Holiday MonthVolume 1 Number 5 December 2011NICCMessenger

RecognitionManaging, home, work, and family with education. Page 3

Words of WisdomAdvice from our Elders Page 4

As Sovereign As You Act

News in BriefOpen Positions at the NICCFT Human Service Faculty and PT Janitorial Maintenance posi-tions are available. In order to be considered for employment with NICC, applicants will submit application materials to the Human Resources Office by the

closing date specified on the job announcement. For more details on open positions at NICC, please visit the website www.thenicc.edu. (Click on Visitors and Guests and then on Jobs @ NICC)

NICC HoodiesWould make a great holiday gift and keep you nice and warm during our winter months here in Nebraska. We have children’s sizes available S, M, L, XL ($18 each)and adult sizes are S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL ($22 each) if you would like to

purchase an NICC Hoodie to show support for a great origination please contact Tiffany Sparks at ext. 2580

that reformed education for the Umonhon people, and resulted in our Macy Public School System. He drove efforts that led to the Carl T. Curtis Health Care facility and developed housing programs and social programs. Ad-ditionally, much of our governance structure along with the Justice center has been grown through the efforts of Waca’be Zhinga and the Umonhon tribal leaders. While researching documents, Waca’be Zhinga discovered that thousands of acres of land were taken from the Umonhon people. A shift in course of the Ni shu da, the smoky waters of the Missouri had happened, and land reemerged to the Iowa side to be claimed by white farmers. Waca’be Zhinga stood strong with persistence and

tenacity along with our other tribal leaders to win a battle that took decades against the fed-eral government and white farmers to reclaim the Blackbird Bend land for the Umonhon people. As a tribal leader and chairman for the Umonhon Nation, Waca’be Zhinga, carried the virtue of humility, not wishing to take credit for the many things he worked to accomplish, however we owe much to our current and past leadership for the efforts and actions they take. I believe the legacy of Waca’be Zhinga leaves behind wisdom for all about this responsibility to work in the best interest of the people and I am proud that our new Macy Facility, Waca’be Zhinga Higher Education Center (Little Black Bear), carries his name.•

Mark Gordon Director of Development

Edward L. Cline, Sr came from a long line of leaders. Both grandfathers and his father served on the Umonhon Tribal

Council, and so did Mr. Cline himself at various times in his life. His granddaughter, Kyla Cline-Snake, remembers times when her grandfather would speak passionately about the days of old and how everyone would call each other by their given Native American names. Edward L. Cline, Sr. was Waca’be Zhinga, or Little Black Bear. He was often heard saying “you’re as sovereign as you act” and there is a lot of meaning in those 6 words. Sovereignty has been said to deliver a connection, which bares responsibly, to work in the best interest of the people. As with many great leaders, it is this responsibility that drives individuals to accomplish great things. As a young man, Waca’be Zhinga, was a keen observer. Growing up during the depression, very few jobs existed and tribal people faced tremendous struggles on many fronts. Lack of appropriate educa-tion, good health care, homes, and solutions to address social issues, left many in Indian country looking for answers. Witnessing these struggles first hand, Waca’be Zhinga with our tribal leaders and many of the leaders across native lands, worked as advocates for change to address these and many other challenges for all people. Waca’be Zhinga was part of the Coalition of Indian Controlled School Boards

2 NICCMessenger | December 2011

StudentFocus

President’sMessage

NICCMessengerA monthly college newsletter

Editor: Mark GordonDesign: Mark GordonPhotography: Mark GordonContact: 402 494 2311

Printed on recycled paper

News in Brief continued

Margaret Maass Division Head of Liberal Arts

It comes around about this time every year. It is integral in the game of life. The rules and expectations stay about the same; only the

players charge. “It” means holidays, the play-ers are our students. Holidays are celebrated by many different cultures in many different ways. Even though our view and traditions are different, most of us share the same values. It can be seen in the eyes of a child that are wide with hopes and dreams. As our students are quick to point out, the child’s dreams must be paired with the realities of the parents’ lives.

Our NICC students or players of the game of life, consistently value quality time with their families and the people close to them. This says to me that our students have the right perspective when it comes to what is really important in life. This is evidence that they are putting their critical thinking skills to work. One of my favourite things to do at the holiday time is to reflect back over the year that

is coming to a close. As always, one of my fa-vorite bless-ings they have accomplished during the year. They have faced many challeng-es but continue to role model for their fami-lies the importance of education. This year I am thinking about one of our graduates who received her degree in human services counsel-ling, she is on her way to become a worker in the field. I am also thinking of our six gradu-ates who have entered the Bellevue program as well as those who have gone to a social work program at the Briar Cliff University. In addition to these students, I have many others whose determination and willingness to sacrifice their family time, work time, and pleasure time serve as an inspiration to others all year around. And a Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night! Aho!•

Progress and AccomplishmentLast month, we received the formal notification from the Higher Learning Commission Board of Trustees, stating that they have voted to remove the sanction of probation from the college. The college is officially removed from Probation. Great job everyone!

We Are Ready for Spring RegistrationMake an appointment with your Admissions, Advising, Records (AAR) staff and go over your degree assessment; it is time to register for Spring 2012 Classes, and this is the best way to make sure that your track for graduation is going well.Finals week is always a stressful time when you are finishing final projects, papers and get-ting ready for exams, so here are a couple of things to keep in mind when you’re coming down the home stretch: Make sure you are getting enough sleep, testing after cramming will not keep your mind the sharpest that it can be. Make sure that you are eating nutri-tious foods, this keeps your brain and body functioning well. Take time to go for a walk to “un-stress,” it will help you refocus your attention on your homework. Just make sure that the walk takes you back home to do the homework!Have a wonderful holiday season – looking forward to seeing you in classes starting January 17th.

Dr. Michael Oltrogge President

Turning a dream into real-liy does not always pre-sent itself as a smooth

road. As with many things, obstacles are often unforeseeable, if it was not for the fortitude, dedication and hard work of our administration, staff, benefactors, and especially our community we would not have

been able to walk in a good way to make this new Waca’be Zhinga Higher Education Center in Macy a reality. This new facility represents a substantial educational value for our com-munities and the surrounding areas. We are thrilled to see this progress and we are excited for the new facility to be built in Santee. This up and coming new year will bring new edu-cational opportunities throughout our urban and reservation campuses, and for this I am respectfully thankful.•

Thanking the Creator

Hank Miller Director of Natural Resources

During the holiday season it is custom-ary to give thanks for the blessings in which we receive. This is pretty much

universal for anyone that celebrates this holi-day. For me on this holiday season, I would like to thank the Creator for the incredible system I call natures life force. The Creator has given us such a wonderful sustainable system for all things to function with in, and our lives are part of that system. From the cosmos to the microscopic organisms, all things are part of the Creator’s system.

The life force is never destroyed or deplete, it just changes within nature’s systems. It is all of mankind’s responsibility to care for nature and the Creator’s life force. Without it, life cannot exist. In today’s time, where greed trumps taking care of our environment, many of the creators gifts are being lost. If this continues, there is a point of no return, for us as well. Nature will change and adapt, but man kind may not. We need to show respect for the Creators gifts and take care of them. It is with this in mind that the Natural Resources pro-gram gives thanks to the Creator and wishes all happy Holidays. •

December 2011 | NICCMessenger 3

StudentRecognition

NICCCalendar

Faculty/StaffUpdates

■ December 2nd Healthy Foods PresentationMacy Campus 11am-2pm

■ December 10thNative Youth Stand Strong Pow-Wow 11:00a.m.-11:00p.mLong Lines Convention Center

■ December 12th - 16th NICC Finals Week

■ December 22nd - Janu-

ary 3 Holiday NICC offices closed

■ December 22nd All employee meeting at our S Sioux City Campus

■ December 24th Christmas eve

■ December 25thChristmas

■ Remember Spring regis-tration this month

Troy Munhofen AAR Staff Member

Bobbi Jo Goodteacher, an enrolled member of the Santee Tribe, came back to school after an extended time

to graduate in the spring of 2011 with an As-sociate of Science degree in General Science Studies. That semester she had a GPA of 3.71. Over the summer she was accepted into a chemistry internship at USD. She is still going strong today pursuing her Natural Resources

degree. This semester she has given birth to a son and showing a sense of humor, she asked one of her instructors if she had her baby during class if this absence would be excused. Bobbi Jo is a great example of an individual who is able to manage home, work, and family life, while planning for the future with education. This fall Bobbi Jo is planning on continuing her science studies by entering into a bachelor pro-gram. Great work Bobbi Jo! •

Don Torgerson Academic Dean

During this season of blessings and giving thanks, my thoughts and emotions are focused on all the wonderful activities

and accomplishments of our NICC setting. We are blessed with a beautiful new Macy Campus and the future construction of the Santee Campus; being removed from proba-tion and obtaining six years of full accredita-tion; having enthusiastic dedicated faculty, staff, administration, and board members to fulfill the mission of the college.

I enter into the New Year with pride and ex-citement for our continual journey being a center of educational excellence. The successes of the past and the college’s bright future are made possible by the commitment and support of the students and the communities.I leave with a Native saying: (Author Unknown)“The greatest gift is knowledge, but the gift is not complete until it is passed on.”Wishing you all the blessings of the season,Don Torgerson•

1111 Hwy 75 PO Box 428Macy, NE 68039

NICCMessenger

Listening to our EldersWords of Wisdom

Mike Berger Grants Writer

In today’s rapid paced, high tech, internet connected and mobile communicating world we often overlook one of the most

important elements of learning, listening. I was lucky to have an opportunity to sit and listen to elder and veteran Charles Lonewolf of the Umonhon tribe, a familiar face at NICC’s South Sioux City campus. His Umonhon name is Te huton bi which means Buffalo Makes Noise. Charles was born at home in Walthill which was very common according to Charles because a team of horses and a wagon were the main transportation at the time. He can remember when highways 77 and 75 were just wagon trails and had fond memories about the sense of community at the natural springs that watered the horses along the road. His young days were spent down by the Missouri river where he would gather gooseberries, raspber-ries, plums and apples from the timbers for his grandmother to make pies with. She would sell pies to the men working on channeliz-ing the river for extra money for the family. Charles happily recalled memories of his early days playing in the timbers and the old aban-doned Mission building.

At about five years of age, Charles was sent to boarding school. He reflected on the expe-riences of his elders at the old style boarding schools and is thankful that the military style approach to teaching his elders endured at the old style boarding schools was being phased out when he began attending boarding school. Charles considers himself lucky that he at-tended boarding school during the new era

of boarding schools which was turning away from the military style of education. Charles stated: “the old days were much harder, but we faced similar problems then that we face today.” Charles sees positive changes for young people,

“Things are more open to young people now, they have access to the languages, ceremonies, social programs and community. They also have options. When we were young there were few options for us. Families today have a lot of opportunities; I hope they appreciate the

freedom of mobility and access to education that our elders didn’t have.”

I asked Charles what advice he would have for students and he shared some of his thoughts about what has helped him through the years. These are some of Charles’ words of wisdom.

1. Make good choices and decisions- it is up to you to choose your path.

2. If you start something finish it-re-spect yourself and your people

3. Have a goal, make plans and take on responsibility

4. Don’t do things halfheartedly- you only get back what you put into something

5. Your children depend on you- Be responsible and make good decisions for their sake

6. Be careful of the legacy of Alcohol- be aware and respect the cycle of alcoholism

7. Nobody owes you anything- you are in charge of your own destiny

8. If you have the right attitude, the right mind-set, and determination, you will reach your goals

9. The warrior tradition is important of our tradition- the eagle feathers are earned for bravery and protecting the people. Today men and women can be warriors. When you complete something, you have earned it, and no one can take that away from you. When you earn that degree, you have earned that honor, it is yours. Go in a good way as

a modern warrior. Charles is a military vet-eran who has spent 40 years working in social services to better the lives of Native Americans, and raised a family and currently lives in South Sioux City. We all need guidance and Charles Lonewolf said: “if any students need advice they can call on me.” In today’s fast paced society we need to respect the importance of listening to our elders. •