Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI) 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 ...

in unincorporated

Bernalillo County, New Mexico Bernalillo County (; ) is the most populous List of counties in New Mexico, county in the U.S. state of New Mexico.

, - also seen in: with an

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...

postal address.Home page as of 2021-07-30 states:
"9169 Coors Blvd NW, Albuquerque, NM 87120" - Despite the postal address it is outside of the city limits. Se
street map
an
land use map
of ABQ and compare with the address. It is federally operated by the

Bureau of Indian Affairs The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States List of United States federal agencies, federal agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior, Department of the Interior. It is responsible for im ...

and funded through the

Bureau of Indian Education The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) is a division of the U.S. Department of the Interior under the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs that directs and manages education functions. Formerly known as the Office of Indian Education Programs ...

, both agencies within the

United States Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the management and conservation ...

. More than 120 different Indian Tribes are represented in SIPI's student body.American Indian Higher Education Consortium

History

The Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute was conceived by the All Indian Pueblo Council, who envisioned a post-secondary school that could serve the Native American community. Collective efforts with tribal leaders, public officials, and interested citizens resulted in the school's founding in 1971; dedication ceremonies were held on August 21, 1971. September 16, 1971, was the first day of classes. It operated initially on an "open-entry, open-exit system" of individualized training. It was funded by the

, within the

. In 1974, SIPI was awarded a citation for Excellence of Service. By 1975, SIPI was accredited at the Certificate Level by the

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), also known as the North Central Association, was a membership organization, consisting of colleges, universities, and schools in 19 U.S. states engaged in educational accreditation. It ...

. In 1994, the college was designated as a land-grant college, together with 31 other tribal colleges. It lost its accreditation in July 2010 and had been designated a "candidate" 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 ...

. On March 12, 2014 SIPI was awarded "Initial Accreditation" by the

. A statement on the college's webpage says the following: "Current accreditation status: SIPI is currently accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). In 2018, the HLC Commission informed SIPI that it was re-accredited upholding its degree and certification programs as a result of the prior year comprehensive evaluation. SIPI successfully demonstrated that it met established standards. In September 2023, SIPI will have a comprehensive review conducted by an on-site review team as part of the regular reaffirmation cycle."

Campus

SIPI is in unincorporated

Bernalillo County, New Mexico Bernalillo County (; ) is the most populous List of counties in New Mexico, county in the U.S. state of New Mexico.

, with an

postal address. It is adjacent to northwest Albuquerque.American Indian Higher Education Consortium
- The source states "on approximately 164 acres in northwest Albuquerque, New Mexico.", but as per the census maps (which overlay city limit boundaries and university property boundaries), SIPI is not in the Albuquerque city limits. SIPI is located on approximately of land. SIPI is located in the center of New Mexico’s agricultural and high-tech corridors ( Los Alamos and Sandia National Laboratories, and

Intel Corporation Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, and incorporated in Delaware. Intel designs, manufactures, and sells computer components such as central processing ...

), major universities and the largest technical force within a 500-mile radius. SIPI's state-of the-art Science and Technology Center includes 12 research and teaching laboratories, 10 classrooms, two distance learning rooms, a 500-seat auditorium, faculty offices and conference rooms.

Partnerships

SIPI has agreements with the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; ) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1889 by the New Mexico Territorial Legislature, it is the state's second oldest university, a flagship university in th ...

New Mexico State University New Mexico State University (NMSU or NM State) is a public, land-grant, research university in Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1888, it is the state's oldest public institution of higher education, and was the original land-g ...

, and New Mexico Highlands University to ensure better recruitment, transfer, and retention rates for Native Americans so that students may easily transfer to four-year and graduate programs. The college has also established agreements with regional public institutions outside of New Mexico. SIPI 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 ...

(AIHEC), which is a community of tribally and federally chartered institutions working to strengthen tribal nations. SIPI was created to serve higher education needs of American Indians. SIPI generally serves geographically isolated populations who do not have ready access to higher education. The institute lost its accreditation from the

in July 2010. On March 12, 2014, SIPI was awarded "Initial Accreditation" by the

and is once again accredited by the agency.

References

External links

Official website
{{coord, 35.1747, N, 106.6658, W, source:wikidata, display=title Education in Albuquerque, New Mexico Buildings and structures in Bernalillo County, New Mexico American Indian Higher Education Consortium Community colleges in New Mexico Native American history of New Mexico Two-year colleges in the United States 1971 establishments in New Mexico

History

Campus

Partnerships

See also

References

External links