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Salish Kootenai College Co-Hosting National Conference

By Beacon Staff

The University of Montana and Salish Kootenai College are co-hosting the national conference for the College Board’s Native American Student Advocacy Institute on May 30-31.

The conference theme is “Educating Native Youth for Success: Many Nations, One Vision.” It will take place on UM’s main campus on Thursday, May 30, and at Salish Kootenai College in Pablo on Friday, May 31. Transportation to and from Pablo will be included in the conference registration fee.

Joyce Silverthorne, director of the U.S. Office of Indian Education, will deliver the opening presentation, titled “Opening the Doors for Native Students.” Silverthorne is a UM alumna and the nation’s lead official on Native American education. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in business education with a minor in Native American studies and a master’s in education leadership, all at UM.

The first day of the conference also will feature a plenary luncheon titled “Financing a Future – Making College Affordable for Native Students,” and an afternoon plenary with a panel of Montana tribal college presidents who will discuss the strengths and challenges of interacting with other higher education systems. All attendees also are invited to an evening networking reception.

The second day of the conference will include a morning plenary titled “Moving Beyond the Asterisk – Speaking with the Authors,” where authors of a new publication will explore the challenges faced by Native American students, and a closing plenary titled “Through the Post-secondary Door – Success Strategies for Native American Students.” Concurrent sessions will occur throughout both days of the conference.

Conference registration is available online.

For more information visit here, call UM’s Director of American Indian Student Services Fredricka Hunter at 406-243-6352 or email [email protected].