Grounded in Indigenous core beliefs with an eye toward the future of higher education, Nebraska Indian Community College (NICC) represents a fixture in the tribal college landscape. NICC was founded in 1973, chartered by the Umonhon and Isanti nations, and created to broaden access to higher education, increase economic opportunities, and preserve and revitalize Umonhon and Dakota language, culture, history, and values. With three campuses in the Nebraska communities of Macy, Santee, and South Sioux City, enrollment at NICC has doubled over the past four years, serving students from more than 29 tribes and affiliations with representation from 20 U.S. states. The college seeks to identify solutions to ongoing problems and incorporate Indigenous knowledge within those solutions.

Among the challenges that NICC is confronting are food sovereignty, security, and preservation; environmental monitoring; and traditional landscape restoration in a highly variable climate along a major and U.S. government-managed waterway. By enhancing its resources and capacity, the college has become more energy independent with on-site renewable infrastructure; it has broadened course offerings, particularly in STEM fields and Indigenous health; and it has doubled enrollment in the last five years, now offering a bachelor’s degree. Strong community and regional partnerships are leading to increased resilience that is measurable and meaningful.

INDIGENOUS FOOD PRODUCTION

It is said that food is an international language. Promoting Indigenous food practices serves to educate the community, increase the health and wellness of both people and the environment, and foster sovereignty. Squash, corn, and beans—representing what is known as the “three sisters”—hold cultural significance and the potential for sustainability. Growing these Indigenous foods provides foundational experiences to students at NICC. Modern greenhouses became operational at the Isanti and Umonhon campuses in 2022. Not only do these greenhouses and their upkeep provide a mechanism for paid student internships and curriculum opportunities, but they offer another form of local food production. The climate-controlled environment within each greenhouse gives a level of protection against severe and extreme weather events, extends the growing season, and enables the ability to test new varieties.

Gardening courses offered at both campus locations help promote knowledge and understanding of sustainable, healthy eating practices. Courses cover basic gardening and food preservation utilizing produce grown in the NICC greenhouses, and specialized workshops are also offered. Math and science department faculty have developed Indigenous-driven curriculum that utilizes the three sisters practice. The courses stress and promote the principles of food as medicine, a gift from Mother Earth that shows respect for her, and a means of connecting us to the place we live and to Earth’s biology. Community workshops cover potted potatoes, herbs, strawberries, microgreens, and apple drying.

NICC students in a food preparation class process tomatoes grown in the college’s greenhouse. NICC often holds community events where they serve locally grown produce for Umonhon and Isanti community members who gather to enjoy a healthy meal and share stories.

In these courses, students gain first-hand experience on the requirements of agricultural production, alternatives to commercial uses of pesticides and fertilizers, and disease control and pest management. This leads to students’ enhanced appreciation of where the food we consume comes from, better understanding of the complexities involved with agricultural practices such as pesticide use, and the skills needed to foster sustainability and self-reliance within tribal nations. Food preservation is another key topic. Student learning includes a focus on drying food and how that practice increases food safety and security, increases the use of local Indigenous foods, and ultimately leads to better health outcomes by providing consistent and reliable access to nutritious foods.

Gathering to share a meal using food grown locally and prepared by college staff is a highlight of community engagement at NICC. Umonhon and Isanti community members are regularly invited to campus where stories, language, and food are shared, with meals prepared and served following traditional cultural practices. The NICC language department often provides lessons to strengthen and revitalize traditional language skills for those who attend. These gatherings offer many benefits, as people from tribal nations listen to one another, sharing stories and language as they enjoy culturally significant and locally grown food.

The college’s extension directors are key liaisons for these and other cultural engagement events. At chartering tribes’ annual powwows, NICC provides a meal for those in attendance and a booth offering information about the college. NICC’s graduation ceremony, which alternates between each campus, is also used as an opportunity to engage with the local community, with the college serving traditional meals to everyone in attendance. At almost all of the college’s outreach events and open houses, whether it is showcasing a new facility or providing STEM outreach, time to gather for a meal is always included.

The college is fortunate to employ trained chefs promoting Indigenous health through local and Native food practices. One such employee, Anthony Warrior, also serves as the director of Indianpreneurship at NICC. Education and training in the development of Native-owned small business practices is a new and growing area. Each NICC campus regularly offers community learning practices to teach business plan development principles that ultimately enhance tribal economic development. This aligns with NICC’s principles of Native nation building. Chef Warrior is active in raising awareness of nutritional Indigenous foods as well as the benefits to healing both individuals and Mother Earth. His business, Warrior’s Palate, offers catering services across the region along with knowledge sharing of Native culture, food, and practices. These efforts exemplify Indigenous small business and entrepreneurship and are inspiring for aspiring students.

ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING

NICC has made a long-standing effort to observe and better understand the environment, increasing capacity and resources continually over time. Water, climate, native landscapes, and their interconnectedness remain key areas of research, enhancing curriculum. NICC’s proximity to the Missouri River allows access and study of a major waterway. In environmental studies coursework and research, students use direct, hands-on observations in addition to remotely sensed imagery. Near the conclusion of the spring, summer, and fall semesters, NICC hosts a student research showcase open to the community in which students in all areas present their work.

Environmental studies programming spans the general areas of biology, including botany, ecology, geology, human anatomy and physiology, and microbiology; chemistry; Indigenous environmental health; engineering; technology, including drone flight and geographic information systems (GIS); mathematics, including algebra, calculus, geometry, applied statistics; natural resources, including climatology, management, environmental issues; and physical science, including physics and weather.

The impacts of climate change are significant stressors to Indigenous peoples’ way of life. NICC is helping lead the way in transitioning from fossil-based fuel to renewable energy sources. The college is working to localize and decarbonize energy production, an effort that is particularly important in Nebraska, where coal accounts for 45% of in-state electricity generation. NICC partnered with a local small business based in northeast Nebraska, GC ReVOLT, to harness alternative energy mechanisms. In 2022, solar arrays were installed at all three campus locations. Currently, their capacity meets 35% of the college’s energy requirements. Not only does this help mitigate future climate change, but it also reduces the vulnerabilities that come with reliance on outside energy sources. Furthermore, this follows a just energy transition and serves to increase sovereignty, particularly for the campus communities served.

Nationally, half of Indigenous communities lack access to clean water and sanitation. This is the case in northeast Nebraska. In an area where conventional and industrial agriculture dominate, water quality is of paramount importance. For communities around the NICC service area, the groundwater has excessively high nitrate levels due to heavy fertilizer practices. Water contamination is also due to naturally occurring harmful substances. For the Isanti community, tap water is not drinkable. Since 2019, manganese levels have consistently exceeded the safe limit, necessitating that water be shipped into the area. Given these realities, it is vital that students and the community have an understanding of water, where it originates, and its safety.

The spring of 2019 brought with it a record-setting and impactful spring flood event. The Isanti community and other communities across the region were left stranded. Through NICC student interviews with community members, we can understand local concerns following this event. These interviews emphasized the need for better planning and preparedness for future events.

The installation of time-lapse cameras near the Missouri River on the Santee Sioux reservation has enabled NICC students and faculty to study daily changes in the riparian ecosystem. “I feel like this is going to give the environment a voice and tell a story that we may not be able to see on a regular basis,” observed one student.

Reliant on steady rainfall are eastern Nebraska’s grasslands. NICC and its surroundings lie in the mixed grass to tall grass prairie within the large footprint of the vast Great Plains. Land use conversion stressors are predominantly caused by managed waterway systems such as the series of dams on the Missouri River, row crop monoculture, and cattle feeding operations. Working grasslands are used as cattle pastures, and the general area is seeing an overall afforestation with an influx of red cedar. Efforts toward restoration of native prairie grasses have been ongoing at the Isanti campus since 2017 and at Macy since 2005. These efforts provide a natural laboratory to study the impacts of management practices on vegetation and soil health. Conversion practices have been more intensive at the Isanti campus. At this location, a 13-acre plot had been an alfalfa field for 15 years. Then in 2017, the site was tilled twice and seeded with more than 30 different native grass and forb species. Cutting and haying occurred in the three years after planting and a burn was used every fifth year, with management planning to continue the same rotation in the future. No chemicals have been or will be utilized on the property, on which four equal-sized plots have been designated for research. Data collection consists of photographs, plant inventories, soil samples, and weather variables.

Through restoration of native grasses, NICC researchers found considerable soil health development, especially with increased organic material. Greater biodiversity has resulted in growing plant species, both planted and historical seed beds, which in turn has increased animal biodiversity, especially insects and pollinators. “Seeing the biodiversity of insects and animals, I think that it’s good for the body, the soul,” observes NICC alumna Adrianna Duarte. Conversion from intensive agricultural production to grassland is a known strategy for climate adaptation. In an area expected to see more frequent drought, increased rain intensity, more extreme heat, and longer growing seasons, increased soil health and greater biodiversity will help mitigate negative impacts. Weather instrumentation installed at each campus offers broader and more comprehensive environmental analysis. Sensors were installed, with student assistance, at each campus in 2017. Realtime and on-site data of such variables as air temperature, precipitation, and wind are available to students and the community.

Weather monitoring has grown over time and equipment is currently being upgraded and enhanced to study more parameters, including soil moisture and temperature, atmospheric pressure, and calculated variables like heat stress and wind chill index. Locations across the Isanti Nation are being considered for broader monitoring and sovereign nations outside of the two NICC chartered tribes are being engaged to understand environmental monitoring needs around the region. Principles of Indigenous data governance are being researched and followed to respect tribal sovereignty and ownership rights. Data are housed at the college and any tribe on whose sovereign land the data come from will determine data access protocols.

To synthesize local environmental information, the college develops monthly climate summaries in collaboration with the National Weather Service and Platte Basin Timelapse. These summaries offer a method of engagement with communities and increase understanding of current and emerging environmental issues. Local environmental departments, land management, and other relevant tribal partners regularly utilize these resources for enhanced decision-making. As the Isanti Land Management Office states, the reports are read each month and provide helpful information regarding environmental conditions on the reservation.

COLLEGE COLLABORATORS

NICC’s climate-controlled greenhouses offer spaces for both learning and community food production.

Since its beginnings, Nebraska Indian Community College has developed a wide range of partnerships and collaborations. One such partnership exists between the Santee and Umonhon tribal councils and local schools. Outreach to local elementary and high schools is vital, allowing for personal visits and recruitment efforts that strengthen community education and increase enrollment at NICC. Since 2016, high school students taking classes at NICC can receive dual credit toward both high school and college requirements. NICC also offers meaningful opportunities for non-degree seeking students, who make up about 30% of the student population. NICC offers non-credit workshops to the community in the areas of continuing education and leadership, healthy lifestyles, and cultural awareness.

NICC’s partnership with the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) and other organizations provides opportunities that strengthen NICC coursework and research. NICC regularly attends the annual AIHEC student conference, and student internships through AIHEC offer students and faculty peer learning opportunities, primarily in STEM fields. “Learning along with other fellowships and students was pretty amazing because they shared all their original traditional knowledge,” says NICC student Jamie Saunsoci.

A long partnership with NASA and Nebraska Space Grant has offered NICC students paid internships, research methods coursework, and federal agency collaboration. NICC’s environmental work provides students with a foundation for these research and partnership opportunities. As an NICC student who recently graduated with an associate’s degree in science stated, “The most informative thing for me was understanding that we’re giving the environment a voice and that we’re putting a face to our surroundings. The face of our surroundings is us, the Isanti people.”

The University of South Dakota (USD) is another long-time partner and has offered science workshops at NICC, including chemistry demonstrations and hands-on learning of essential principles, augmenting experiential opportunities for students and staff. Accessibility and inclusion are keys to workshop success. NICC faculty directly recruit students for these USD workshops across M&S courses, and NICC faculty and staff participate alongside their students to foster support. Sessions are hands-on and offer an opportunity for all participants to interact and learn together. USD scientists provide the workshop material, and they develop and deliver the curriculum at an appropriate learning level. Participants are paid for their time and meals are provided. In conjunction with these workshops, NICC faculty can advertise existing and/or new coursework to enhance student exposure.

Another meaningful partnership was made possible by Platte Basin Timelapse, a small nonprofit based out of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, whose mission is conservation and education of the natural world through storytelling. In 2022, Platte Basin Timelapse installed cameras at two locations for the Isanti community. One overlooks the prairie at the Isanti campus. The other is located on the south shore of the Missouri River just downstream from the Isanti community. These cameras capture one image every daylight hour and help document changes in the river. As one NICC student stated, “I feel like this is going to give the environment a voice and tell a story that we may not be able to see on a regular basis.”

NICC is a co-lead institution in the newly announced Climate Adaptation Partnership (CAP) award through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Program Office. The new CAP is titled CMCo-LEARN (Central Midwest Climate Opportunities and Learning) and it is centered on community resilience for Indigenous peoples and women landowners in Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas. The University of Iowa is the current lead institution for the Co-LEARN Center. An NICC extension director serves on the program’s advisory board, helping guide efforts that support and uplift Indigenous communities and voices.

NICC has worked to restore native prairie grasses, which in turn has increased organic material and led to greater biodiversity.

LOOKING FORWARD

NICC continues to grow and offer more opportunities to students, one of the most significant of which is a new bachelor’s degree program. With an anticipated start in 2025, students will be able to specialize in Indigenous environmental health. NICC will be one of the few higher education institutions to provide this major, which marks a significant milestone in the college’s growth. With recent new hires, STEM faculty now cover areas in specialties from basic sciences, health sciences, pre-engineering, technical trades, climate, biotechnology, and mathematics. As the largest department at NICC, the M&S division aims to develop opportunities for research to address real-world problems and educational opportunities for students to engage in novel research, specifically to address the environmental concerns of their communities.

Existing laboratory space within the three campuses is currently being upgraded to offer hands-on experiential learning opportunities. Expansion at the South Sioux City and Macy campuses is in the planning phase to offer more specialized spaces for coursework and room for new faculty to join NICC. The construction of a multi-use educational and community facility will be underway at the Isanti campus in 2025. The building will include teaching facilities, laboratories, accommodation for visiting student and employee researchers, kitchens, and a large gathering space for both college and community uses. This expansion will offer a wealth of opportunities to enhance community and engagement at tribal colleges and universities.

NICC is engaging in deliberate and systematic integration of Indigenous values, meaningful community involvement, and a focus on the food, water, and energy space. The college is charting a path toward increased health for people and the environment and has increased resilience to the many stressors facing Native communities. In the words of a college alumnus, NICC is “an opportunity for our community. It sets our community members up for whatever they choose to do and not have to leave home entirely. If they choose to leave home, they’re ready.”

Martha Durr, PhD, is climate faculty at Nebraska Indian Community College; Maeghan Murie-Mazariegos, PhD (Pawnee, Iowa), is head of the Math and Science Division and health science faculty at NICC; Md Ezazul Haque, PhD, is health science faculty at NICC; Shelley Kosola is an instructor, teaching assistant, and tutor at NICC; LaVonne Snake (Winnebago) is an instructor, teaching assistant, and tutor at NICC; and Hank Miller is life science faculty at NICC.