South Dakota tribal colleges host AIHEC spring conference

KYLE – Dawn Tobacco-Frank, President, Oglala Lakota College (OLC), is pleased to announce that the South Dakota Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) will host the 44th Annual Student Conference of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) from March 8-11, 2025 at the Best Western Ramkota in Rapid City, SD. The theme of the conference is “Ancient Wisdom, Foundation of Our Future: Sovereignty, Unity, and Strength for Future Generations. South Dakota TCUs include Oglala Lakota College, Sitting Bull College, Sinte Gleska University and Sisseton Wahpeton Community College.  Over 1100 participants, including 35 of the 38 TCUs, are taking part in this four-day event.

A highlight of the conference is the General Session which kicks off on Monday morning at 8:00 A.M. with the Parade of Flags – procession of students and staff from each of the 35 participating tribal colleges. The session will be followed by an opening ceremony. The keynote speaker for the General Session is Chance Lee Rush, enrolled member of the Hidatsa Tribe. Chance is known for his inspiring and motivational messages, which he shares across the country. In addition to being a stand-up comedian, he is a graduate of Haskell Indian Nations University and Oklahoma Baptist University, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work. He is also a certified Health Coach and Life Coach.

The conference is primarily an event for tribal college students with numerous student-related activities. The activities include academic competitions, and other student events: Election of Mr. & Ms. AIHEC and the AIHEC Student Congress. Fourteen academic competitions include the Knowledge Bowl, Science Bowl, STEM Poster Presentations, Filmmaking, Business Bowl, Critical Inquiry, and more. An exciting new addition is the NASA Unpiloted Robotic Vehicle Competition. The student competitions will take place at the Ramkota Convention Center and OLC’s He Sapa College Center. Other competitions include Archery, Volleyball, and Traditional Hand Games. A total of 31 workshops will be held throughout the day on Monday and Tuesday. Monday activities include an evening Powwow at the Ramkota, open to the public.

The student awards banquet will close out the 44th Annual Conference on Tuesday evening, March 11th at 6:00 P.M. when winners of the student competitions will be announced at a banquet at which time they will receive their awards.

Registration will begin Saturday, March 8th at 1:00 P.M. at the Best Western Ramkota Convention Center, 2111 N LaCrosse St., Rapid City. Competitions and workshops will take place at OLC’s HeSapa Center, 127 Knollwood Dr., Rapid City and the Ramkota.

The AIHEC National Basketball Championships will be held in conjunction with the conference on March 23-26, 2025, hosted by the College of the Muscogee Nation, Okmulgee, OK.

For more information on the conference competitions, workshops and events contact Jonnie Clifford, 2025 AIHEC Coordinator, at 605-455-6047 or jclifford@olc.edu.

The post South Dakota tribal colleges host AIHEC spring conference first appeared on Native Sun News Today.

Visit Original Source