NEW MEXICO STATE UNIVERSITY

New Mexico State University, the state's land-grant institution, received funding from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation to establish a "Bridges Program" for American Indian students and tribal college faculty members. For this Program, which focuses on the social sciences and humanities, NMSU formed partnerships with four 1994 land-grant tribal colleges: The Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI), the Crownpoint Institute of Technology(CIT), the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA), and Diné Community College at Shiprock (DCCS).

The Bridges Program consists of FIVE ACTIVITIES:

1. A seminar/lecture/workshop series presented at the tribal schools by NMSU faculty.
2. A three-day orientation program for tribal college students at NMSU.
3. A summer research and education program at NMSU that links NMSU faculty mentors with tribal college students.
4. A program of support services for students who finish their Associate Degree and transfer to NMSU.
5. A summer research and education program at NMSU for tribal college faculty members.

These activities are designed to accomplish FIVE GENERAL OBJECTIVES that can be taken together as a mission statement for the Program:

1. We seek to meet more effectively the educational needs of American Indian peoples and to strengthen Native American higher education in New Mexico and on the Navajo Nation.
2. We will work to increase collaboration and cooperation between NMSU and the tribal land-grant institutions.
3. We will attempt to facilitate the transfer of Native American students from two-year tribal colleges to four-year universities where students may obtain their Baccalaureate Degrees.
4. We seek to strengthen programs at the tribal schools through activities that promote development of tribal college faculty.
5. We hope to promote American Indian student retention at NMSU and other universities by creating academic, student-centered projects that will help students learn about and accommodate to the culture and demands of mainstream institutions.