Diné College
 | |
Former name | Navajo Community College (1968–1997) |
|---|---|
| Motto | The Higher Education Institution of the Navajo |
| Type | Public tribal land-grant college |
| Established | 1968 (opened January 20, 1969)[1] |
Academic affiliations | Space-grant |
| President | Charles Monty Roessel |
| Students | 2,000 |
| Location | , , United States |
| Mascot | Warrior |
| Website | www |
 | This article contains content that is written like an advertisement. (July 2014) |
Diné College is a public tribal land-grant college in Tsaile, Arizona, serving the 27,000-square-mile (70,000 km2) Navajo Nation. It offers associate degrees, bachelor's degrees, and academic certificates.
Discover more about Diné College related topics
Campus
The main campus of Diné College is in Tsaile, a census-designated place in unincorporated Apache County, Arizona. There are also five branches of Diné College: two in Apache County, Arizona (Chinle and Window Rock), one in Coconino County, Arizona (Tuba City), one in McKinley County, New Mexico (Crownpoint) and one in San Juan County, New Mexico (Shiprock).
The main Tsaile campus includes eight fifteen-room dormitories housing about 150 students: each octagonally shaped unit has a fireplace in the center, and is described by the college as a "hooghan away from hogan"—a reference to the traditional Navajo hogan dwelling.[2]
The residence life office is in Ch'ó (Spruce) Hall. Residence halls include:[3]
Co-ed:
- Deestsiin (Pinyon) Hall
- K'ai' (Willow) Hall
- Ndíshchíí' (Pine) Hall
- Sáá' (Maple) Hall
- T'iisbéí (Aspen) Hall (Honors)
Female only:
- T'iisbáhí (Elm) Hall
- T'iistsoh (Cottonwood) Hall
Male only:
- Tséch'il (Oak) Hall
Family housing:
- Gad (Juniper) Hall
Hogan Faculty Housing is also on campus.[4] Residents of family housing and faculty housing are zoned to the Chinle Unified School District. Tsaile Elementary School is in proximity to the university.[5] All Chinle USD residents are assigned to Chinle High School.
Discover more about Campus related topics
Governance
The college is directed by an eight-member Board of Regents confirmed by the Government Services Committee of the Navajo Nation Council. The name Diné comes from the traditional name for the Navajo, meaning "the people."
History
Diné College opened in 1968 as the Navajo Community College, the first college established by Native Americans for Native Americans.[1][6] The College was chartered by the Navajo Nation in 1968. The Navajo Tribal Council appointed Guy Gorman, Yazzie Begay, Chester Yellowhair, Carl Todacheene, Wilson Skeet, Howard Gorman, Allen Yazzie, and Dillon Platero to be the first to serve on the college's Board of Regents.[7][8] Robert Roessel served as the college's first president.[9]
The college was originally located on the site of the Rough Rock Community School in Rough Rock on a temporary basis until a permanent site could be chosen and constructed.[10] The Board of Regents selected three possible sites for the college, namely the Tsaile–Wheatfields area, Many Farms, and Ganado.[11] After a Board-commissioned survey of possible sites for the college, the Tsaile–Wheatfields area was recommended because it had plenty of water available and has scenic forests and lakes.[11] After the Board was guaranteed 1,000 acres for the campus, a residential area, and a shopping area, the Board officially chose the Tsaile–Wheatfields area in October 1968.[12] The Board asked people to send in designs for the college's seal, and it chose the William Morgan's design of an arrowhead encircled by a rainbow god.[13]
The college officially opened on January 20, 1968, with 40 members of the faculty.[1][14] There were 340 students enrolled during its first semester, which was the limit of its capacity.[15] More than 3,000 other applicants had to be turned away because of the lack of space.[15] The college added 23 evening classes because there was so much more demand for evening classes than for daytime classes.[16][15]
By 1973, 3,421 students in total had enrolled at Navaho Community College, but only 46 had graduated with associate's degrees during that time.[17] There was little for the students to do outside of classes, and excessive drinking became a problem for some.[17]
Students began taking classes at the college's permanent campus in Tsaile in October 1973, after delays in its construction.[18] The campus was officially dedicated on May 14, 1974.[18] Most of the campus' buildings were built in octagonal shapes, similar to the eight-sided traditional Navaajo hogan.[18] The campus cost $12 million to build.[18] Some classes were taught in Shiprock and Fort Defiance.[19]
Tommy Lewis became president in August 1992. During his tenure, the college's funding from the Bureau of Indian Affairs increased to almost $7.3 million in 2000. The Navajo Language and Culture Curriculum became widely popular at the Tsaile campus after the program saw increases in class enrollment, thus allowing the Board of Regents to implement the program throughout the institution. In 1994, the college was designated a land-grant college alongside 31 other tribal colleges.[20]
During the Summer of 1997, the administration changed the name of the college from Navajo Community College to Diné College in order to better to represent the school's function as an institution of learning for the Diné/Navajo people.
In 1998, Diné College bestowed its first bachelor's degrees under the Diné Teacher Education Program, accredited through a partnership with Arizona State University.[21]
In 1998, the Diné College Library was rededicated as the Kinyaa'áanii Charlie Benally Memorial Library.
On May 21, 2011, the women's archery team made history by winning the United States college national championship in compound bow.[22] This is believed to be the first time a tribal college team has won a top-tier intercollegiate national championship event in any sport.
Discover more about History related topics
Academics
- The Center for Diné Studies goal is to apply Navajo Są́ʼąh Naagháí Bikʼeh Hózhóón principles to advance quality student learning through Nitsáhákees (Thinking), Nahatʼá (Planning), Iiná (Living) and Siihasin (Assurance) in study of the Navajo language, history, and culture in preparation for further studies and employment in a multi-cultural and technological world.
- The Uranium Education Program at the Shiprock campus is an empowerment program for the Navajo centering on the study of radiation and environmental health issues arising from the aftermath of uranium mining/milling operations on the Navajo Nation, as well as other serious environmental issues.
Diné College offers bachelor's degrees in elementary education and tribal management.[21]
Alumni
- Carmelita Little Turtle – Apache/Rarámuri photographer
- Nicco Montaño[23] – professional Mixed Martial Artist, inaugural and current UFC Women's Flyweight Champion as of March 2020.[24] First UFC Champion with Navajo descent.[25]
Discover more about Alumni related topics
Source: "Diné College", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2023, March 17th), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diné_College.
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Colleg Opens for Navajo Tribe". United Press International. The Ogden Standard-Examiner. January 20, 1969. p. 8A.
- ^ "Hogan Navajo Dwelling". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
- ^ "Residence Life." Diné College. Retrieved on June 16, 2015.
- ^ "Tsaile Campus". Diné College. Retrieved 2020-04-10. – See map
- ^ "Tsaile Campus Area Map" (Archive). Diné College. Retrieved on June 16, 2015.
- ^ Pollard, Marvin E. (Spring 1984). "Naaltsoos Ba' Hoogan: The Navajo Community College Library". Community & Junior College Libraries. 2: 15-19.
- ^ "All-Indian Regents Selected for Navajos' First College". Associated Press. The Arizona Republic. July 27, 1968. p. 10.
- ^ "Navajo Council Backs College Regents Board". United Press International. Albuquerque Journal. July 21, 1968. p. B11.
- ^ "Open Door Policy Set By New Navajo College". Arizona Republic. September 6, 1968. p. 31.
- ^ "Council Endorses College". Associated Press. Arizona Daily Sun. July 19, 1968. p. 2.
- ^ a b "Wheatfields Is Recommended". The Gallup Independent. September 14, 1968. p. 1.
- ^ "Site Selected". Associated Press. Arizona Daily Sun. Octobert 8, 1968. p. 1.
- ^ "Regents Pick Winning Seal for College". Arizona Republic. January 15, 1969. p. 8.
- ^ "Higher Education Comes to Navajoland". Arizona Republic. January 19, 1969.
- ^ a b c "First Reservation College Established By Navajos". El Paso Times. July 19, 1969.
- ^ "Navajo College Adds 23 Night Courses". Arizona Republic. February 7, 1969. p. A8.
- ^ a b "First College for Indians Undergoing Growing Pains". The Los Angeles Times. Fort Worth Star-Telegram. April 6, 1973. p. 3D.
- ^ a b c d "Navajo School Dedicated". Associated Press. Carlsbad Current-Argus. May 15, 1974. p. 4.
- ^ Penrose, Steve (July 28, 1974). "Navajo College One of Kind". Albuquerque Journal. p. C8.
- ^ "NIFA 1994s The First 20 Years of the 1994 Land-Grant Institutions Standing on Tradition, Embracing the Future" (PDF). National Institute of Food and Agriculture. September 25, 2015. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
- ^ a b "American Indian Higher Education Consortium". Archived from the original on June 14, 2012.
- ^ "US Intercollegiate Archery Championships". May 2011. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
- ^ "Official Website of Nicco Montaño". Archived from the original on 2018-07-22. Retrieved 2018-07-24.
- ^ "Nicco Montano | UFC". www.ufc.com. 14 September 2018.
- ^ Observer, Navajo-Hopi. "Navajo Nation honors UFC champion Nicco Montano". Navajo-Hopi Observer News.
External links
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
Coordinates: 36°19′13″N 109°13′51″W / 36.32038°N 109.23088°W
Categories
- 1968 establishments in Arizona
- All articles with a promotional tone
- All articles with unsourced statements
- American Indian Higher Education Consortium
- Articles containing Navajo-language text
- Articles using infobox university
- Articles with ISNI identifiers
- Articles with LCCN identifiers
- Articles with VIAF identifiers
- Articles with WORLDCATID identifiers
- Articles with a promotional tone from July 2014
- Articles with short description
- Articles with unsourced statements from April 2020
- Buildings and structures in Apache County, Arizona
- Buildings and structures in Coconino County, Arizona
- Buildings and structures in Navajo County, Arizona
- Commons category link from Wikidata
- Community colleges in New Mexico
- Coordinates on Wikidata
- Education in Apache County, Arizona
- Education in Coconino County, Arizona
- Education in Navajo County, Arizona
- Education in San Juan County, New Mexico
- Education on the Navajo Nation
- Educational institutions established in 1968
- Short description is different from Wikidata
- USCAA member institutions
- Universities and colleges in Arizona
The content of this page is based on the Wikipedia article written by contributors..
The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence & the media files are available under their respective licenses; additional terms may apply.
By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use & Privacy Policy.
Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization & is not affiliated to WikiZ.com.
ing !