Sinte Gleska University (SGU) is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

tribal The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...

land-grant university A land-grant university (also called land-grant college or land-grant institution) is an institution of higher education in the United States designated by a state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Land-Grant Acts, Morrill Acts of 1862 and ...

Mission, South Dakota Mission is a city on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in northern Todd County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 1,156 at the 2020 census. Mission is home of the Sinte Gleska University. It is the largest incorporated community in ...

, on the

Rosebud Indian Reservation The Rosebud Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation in South Dakota, United States. It is the home of the federally recognized Rosebud Sioux Tribe, who are Sicangu, a band of Lakota people. The Lakota name ''Sicangu Oyate'' translates as th ...

. It is a

Brulé Lakota The Sicangu are one of the seven ''oyates'', nations or council fires, of Lakota people, an Indigenous people of the Northern Plains. Today, many Sicangu people are enrolled citizens of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of the Rosebud Indian Reservation ...

Indian Reservation An American Indian reservation is an area of land land tenure, held and governed by a List of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States#Description, U.S. federal government-recognized Native American tribal nation, whose gov ...

home to the

Sicangu The Sicangu are one of the seven ''oyates'', nations or council fires, of Lakota people, an Indigenous people of the Northern Plains. Today, many Sicangu people are enrolled citizens of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of the Rosebud Indian Reservation ...

(Burnt Thigh). SGU has an enrollment of 828 full and part-time students.American Indian Higher Education Consortium
It is regionally accredited by the

Higher Learning Commission The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an institutional accreditor in the United States. It has historically accredited post-secondary education institutions in the central United States: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa ...

History

SGU was founded in 1971. SGU was named for the Brulé Lakota chief Sinte Gleska."SGU Main Page."
''Sinte Gleska University''. 2009 (retrieved December 23, 2010) The founding Board President was Lakota elder Stanley Red Bird Sr., and

Joseph M. Marshall III Joseph M. Marshall III (born c. April 8, 1945 - April 18, 2025, Brulé Lakota, Sicangu Oyate) son of Joseph Nelson Marshall Sr. and Hazel Lorraine Two Hawk-Marshall, is a historian, writer, teacher, craftsman, administrator, actor, and public sp ...

, the first published writer in Lakota, was a founder as well. In 1994, the college was designated a

land-grant college A land-grant university (also called land-grant college or land-grant institution) is an institution of higher education in the United States designated by a state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890, or a beneficiary ...

alongside 31 other tribal colleges.

Partnerships

The college is a member of the

American Indian Higher Education Consortium These organizations for post-secondary education have a common purpose and mission for advocacy in numerous areas of both institutional management and the general public interest. The organizations have specific purpose for issues from faculty uni ...

, a community of tribally and federally chartered institutions working to strengthen tribal nations. Tribal colleges generally serve geographically isolated populations who have no other means accessing higher education; they also are a means for the tribes to teach subjects from the perspectives of their cultures, as well as specific classes in their cultures.

Academics

SGU describes its approach to higher education as focusing on "an educational direction and philosophy that both promotes and preserves our Lakol Wicohan (traditional way of life) for the benefit of our future generations." The university offers 25 associate degrees, 23 bachelor's degrees, two master's degrees, a dozen certificate programs, and several vocation programs through seven academic undergraduate departments: *Great Plains Art Institute *Arts and Sciences *Business *Education *Human Services *Lakota Studies *Institute of Technologies (vocational/career education) The college has programs in Lakota studies, including the

language Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing syste ...

and aesthetics. As of 2011, it is one of seven tribal colleges in the U.S. to offer a degree related to tribal administration. The Great Plains Art Institute of the University offers AA and BA degrees in art and a BAAE degree in art education. In 1988, SGU established the annual Northern Plains Indian Art Market in

Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls ( ) is the List of cities in South Dakota, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the List of United States cities by population, 117th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha Coun ...

, which included a juried art show, art market,

powwow A powwow (also pow wow or pow-wow) is a gathering with dances held by many Native Americans in the United States, Native American and First Nations in Canada, First Nations communities. Inaugurated in 1923, powwows today are an opportunity fo ...

, and

Oscar Howe Oscar Howe (''Mazuha Hokshina'' or "Trader Boy", May 13, 1915 – October 7, 1983) was a Yanktonai Dakota artist from South Dakota, who became well known for his casein and tempera paintings.Libhart, Myles and Vincent Price. ''Contemporary Sioux ...

lecture. The market aimed to educate students and the community about

Northern Plains The Great Plains is a broad expanse of flatland in North America. The region stretches east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, and grassland. They are the western part of the Interior Plains, which include the mix ...

art, philosophy, dance, and music. In 2023, SGU canceled the market, citing financial issues and decreasing participation from students. SGU has partnered with

Red Crow Community College Red Crow Community College is a college located on the Kainai Nation reserve in southern Alberta, Canada with a campus in Lethbridge. Partnerships Red Crow College is a member of the First Nations Adult and Higher Education Consortium, a non-p ...

and Old Sun Community College, both in

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

, Canada, enabling them to offer a master's degree in education, with an emphasis in early childhood special education."First Nations Colleges Offer SGU Master's"
, ''Tribal College Journal'', Volume 16 Spring 2005 Issue No. 3. (retrieved December 23, 2010)

Notable faculty

LeAnne Howe LeAnne Howe (born April 29, 1951, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma) is an American author and Eidson Distinguished Professor in the Department of English at the University of Georgia, Athens. She previously taught American Indian Studies and English a ...

(

Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma (Choctaw language, Choctaw: ''Chahta Okla'') is a Indian reservation, Native American reservation occupying portions of southeastern Oklahoma in the United States. At roughly , it is the second-largest reservation ...

) * Joe L. Kincheloe (1950–2008) *

Simon J. Ortiz Simon J. Ortiz (born May 27, 1941) is a Native American writer, poet, and enrolled member of the Pueblo of Acoma. Ortiz is one of the key figures in the second wave of what has been called the Native American Renaissance. Ortiz's commitment to ...

(

Acoma Pueblo Acoma Pueblo ( , ) is a Native American pueblo approximately west of Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. Four communities make up the village of Acoma Pueblo: Sky City (Old Acoma), Acomita, Anzac, and McCartys. These communities ...

) *

Albert White Hat Albert White Hat (November 18, 1938June 13, 2013) was a teacher of the Lakota language, and an activist for Brulé, Sičháŋǧu Lakȟóta traditional culture. He translated the Lakota language for Hollywood movies, including the 1990 movie ''Danc ...

(1929–2013) *

Doris Leader Charge Doris Leader Charge (May 4, 1930 – February 20, 2001), was an American translator and educator. She taught Lakota language and culture courses at Sinte Gleska University for 28 years, and worked on the film '' Dances With Wolves'' (1990) as a t ...

(1930–2001)

References

External links