Aazzhoogan: Red Lake Nation’s Bridge to the Future

SPREADING THEIR WINGS. The new RLNC building will feature a powerful migizi (eagle) design to symbolize the culture, strength, and perseverance of the Red Lake Nation. In approving a new $11.4 million campus in the heart of the new Red Lake Nation capital, tribal leaders have made higher education a central part of the long-term Red Lake Nation community development plan. Image courtesy of DSGW Associates

Most politicians say they support education. But the leaders of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians let their votes do the talking. Two years ago, the Red Lake Tribal Council and Hereditary Chiefs unanimously approved a new $11.4 million college campus for Red Lake Nation College (RLNC), which serves the 12,000 tribal members in northern Minnesota. This huge investment in tribal infrastructure is nation building in the purest sense. The new RLNC campus will greatly improve not only the college’s physical appearance, but will also elevate the community’s sense of pride and self-esteem. The impact of the new campus will be a positive, life-changing event for the people of the Red Lake Nation, providing both a psychological boost of hope and the practical advantages of educational opportunity.

The RLNC campus initiative is a key part of the larger $21.4 million Red Lake Nation capital that will feature a new tribal government center building. A USDA loan program for community development is financing the project. A ground-breaking ceremony took place in May 2013, and the grand opening for both facilities is tentatively scheduled for early 2015.

With unemployment rates on the reservation hovering around 60%, along with numerous social and health problems, tribal leaders concluded that improved access to higher education is one of the best long-term solutions to such ills. They therefore included it as a central component of the tribe’s community development plan. “To compete in today’s 21st century information society, we need more educated tribal members in all areas of our tribal operations—leadership, management, business, accounting, education, social services, legal, health care, everything,” Red Lake tribal chairman Floyd “Buck” Jourdain Jr. says. “I like that the tribal council really bet ‘all-in’ and unanimously voted to make the tribal college a twin building of our Tribal Government Center. It says that we put higher education on a high level, right up there with our Tribal Government Center. It makes higher education a key part of our new Nation’s capital in Red Lake.”

RLNC’s current campus is located in an old community center and has reached maximum capacity at 120 students. Some potential students had to be turned away when there was not enough space in the current facility. Jourdain challenged RLNC to achieve a 200-student capacity by 2014 to help grow and develop more tribal leaders, teachers, and managers. The college responded by developing a vision that plans for a new, larger campus with a capacity of up to 525 students.

Another motivating factor was the remote, rural location of the Red Lake reservation, which hinders access to higher education. Although tribal members have the academic ability to attend and succeed in college, they must overcome the barrier that distance creates, along with the very real financial burden that comes with long commutes. Some RLNC administrators estimate that up to 90% of their students would not be in school if they were forced to commute. In the realest of terms, RLNC serves as an aazzhoogan—Ojibwe for “bridge”—to higher education. It’s no coincidence that the marketing motto for the college is “A Great Place to Start!” College officials hope that Red Lake Nation tribal members will not just complete two-year degrees, but will continue on and earn bachelor’s, master’s, and even doctoral degrees with the intention of returning home to help their tribe. Further, RLNC is collaborating with other colleges and universities in the region to provide more educational options for its students. Regional tribal colleges, including Leech Lake Tribal College, Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, and White Earth Tribal and Community College, have partnered with RLNC to establish the Aazzhoogan Consortium. The goal: create a “technology bridge” that will enable all of the institutions to share educational programs, instructors, technology, and grant opportunities.

The new Red Lake Nation capital facilities and tribal college were designed with powerful symbolism on the beautiful shores of Red Lake, the sixth largest freshwater lake in the United States. The matching buildings will bear the silhouettes of eagles with spread wings, symbolizing the culture, strength, and perseverance of the Red Lake Nation. The dramatic new facilities will elevate the Red Lake Nation as home to one of the premier tribal capitals in the country.

RLNC’s new campus will feature state-of-the-art technology for shared distance learning with other colleges and universities. It will also quarter a large, multi-purpose student union and 14 classrooms, including biology, chemistry, and computer labs. The new library will house the Red Lake Nation’s archives, an Ojibwe language center, and an Ojibwe language immersion Head Start and daycare center for up to 60 children. A student café, a wellness and fitness center, and a sweat lodge will help promote healthy lifestyles rooted in Ojibwe culture.

The new Red Lake Nation capital will bring a multitude of positive benefits and growth opportunities for the Red Lake community. Tribal leaders hope that the new RLNC campus will have a life-changing impact on members of their tribe. The Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians is building their nation for the future by investing in their people.

Dan King is president and Eugene McArthur is director of development at Red Lake Nation College.