Sisseton Wahpeton College facts for kids
| Type | Public tribal land-grant community college |
|---|---|
| Established | 1979 |
|
Parent institution
|
Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate |
| President | Lane Azure |
| Students | 250 (80% Dakota people) |
| Location |
,
U.S.
45°33′46″N 97°03′39″W / 45.56271°N 97.06074°W |
| Campus | Urban/suburban reserve |
| Nickname | Mustangs |
 |
|
Sisseton Wahpeton College (SWC) is a special kind of college in South Dakota. It's a tribal college, meaning it was created by the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, a Dakota (Sioux) tribe. It's located on their land, the Lake Traverse Reservation.
SWC started in 1979 to help the Dakota people get a good education. About 250 students attend SWC, and more than 80% of them are tribal members. The college offers different types of learning, from job skills to regular college classes. Students can even transfer their credits to bigger four-year colleges.
Contents
History of Sisseton Wahpeton College
SWC first opened as a school for learning specific job skills. Later, as more students joined, they added regular college classes too. This makes SWC one of the few schools in South Dakota that offers both job training and academic degrees.
What Students Learn at SWC
Even though SWC mainly offers two-year associate degrees, it has special agreements with other colleges. This means students can take many of their classes at SWC. They can also easily move to another college to finish a four-year bachelor's degree. For example, SWC has an agreement with Mount Marty College. This allows SWC students to earn a bachelor's degree in Business and Tribal Governance.
Working Together: SWC Partnerships
SWC is part of a group called the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC). This group includes many tribal colleges that work together to make tribal nations stronger. SWC was created to help American Indian students get higher education. It often serves communities that are far from other colleges. This gives students a chance to continue their education after high school.
Institute for Dakota Studies
SWC was one of the first tribal colleges to create a special center for its culture. In 1992, the college started the Institute for Dakota Studies. This center's main goal is to teach, study, and protect the unique history and traditions of the Dakota tribe.
Center for Excellence in Dakota Language
In 2005, SWC opened the Center for Excellence in Dakota Language. This center works with the college's strong Dakota studies programs. Its goal is to help bring the Dakota language back to life. The program hopes to create a plan that other Native American communities can use to save their languages too.
SWC Campus Buildings
The college has recently made its campus bigger and added more programs. One of the newest buildings is called Song to the Great Spirit. This is the new SWC Vocational Education Building. It was designed so students could learn building skills by constructing a house inside it. Its unique design makes the SWC campus easy to spot.
The building looks like four Native American figures. They are holding drumsticks and singing a traditional Dakota song with their drum. This building honors the history of SWC and the Dakota people. The figures are made of fiberglass and are mostly useful. Two figures hold stairwells, one has the elevator, and another holds utility and storage rooms.
SWC has also almost doubled its size. It now has more classrooms and offices. There is also an Early Childhood Education Center for young children. The campus also has an auditorium. This auditorium is home to the transmitter for KXSW, a local radio station.
See also
- American Indian College Fund (AICF)
