Face to face meetings and visits to each tribal college by NMHED leadership are intended to enhance communication and establish mutual partnerships.

Transcription

1 State-Tribal Collaboration Act New Mexico Higher Education Department Report July 2013 I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The New Mexico Higher Education Department s Collaboration and Communication Policy was adopted in In 2010, the Making Schools Work Group, comprised of NMHED and NMPED staff members, met with representatives from the tribes to develop an overarching policy that, pursuant to the State Tribal Collaboration Act: 1) Promotes the effective collaboration and communication between the agencies and tribes; 2) Promotes positive government-to-government relations between the state and tribes; 3) Promotes cultural competence in providing effective services to American Indians/Alaska Natives; and 4) Establishes a method for notifying employees of the agencies of the provisions of the STCA and the policy each agency adopts. Face to face meetings and visits to each tribal college by NMHED leadership are intended to enhance communication and establish mutual partnerships. II. AGENCY OVERVIEW / BACKGROUND A. Mission Statement The New Mexico Higher Education Department (NMHED) leads a statewide system of higher education that serves the interests of our students and seeks to provide the State with the highly educated workforce that is necessary for New Mexico to compete in an increasingly demanding national and global economy. B. Agency Overview The New Mexico Higher Education was established as a Cabinet-level agency in 2005, and assumed all roles and responsibilities of the former Commission on Higher Education. The Indian Education Division was created in 2009 as a single position. C. Native Students in Higher Education During the academic year, there were 11,759 American Indian students enrolled (7.68% of total postsecondary enrollment) at New Mexico public postsecondary institutions. American Indian students have one of the largest achievement gaps out of all ethnic groups in New Mexico. Native Americans made up 11% of state population age 18-24, 9% of college enrollment, and 3% of college graduates. From UNM s New Mexico College Access Inventory (2012), citing the Chronicle for Higher Education for 2010 graduates: NM Native American NMHED State-Tribal Collaboration Act Report, 2013, Page 1

2 students 6-year graduation rate for 4-year degrees was 21% (compared to 46% white and 37% Hispanic) and their 3-year graduation rate for 2-year degrees was 23% (compared to 15% white and 12% Hispanic). III. AGENCY EFFORTS TO IMPLEMENT POLICY The position of Director of Indian Education at NMHED is currently vacant. In the interim, Deputy Secretary Glenn Walters serves as Tribal Liaison. NMHED Secretary Jose Garcia attended the IAIA ceremonial groundbreaking for the new administrative services and welcome center in February Secretary Garcia also attended the Indian Affairs Committee in March Deputy Secretary Glenn Walters met with the tribal colleges in April 2013 and later that month met with them again at the Embassy Suites in Albuquerque to discuss grants for the Native American College Readiness Initiative (NACRI). In June 2013 Secretary Garcia held a meeting on NACRI at the Santa Fe Indian School. In June 2013 Secretary Garcia and Deputy Secretary Glenn Walters attended the State-Tribal Leaders Summit at the Inn of the Mountain Gods at Ruidoso. Throughout the year, Secretary Garcia and Secretary Arthur Allison of the Department of Indian Affairs have discussed on numerous occasions issues relating to higher education and Native American students. NMHED no longer administers Blackboard Distance Learning, but transferred some of its Blackboard licenses to the Institute of American Indian Arts, as well as to the Public Education Department specifically for the use of Diné College so that distance learning could continue at those institutions. IV. CURRENT AND PLANNED PROGRAMS AND SERVICES FOR AMERICAN INDIANS / ALASKA NATIVES A. Dual Credit House Bill 90, Native American Schools Dual Credit Program, was signed into law in This legislation expands New Mexico s statewide dual credit program to Bureau of Indian Education- funded high school students and New Mexico s four tribal colleges Diné College, Navajo Technical College, the Institute of American Indian Arts and Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute. Dual Credit is an early college intervention to expose students to the rigor and structure of college work. Dual credit students receive both high school and college credit for approved courses, getting a jump-start on beginning a college career. NMHED State-Tribal Collaboration Act Report, 2013, Page 2

3 Dual credit helps diminish the effect of some of those barriers because it helps New Mexico students to be more likely to finish high school, be prepared for college, enroll in college or trade school, not need remedial courses in college, and complete a degree program in less time. House Bill 90 enables our Department s Indian Education Division along with other divisions to work closely with BIE schools and tribal colleges to work toward our goal of raising American Indian representation in college to a level that is reflective of our state s population. Participating BIE schools and tribal colleges will follow the state s K-12 schools and public colleges and universities partnership model: Schools will cover textbooks and course supplies for the students and tribal colleges will waive tuition and general fees associated with the program. Eligible BIE high school students will be responsible for their own transportation and for returning textbooks to their BIE school. This legislation provides access for American Indian students to the important statewide dual credit program so they may have the same opportunities as other New Mexico students to succeed in college and career. It emphasizes the importance of meaningful partnerships with tribal communities to increase opportunities for American Indian students. Both chambers passed the bill unanimously, demonstrating significant support for helping American Indian students succeed. The bill did not, however, contain additional funding, and until State revenues increase in an improved economic climate, secondary and postsecondary institutions will have to find ways to fund the dual credit programs within their existing budgets. Senate Bill 256 (2012), sponsored by Senator Pinto, created the tribal college dual credit program fund to reimburse tribal colleges for waiving tuition. No appropriation was made to the fund during the 2012 legislative session; however $100,000 was appropriated to the fund in the 2013 legislative session. B. Data Collection and Reporting B1 Tribal Colleges NMHED, NMPED, BIE schools and tribal colleges are addressing the important issue of reporting and collecting relevant data so we can measure the program s success and track our progress. The 2007 Memorandum of Agreement between NMHED all of the tribal colleges addressed this issue, and all parties to the MOA are presently working to fulfill the terms of the agreement. NMHED Director of Planning and Research continues to work with tribal colleges to train their staff in the use of NMHED s e-dear data system. Training sessions have been provided to all four tribal colleges. B2 Quarterly Meetings In order to develop better communication between tribal colleges and NMHED vis-à-vis data collection, NMHED has initiated quarterly meetings with tribal college leaders. Meetings in 2013 have been held in January, April and July at either the State Capital or a tribal college. Agendas are created as a joint effort between NMHED and the tribal colleges. Discussion NMHED State-Tribal Collaboration Act Report, 2013, Page 3

4 items at the quarterly meetings have included dual credit, capital outlay projects, data collection and reporting and other agreed upon items. NMHED and the tribal schools recognize many areas of common interest to the tribes and the state concerning post-secondary education and the educational achievement gap now existing between the tribal youth and other New Mexican youth. Members of NMHED normally attending the quarterly meetings includes Cabinet Secretary Dr. José Garcia, Deputy Secretary Glenn Walters, Institutional Finance Director John Rush, Dr. Gerald Pitzl, David Mathews, Data and Research Director Dina Advani, Capital Accounts Manager Henry Mignardot and other HED staff. The 2013 New Mexico State Legislature allocated $100,000 to the Tribal College Dual Credit Fund; data collection is critical in order to properly allocate funds. C. Accreditation As of July, 2012, SIPI is still in candidacy status (pre-accreditation) with the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and has requested a comprehensive evaluation visit during the academic year (September 2013, October 2013 or January 2014). Meanwhile, SIPI continues to meet HLC requirements and the college continues to make progress and is well into a new self-study in preparation for the next HLC visit. D. Adult Basic Education NMHED s Adult Basic Education (ABE) Division serves 18,854 students, of whom 2,275 (12.1%) are Native American. Of the 26 ABE programs in the state, four serve four serve Native American Indians entirely: Alamo Navajo School District, Diné College, SAGE/Tepayac Consortium, and Southwest Indian Polytechnic Institute. In addition, six other programs (UNM-Gallup, NMSU-Grants, UNM-Los Alamos, NMSU-Alamogordo, ENMU- Ruidoso, and Catholic Charities) maintain remote sites in Indian Country, and almost all of ABE s programs, including NM Corrections, serve Native Americans in their regions. ABE supports dedicated Native-serving programs in developing and using culturally sensitive curricula and adapting well-demonstrated best practices for student success for their populations. With the support of NMHED, programs in and near Indian Country perform outreach to that population, and those associated with tribes have collaborative relationships with employment and social services operated by tribal governments for their members. E. GEAR UP In April 2012, NMHED was awarded a $38.8 million grant ($4.8 million a year for seven years) from the federal Department of Education. The grant is for GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs), a program that NMHED has administered under a previous grant for the past six years. The new grant is being organized differently, serving all students in grades 7-12 in participating schools rather than just following a single class from year to year. The previous grant served 6,000 students in 29 schools; the new grant will serve more than 12,000 students in 25 schools. Of the students in the existing GEAR UP grant, 26% were Native American. NMHED State-Tribal Collaboration Act Report, 2013, Page 4

5 Services provided to these students included: dual credit opportunities allowing students to obtain college credits while in high school; one-on-one assistance to students and parents in filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) filing assistance; college visits; ACT preparation services; after school tutoring to assist students in their curriculum and increase grades and test scores. Primarily Native American Schools Serviced by GEAR UP: Dulce 48 Students 100% Graduation Rate 72% Completed FAFSA 83% Enrolled in postsecondary institutions Walatowa 20 Students 100% Graduation Rate 100% Completed FAFSA 85% Enrolled in postsecondary institutions Shiprock- 141 Students 90% Graduation Rate 29% Completed FAFSA 32% Enrolled in postsecondary institutions Newcomb 245 Students 59% Graduation Rate 72% Completed FAFSA 26% Enrolled in postsecondary institutions Kirtland 181 Students 95% Graduation Rate 42% Completed FAFSA 86% Enrolled in postsecondary institutions Laguna Acoma 327 Students 96% Graduation Rate 63% Completed FAFSA 77% Enrolled in postsecondary institutions Grants 206 Students 86% Graduation Rate 68% Completed FAFSA 69% Enrolled in postsecondary institutions V. TRAINING AND EMPLOYEE NOTIFICATION NMHED State-Tribal Collaboration Act Report, 2013, Page 5

6 Once the position of Director of Indian Education is filled, that individual will receive Tribal Collaboration Act training. The Director of Indian Education, who will serve as Tribal Liaison, will keep all Department employees informed of issues relating to Indian Education by reporting to division directors at directors meetings so that directors can inform their staffs, reporting at staff meetings to the entire Department, and when necessary in between meetings sending memoranda to staff members. VI. KEY NAMES AND CONTACT INFORMATION Glenn Walters Deputy Secretary and Tribal Liaison (505) NMHED State-Tribal Collaboration Act Report, 2013, Page 6