST History Carrier, Series 4 of 4.February 7, 2019 at 5:30-8 p.m.
Winter Market: UTTC Gymnasium February 9, 2019 at 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
As we look back on our shared accomplishments, we move forward with excitement about what the next 50 years will bring. Please join us as we “Celebrate 50 Years: Building on a Legacy of Success.”
By: Kaley Schwab, Communications Specialist
Pots are clanging, whisks are flying, and Ebony Schultz is cracking her last egg when I walk into the UTTC kitchen.
Schultz, a first-year Culinary Arts and Nutrition student says this is where she feels most creative and most at home.
“[Cooking is] what I really love doing, and I guess, I was a really young mother and one of the things I told myself is that I always want to provide for my children and this is one of the main ways,” Schultz says.
Now, as a culinary student, she is taking her passion for cooking and making it a career.
“It’s creative and you get a tasty end result,” Schultz says.
But her main motivation to begin her classes here, at UTTC, has always been her kids.
“I felt like it’s more of a family than it’s a community,” Schultz says. “I felt like I fit in more here.”
Finding the place she belongs the moment she stepped into the kitchen.
“It’s a stress reliever for me and I feel good at the end of the project because you make something out of nothing,” Schultz says.
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If you know someone you would like to see featured as one of our Faces of UTTC you can email the name of your nomination along with contact information to media@uttc.edu.
[et_pb_section][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text]Contact: Sandy Thompson, Counselor
Phone: 701-221-1474
Email: sthompson@uttc.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Bismarck, N.D. — United Tribes Technical College (UTTC) welcomes the community to join us in honoring October 2018 as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) domestic violence is a public health problem that affects millions of Americans.
#1Thing is a campaign, launched by the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence, rooted in the belief that one action, one voice, or one thing, can be a catalyst for change when dealing with domestic violence.
UTTC is committed to spreading awareness and providing support for anyone who has been affected by domestic violence.
Throughout the month of October, UTTC invites the community to take part in spreading awareness of the continuing problem of domestic violence in our own communities.
UTTC is hosting two events in October to raise awareness and provide resources to those who have come in contact with domestic violence.
The Be a Good Relative event will take place Oct. 4, 2018, 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. in the Wellness Center Conference Room on UTTC’s campus.
Participants will discuss how to identify potentially violent situations, helpful resources, and learn how to lessen incidents of violence in the community.
On October 11, 2018, 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., in the UTTC Wellness Center Healing Room, UTTC will host the second annual National Domestic Violence Awareness event on campus.
Join the UTTC community to hear stories of survivors of abusive relationships and receive important information on how you can do #1Thing to eliminate domestic violence.[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]
By: Kaley Schwab, Communications Specialist
Bismarck, N.D. – When I met Danielle Peltier, UTTC pre-engineering student, she was sitting in an empty science classroom.
With a stack of paper spread out in front of her, Peltier was typing in the last few numbers of a problem into her calculator.
As a pre-engineering student, Peltier came to UTTC expecting to learn to solve problems. What she didn’t expect was the world of possibility she would find when she got here.
“I have a lot of opportunities that many Native kids don’t have between the AISES (American Indian Science and Engineering Society) program, we travel many places and get connections, and get to know people,” Peltier says.
Peltier says one of her favorite places she has been able to visit through AISES is San Diego inspiring Peltier to work towards being the next UTTC student to take part in the NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars program.
“I know a lot of Natives don’t get off the reservation so [I try to be] a role model and a mentor to try to prove that you can do it,” Peltier says.
As a member of the UTTC Women’s Basketball Team, Peltier is a leader on and off the court.
“I know that a lot of kids aren’t as fortunate as I am to have a strong upbringing in my life so I just want to allow people to have the chance to lean on someone and to make sure they always have someone to listen to and talk to,” Peltier says.
Peltier serves as a mentor for the North Dakota Indian Youth Leadership Academy, a program put on by the North Dakota Indian Affairs Commission that seeks to help build leadership skills in Native American youth.
“It’s opened up my eyes to understand more people and how I can actually help people and prove to them they can do whatever they want,” Peltier says.
Leading by example, in the classroom, on the court, and in the UTTC community.
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If you know someone you would like to see featured as one of our Faces of UTTC you can email the name of your nomination along with contact information to media@uttc.edu.
Contact: Kelsey Peltier, Health Promotions Coordinator
Office: 701-221-1355
Email: kpeltier@uttc.edu
Bismarck- N.D. – United Tribes Technical College (UTTC) is committed to offering ways to support students, faculty, and staff in their journey towards health and wellness. One of the ways UTTC supports wellness is offering free exercise classes to students and staff. Fall classes are up-and-running and include boxing, abs, HIIT, and yoga in the Lews Goodhouse Wellness Center (Building 69) on the UTTC campus. Check out a full schedule below or for more information contact Kelsey Peltier, health promotions coordinator. Must be 18 years or older to attend classes.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
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ABS Instructor: Lukas Chase Alone, personal trainer 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m
Boxing: Instructor: Shelby Pudwill, professional boxer 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. |
Yoga Instructor: Lisa Watkins 11:00 am – 12:00 pm |
HIIT Instructor: Lukas Chase Alone, personal trainer 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Boxing: Instructor: Shelby Pudwill, professional boxer 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. |
Yoga Instructor: Lisa Watkins 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Kaley Schwab, Communications Specialist
Office: 701-221-1387
Cell: 701-946-8611
Email: kschwab@uttc.edu
UTTC Receives Federal Grant to Launch Intertribal Research and Resource Center
Bismarck, ND – United Tribes Technical College (UTTC) is the recipient of a $2.6 million dollar federal grant to establish an Intertribal Research and Resource Center (IRRC).
The grant will be used to address community needs and to improve the sustainability of natural resources and agricultural sustainability in Indian Country.
“United Tribes Technical College (UTTC) has a long history of serving as a resource for tribal nations throughout the Great Plains region. The Intertribal Research and Resource Center (IRRC) builds on a strong network of partnerships to enhance research activities to positively impact land management and the sustainability of natural resources,” UTTC President Leander R. McDonald says.
These federal funds will be made available through the National Science Foundation’s Tribal Colleges and Universities Program.
“UTTC has a great team and infrastructure to manage and implement the grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to the benefit of the region,” McDonald says.
The grant is expected to continue through 2023 with an additional $900,000 in federal funds expected to be made available.
Jeremy Guinn, chair of the Environmental Science and Research Program at UTTC, says this funding is a way to reach beyond academic programs and serve the community directly.
“The research areas are food, energy, and water. It is a broad area but these are interconnected fields and we are looking to provide research, information, and resources to the tribes in those three areas,” Guinn says.
The Intertribal Research and Resource Center will be in addition to the work already happening on the college campus through the Land Grant program and the Environmental Science and Research Program that focuses on cultivating sustainable food on campus as well as research into sustaining natural resources.
By: Kaley Schwab, Communications Specialist
Bismarck, N.D. – On a gray overcast day, SaNoah LaRocque was listening to Dakota Good House finish the last few lines of his lecture.
Just before books were closed and pencils were put away, I spoke to LaRocque about life at United Tribes Technical College (UTTC).
Though it’s LaRocque’s first semester at UTTC, she is no stranger to college life.
She began her college career at Harvard University three years ago.
“I’m taking a gap year from Harvard. I’m interning for Senator Heitkamp this fall,” LaRocque says.
In between stumping for the senator, LaRocque, originally from the Turtle Mountains, came to UTTC for something she could not find in those ivy-covered halls.
“At Harvard, we don’t have any Native faculty or any Native history classes and so my major motivation in coming to United Tribes was just the emphasis on Native education and building the leaders of Indian Country of tomorrow,” LaRocque says.
LaRocque herself is one of those leaders.
Not only is she taking Native history, but she is also taking on the classes that will prepare her for her next big goal, to become Dr. LaRocque.
But until then, LaRocque says she’s grateful for her time here at UTTC.
“I want to thank everybody who’s helped me come to the decision to be a student at United Tribes – I feel like I’m a part of something really special here,” LaRocque says.
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If you know someone you would like to see featured as one of our Faces of UTTC you can email the name of your nomination along with contact information to media@uttc.edu.
