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 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 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 undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an open enr ...

on the

Crow A crow is a bird of the genus ''Corvus'', or more broadly, a synonym for all of ''Corvus''. The word "crow" is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term "raven" is not linked scientifically to any certain trait but is rathe ...

Indian Reservation in Crow Agency,

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

. 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 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 of educational space. The LBHC campus is situated on two acres of wooded river valley. The campus has committed itself to

sustainable energy Energy system, Energy is sustainability, sustainable if it "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." Definitions of sustainable energy usually look at its effects on the e ...

with a goal of

carbon neutrality Global net-zero emissions is reached when greenhouse gas emissions and removals due to human activities are in balance. It is often called simply net zero. ''Emissions'' can refer to all greenhouse gases or only carbon dioxide (). Reaching net ze ...

(net-zero emissions). In 2016, the campus installed a 45-kilowatt

photovoltaic system A photovoltaic system, also called a PV system or solar power system, is an electric power system designed to supply usable solar power by means of photovoltaics. It consists of an arrangement of several components, including solar panels to abso ...

on the Health and Wellness Center to capture

solar energy Solar energy is the radiant energy from the Sun's sunlight, light and heat, which can be harnessed using a range of technologies such as solar electricity, solar thermal energy (including solar water heating) and solar architecture. It is a ...

, 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 energy production, the research and development of nuclear power, the military's nuclear w ...

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

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

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 The Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH), also known as The Field Museum, is a natural history museum in Chicago, Illinois, and is one of the largest such museums in the world. The museum is popular for the size and quality of its educationa ...

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, 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) is the governing association of community college, state college, and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 separate regions across 24 states ...

. 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 of Montana 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 schools