New president selected

Sarah Cummins

11/14/2001 12:00:00 AM

A new higher education official has entered his office with experience from accredited institutions and enthusiasm for Tribal College expansion.

Jeffrey L. Hamley, Ed.D., was selected as president of the Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College on Oct. 31 by the Board of Regents.

"Hopefully my goals will be grounded in what the community envisions for the Tribal College," stated Hamley. "My immediate goals as president are to obtain our accreditation, to establish the administration infrastructure of the college and to provide students a quality education."

According to Hamley, building the college's infrastructure will take a couple of years. This branch of the college will include, the registrar and financial aid, as well as, the academic dean side and business side of the education institution.

Hamley has extensive experience with Native American education as the former director of policy analysis and research for the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC). Hamley, a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians of North Dakota, has also served as director of the Harvard Native American Program, director of the Native Teacher Preparation Program at Northwest Indian College and dean of the Center for the Arts and Cultural Studies at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, N.M.

Hamley has a firm background in education. He has a doctorate in administration, planning and social policy from Harvard University along with a master's degree in counseling and consulting psychology. His undergraduate degree was pursued at Western Washington University where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts in elementary education and, later, a master's degree in student personnel administration in higher education.

Board of Regents Chairperson Angeline Boulley-Matson recently said that Hamley's goals for the college coincide with what the board plans for the future.

"Accreditation is our No. 1 goal as is the stability of leadership which is why we are looking at Jeff. We want him to be happy here for a number of years," said Boulley-Matson. "Another priority is the growth of the Tribal College. We'd like to see our student enrollment increase and really find our niche with the programs that we offer. We'd like to really create a name for ourselves."

There are 32 Tribal Colleges in the United States, according to Hamley. He said the Tribe's institution will most likely parallel what these other colleges have done to become established.

"They usually start off very modestly with a small number of students, and then they establish their infrastructure," he explained. "One thing they did at some point-and it may take five, 10 to 20 years-is at some point they purchased land and built a new campus. So, I'm sure it is in the future for us. I think that is an exciting aspect for us-at some point we'll acquire land and build a campus. Hopefully, architecturally it will be influenced by Ojibwe design."

The Board of Regents also believes the college will follow a similar course.

"I'd love to see a building that is beautiful with our Ojibwe culture kept in mind, with offices, classrooms, a student union and a day care," said Boulley-Matson.

Both Tribal College officials said they agree that the future site should be a place where the community can come together and experience exciting programs and listen to guest speakers.

Even without a large and permanent site, Hamley said he hopes to see the Tribal College grow and has plans to raise the visibility of the college.

"If we make prospective students aware of what a good product we have, they'll come," he said.

As the institution works toward accreditation, Hamley feels the reputation of the college will expand. Currently, the Tribal College has articulation agreements with Michigan State University, Ferris State University, Central Michigan University and Mid Michigan Community College.

By obtaining these articulation agreements, Tribal College officials have fulfilled one step in the process of becoming accredited. The next step is to become a candidate. According to Boulley-Matson, the Tribal College, hopefully, will achieve candidacy status by fall of 2002.

As a candidate, the college will be eligible for federal funding as well as funding through the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the American Indian College Fund.

After fulfilling its role as a candidate, which usually takes about two years and involves a large and comprehensive self-study, the Tribal College will become accredited.

Hamley was selected as president after a long search process that was conducted nationwide.

"As an Indian woman, it's great to see so many Indians with doctoral degrees," said Boulley-Matson. "It is especially fulfilling to have a Native American educated at Harvard with impressive experience and credentials and enthusiasm for the Tribal College. We are ready for a whole new era at the Tribal College."

To learn more about the institution, Boulley-Matson encourages people to sign up for a class in order to "see what we are all about." Community members are also encouraged to attend the Board of Regents meetings. For more information, call (989) 775-4123.