Student Handbook - Heritage & Accreditation
HERITAGE AND ACCREDITATION HISTORY
The United Tribes Technical College (UTTC) is a unique institution. Located on a 105 acre campus, three miles south of Bismarck, North Dakota, the school is a state chartered non-profit corporation owned and operated by the five reservations located in whole or in part within North Dakota. These reservations include: Three Affiliated Tribes of Fort Berthold, the Spirit Lake Tribe, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe, and the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa.
Control of the corporation is vested in a Board of Directors comprised of ten members selected as follows: The Tribal Chairperson and one other tribal member selected by the tribal Council of each reservation named above. Thus, each reservation has two members on the Board of Directors with their appointment being indefinite, subject to changes, which may occur due to tribal elections.
From its modest beginnings, the UTTC founding fathers sought to develop an institution that serves Indian people who share a common point of view and the desire to seek a grass roots vocational education in a community setting, an opportunity that did not exist. The training program that has taken shape at United Tribes over the years is specifically geared towards this type of student, providing training not only in vocational skills, but also in the various individual and social skills that a student will need to function responsibly in society.
The history of UTTC is closely tied to the formation of the United Tribes of North Dakota. Established in 1963, as an inter-tribal organization designed to monitor termination legislation then proposed in North Dakota, the organization also sought to address other evident needs of the tribal membership. Several years after a successful fight to stop termination legislation, the group incorporated as the United Tribes of North Dakota Development Corporation (UTNDDC).
In 1968, UTNDDC acquired the use of Fort Lincoln for a residential employment training center and named it the United Tribes Employment Training Center. Initially, administration and operation of the Center subcontracted to the Bendix Corporation, which had submitted a proposal, which would eventually lead to management of the Center directly by UTNDDC. The first student began arriving in late August 1969 and the Center was formally dedicated on September 6, 1969. Bendix Corporation ceased operation of the facility in July, 1971, the UTNDDC took over direct management under contract from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). Under Indian leadership, an administrative staff was selected and has maintained continuous operation of the Center from 1971 until the present.
In October of 1975, a decision was reached by the UTNDDC to change the name of the vocational
In the spring of 1978, the Center was granted candidate for accreditation status at the certificate granting level by the North Central Association. In 1982, the Center was granted initial accreditation as United Tribes Technical Center.
UTTC made a major change in 1987 when it asked the North Central Association to accredit two of its vocational programs at the Associate of Applied Science level. NCA conducted a visit and accredited two degrees, one in Licensed Practical Nursing and the other in Medical Records Technology. At the same time, the institution’s name was changed to United Tribes Technical College to more accurately reflect its nature. A similar visit occurred in the spring of 1990 when NCA accredited degrees in the Business Clerical and Criminal Justice programs. In the summer of 1993 Automotive Service Technology; Art/Art Marketing; and Early Childhood Education programs were also accredited through 2001 by NCA. UTTC has the world’s only Injury Prevention program at the AAS level. The new millennium introduces new programs such as Tribal Management and Computer Technology. Availability of records and information are in the Office of the College President.
United Tribes Technical College is a nonprofit corporation owned and operated by the five tribes located wholly or in part in North Dakota. Tribal owners: Three Affiliated Tribes of Ft. Berthold, Spirit Lake Tribe, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, Sisseton Wahpeton Sioux Tribe, and Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa.