Stone Child College

Stone Child College
Name	Stone Child College
Type	Tribal land-grant community college
Established	1984
City	Box Elder
State	Montana
Country	United States
Campus	Rural

Stone Child College is a tribal land-grant community college located in Box Elder, Montana, on the Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation. The college serves primarily Chippewa-Cree students and engages with regional partners including the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Montana State University, United States Department of Agriculture, National Science Foundation and tribal governments. It provides associate degrees, certificate programs, workforce training and cultural initiatives in partnership with institutions such as University of Montana, Fort Peck Community College, Chief Dull Knife College, Salish Kootenai College and federal agencies.

History

Stone Child College was chartered in 1984 amid a broader movement that included the formation of institutions like Diné College, Sinte Gleska University, Haskell Indian Nations University and the expansion of the Tribal Colleges and Universities network. Early founders worked with leaders from the Chippewa Cree Tribe of the Rocky Boy's Reservation, advocates from the National Congress of American Indians, educators tied to Montana State University-Billings and policymakers from the Office of Indian Education Programs. Initial accreditation and program development drew on models established by Crownpoint Institute of Technology, Turtle Mountain Community College and Leech Lake Tribal College while seeking funding from the U.S. Department of Education, Administration for Native Americans and private foundations. Over subsequent decades the college expanded facilities, partnered on research with the National Institutes of Health, engaged in language revitalization projects akin to efforts at University of Alaska Fairbanks and collaborated on land grant initiatives with the Morrill Act-related programs and the Smithsonian Institution.

Campus and Facilities

The campus in Box Elder features classrooms, a library, a cultural center, and vocational labs constructed with support from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and grantors such as the American Indian College Fund. Facilities include computer labs with technology provided in collaboration with Microsoft, distance-learning links to University of Phoenix and conferencing partnerships with Montana Digital Academy. Athletic fields and community meeting spaces host events with delegations from the Chippewa Cree Tribe, visiting scholars from Harvard University and regional conferences involving Northern Plains Indian Statistical Center, Montana Office of Public Instruction and nonprofit organizations like the Native American Rights Fund.

Academics

Stone Child College offers associate degrees and certificates in areas including Native language studies, tribal administration, allied health, natural resources, and business, modeled after curricula at Iḷisaġvik College, Salish Kootenai College, Leech Lake Tribal College and community colleges such as City College of San Francisco. Faculty have received grants from the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, National Endowment for the Humanities and partnerships with researchers at Montana State University, University of Montana, Cornell University and University of Arizona. Courses include culturally grounded instruction drawing on practitioners connected to the Chippewa Cree Tribe of the Rocky Boy's Reservation, collaborations with tribal courts, and workforce training aligned with regional employers like BNSF Railway, State of Montana Department of Labor and Industry and local health systems including St. Joseph Medical Center.

Student Life and Organizations

Student organizations include cultural clubs, veteran support groups, honor societies and student government with ties to national networks such as the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, American Indian Science and Engineering Society, Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science and the National Society of Leadership and Success. Campus events often feature speakers from the Native American Rights Fund, performers affiliated with Tribal College Journal of American Indian Higher Education, workshops led by educators from Haskell Indian Nations University and outreach coordinated with the Rocky Boy Tribal Council and the Chippewa Cree Tribe.

Tribal and Community Relations

The college maintains explicit partnerships with the Chippewa Cree Tribe of the Rocky Boy's Reservation, the Rocky Boy Tribal Council, local schools in Box Elder, Montana, federal agencies including the Bureau of Indian Affairs and regional nonprofits such as the Native American Development Corporation. Joint initiatives have addressed language preservation in collaboration with linguists formerly at University of Montana and University of Minnesota, health programs coordinated with the Indian Health Service, and economic development projects informed by studies from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis and regional planning agencies. Cooperative agreements mirror compacts seen at institutions like Sitting Bull College and Leech Lake Tribal College.

Governance and Administration

Governance is overseen by a board of trustees appointed by tribal authorities and modeled on governance structures used across the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, with administrative leadership liaising with funders such as the U.S. Department of Education, the Administration for Native Americans and philanthropic entities including the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Ford Foundation. Accreditation processes have involved regional accrediting bodies similar to those accrediting Salish Kootenai College and coordination with state agencies like the Montana Office of Public Instruction for transfer agreements with institutions including Montana State University and University of Montana.

Notable Alumni and Faculty

Alumni and faculty have included tribal leaders, educators, health professionals and cultural practitioners who have worked with organizations such as the Chippewa Cree Tribe of the Rocky Boy's Reservation, the National Congress of American Indians, the Indian Health Service, the National Endowment for the Arts and academic partners at Montana State University, University of Montana and Harvard University. Graduates have gone on to roles in tribal government, public health, education and economic development, collaborating with entities like the Rocky Boy Tribal Council, Bureau of Indian Affairs and national networks including the American Indian Higher Education Consortium.

Category:Tribal colleges and universities in Montana Category:Education in Hill County, Montana