Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College


Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College is a dual public and tribal community college in Cloquet, Minnesota. FDLTCC is located within the Twin Ports area of Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin in northeastern Minnesota. The College is a member of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, and the World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium. FDLTCC was Minnesota's first tribal college. FDLTCC is the only college in the nation both established as a tribal college under federal law and operating as part of a state-funded higher education system.

History

The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians recognized that post-secondary education was crucial to the tribe's comprehensive education planning in 1979. Beginning in 1985, Mesabi Community College began holding classes at the Tribal Ojibwe School on the Fond du Lac Indian Reservation. The Fond du Lac Reservation Business Committee provided the leadership necessary to unify tribal, state, and community support for a community college that would serve both the Fond du Lac Band and surrounding community areas. Following a feasibility study of higher education needs of the American Indian and non-Indian people in Carlton County area, recommendation was made for a joint venture between the Fond du Lac tribal government and the Arrowhead Community College Region.
In 1987, the Fond du Lac Higher Education Center Task Force was formed. The task force's efforts resulted in the creation of the Fond du Lac Community College Center, a Mesabi Range Community College extension located in the Cloquet, Minnesota Garfield Community Center building.
In 1989, the State of Minnesota appropriated $6,990,000 for the founding of FDLTCC. A new community college site was built and opened to students in 1992. The College's first president Jack Briggs envisioned a college founded to support tribal cultures, tribal values, and tribal spirituality but also committed to equally serve and welcome non-tribal students. In 1995, the Minnesota Community College Board fully funded FDLTCC and the institution became independent from ACCR. In 1996, the State of Minnesota reorganized its higher education institutions and FDLTCC became a member of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities.
In May 1999, after an intensive self-study process and site visit evaluation the College received its first ten-year accreditation as a stand-alone college by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
In 2012, FDLTCC celebrated its 25th anniversary. Celebrations included a special premiere of Extraordinary: Celebrating 25 Years, a video commemorating the College's history through the voices of those who were among the original “dreamers” and those who were among the College's graduates. The 22-minute movie won silver in the Special Video Production category at the national 2013 Collegiate Advertising Awards.

Mission Statement

To provide higher education opportunities for its communities in a welcoming, culturally diverse environment.

Accreditation

Higher Learning Commission

FDLTCC was accredited as part of ACCR and Mesabi Range Technical College until 1997. In 1995, FDLTCC was granted candidacy for accreditation as a separate entity. Since 1997, FDLTCC has been accredited by the .

World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium

In 2017, FDLTCC became a fully accredited member of the World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium. WINHEC was established in August 2002 at the World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education in Alberta, Canada. WINHEC accreditation performs a number of important functions including the validation of credibility on the part of the public being served and encouragement of efforts toward maximum educational effectiveness. The accrediting process requires schools as well as other educational institutions and programs to examine their own goals, operations, and achievements in light of being committed to building partnerships that restore and retain indigenous spirituality, cultures and languages, homelands, social systems, economic systems and self-determination.

Academics

Degrees are offered in the following fields:
FDLTCC is a member of the Minnesota College Athletic Conference. The College fields teams in Football, Basketball, and Volleyball.

Student Body

FDLTCC's dual state and tribal institutional model is different from all other colleges in the nation. FDLTCC is committed to providing higher education opportunities for its communities in a welcoming, culturally diverse environment. Approximately 40% of the College's undergraduate student population consists of students of color. FDLTCC's student body has a higher percentage of students of color than any college or university in northeastern Minnesota and is a leader outside of the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area.

Sustainability

FDLTCC's Environmental Institute offers unique research, facilities, and learning opportunities in natural resources and the environmental studies. A campus team coordinates institute programs and initiatives and is advised by staff from the Fond du Lac Reservation Resource Management Division and University of Minnesota Extension. Projects Include:
From year-to-year, FDLTCC serves more American Indian students than any other college or university in Minnesota. In academic year 2017-2018, FDLTCC produced more American Indian graduates than any other college or university in Minnesota.
FDLTCC has achieved a nearly one-to-one 3-year completion rate for students of color and white students. According to the latest available fall 2014 cohort, FDLTCC students of color completed at 94% the rate of white students. FDLTCC students achieved a completion rate 19% higher than the Minnesota State system colleges’ average. FDLTCC's 3-year completion rates have exceed the system colleges’ average in each of the last three available cohort cycles.
FDLTCC part-time student success exceeded the Minnesota State system colleges’ average 3-year graduation rate in each of the last five 4th fall cohort cycles.
In 1994, Congress passed legislation designating FDLTCC as a Land Grant institution.