Little Big Horn College 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 sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...

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

land-grant A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...

community college A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior se ...

on the

Crow A crow is a bird of the genus '' Corvus'', or more broadly a synonym for all of ''Corvus''. Crows are generally black in colour. The word "crow" is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term "raven" is not pinned scientifica ...

Indian Reservation in

Crow Agency Crow Agency ( cro, awaasúuchia) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Big Horn County, Montana, United States and is near the actual location for the Little Bighorn National Monument and re-enactment produced by the Real Bird family known as Ba ...

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

. It has an open admissions policy and welcomes enrollment from any adult with a high school diploma or GED. The student body is composed of Crow Tribal members (95 percent), members of American Indian Tribes from around the intermountain west (3 percent), and non-Indian residents of the Big Horn County area (2 percent).American Indian Higher Education Consortium

History

Little Big Horn College was chartered in 1980 by the Crow Tribe of Indians as a public two-year community college. Dr. Janine Pease advocated the college's founding and was the college's first president. The name Little Big Horn comes from the smaller of the two rivers on the reservation, both receiving the distinction by the Big Horn Mountains, where the rivers originate. 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. Signed by Abraha ...

alongside 31 other tribal colleges.

Academics

LBHC offers six associate of arts and three associate of science degree programs, with one more associate of science degree program in a pilot stage. The courses of study are directed to the economic and job opportunities in the Crow Indian Reservation area, focusing on education, business, Crow studies, agriculture, office/technical work, and infrastructure. The school also offers seven one-year certificate programs.

Campus

The LBHC facility consists of 35,000 square feet of educational space. The LBHC campus is situated on two acres of wooded river valley. The campus has committed itself to sustainable energy with a goal of

carbon neutrality Carbon neutrality is a state of net-zero carbon dioxide emissions. This can be achieved by balancing emissions of carbon dioxide with its removal (often through carbon offsetting) or by eliminating emissions from society (the transition to the "p ...

(net-zero emissions). Throughout 2016 to 2016, the campus installed a 45-kilowatt photovoltaic system on the Health and Wellness Center to capture solar energy, partially funded via grants from the Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs through the

United States Department of Energy The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government that oversees U.S. national energy policy and manages the research and development of nuclear power and nuclear weapons in the United Stat ...

. In 2021, the college received a $100,000 grant from the

Institute of Museum and Library Services The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is an independent agency of the United States federal government established in 1996. It is the main source of federal support for libraries and museums within the United States, having the ...

to build a new cultural center and museum, and the planning committee input from the tribe to fill the "need for exhibits within the reservation constructed and interpreted by Indigenous people," citing a recent Crow exhibit at the Field Museum of Natural History in

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, Illinois, as an example of a museum ensuring active representation. As part of the planning committee, Crow Studies adjunct instructor and state representative Sharon Stewart-Peregoy gave statements to local news for more use of the Crow language in the museum, in alignment with community requests.

Student life and activities

The college offers men and women's basketball leagues that compete in region nine of the

National Junior College Athletic Association The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), founded in 1938, is the governing association of community college, state college and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 separate regions ...

. At the campus's Health and Wellness Center, students can lift weights and take classes in yoga, aerobics, and nutrition education.

Governance

The college is directed by the board of trustees elected by districts within the reservation.

Partnerships

The college is member of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, which is a community of tribally and federally chartered institutions working to strengthen tribal nations and make a lasting difference in the lives of American Indians and Alaska Natives. ANC was created in response to the higher education needs of American Indians. ANC generally serves geographically isolated populations that have no other means accessing education beyond the high school level. The college has a partnership with Yellowstone Christian College.

Notes

External links

*
Bureau of Indian Education National Directory
{{authority control Buildings and structures in Big Horn County, Montana Crow tribe American Indian Higher Education Consortium Educational institutions established in 1980 Universities and colleges accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities Tribal Colleges in Montana Education in Big Horn County, Montana 1980 establishments in Montana NJCAA athletics