First Americans Land-grant colleges Organization & Network (FALCON)

Draft Business Meeting Minutes

Reno I Room

Flamingo Hotel, Las Vegas, NV

December 7-8, 2005

In attendance:

Carrie Archdale, FortPeckCommunity College

Phil Baird, United TribesTechnicalCollege

Dan Burns, AIHEC

Priscilla Carrera, WRPT-NV Farmer

Debbie Cavett, USDA

Virgil Dupuis, SalishKootenaiCollege

Wilbert Fish, BlackfeetCommunity College

Joan Gill, USDA

Susan Given-Seymour, NorthwestIndianCollege

James Hale, MHA BuffaloEnterprise

Gary Halvorson, SittingBullCollege

Anthony Howard, Crownpoint Institute of Technology

Abid Jamshedi, NorthwestIndianCollege

Benita Litson, DineCollege

Chris Martinez, FortPeckCommunity College

Martina McKinney, United TribesTechnicalCollege

Latonna Old Elk, Little Big HornCollege

John Phillips, FALCON

Michelle Singer, OneSkyCenter

Sue Smith, LacCourteOreillesOjibwaCollege

Edward Soza, Soboba Indian Reservation

Terry Tatsey, BlackfeetCommunity College

Yvonneda Henry Thompson, Chief Dull KnifeCollege

Shirley Tolth, Crownpoint Insitute of Technology

Brent Vinger, FortPeckCommunity College

R. Dale Walker, OneSkyCenter

Minutes of FALCON Meeting, December 7, 2005

The meeting was called to order at 1:45pm.

Terry Tatsey opened the meeting by reviewing the objectives of the meeting with the group. FALCON members made introductions; Tatsey reviewed the FALCON vision, mission, purpose and by-laws and the process of the development of FALCON.

Updates and Discussion Topics:

TribalCollege Equity & Extension: Multi-year Planning – Debbie Cavett and Joan Gill

Equity will become a 4 year program. Yearly continuation grants will be awarded annually, based on appropriations. First year of the plan will include: 1) Written narrative of overall objectives for the 4 year plan, 2) Written narrative of objectives by targeted need area, 3) FY06 Work Plan, 4) Budget Sheets and narratives that include (a. Lifelong budget, b. FY06 budget and c. Out-year budgets), and a5) Stakeholder Input Plan. FAILURE TO PROVIDE STAKEHOLDER INPUT INFORMATION WILL RESULT IN FUNDS BEING REDISTRIBUTED TO OTHER ELIGIBLE INSTITUTIONS. In addition, for FY06 ONLY,CSREES will ask for an explanation of the process each institution will use to collect stakeholder input—not the actual stakeholder input—but just the process for gathering input.

  • Stakeholder Input for the Out Years, the agency will require report on:
  • Actions Taken to Seek Input
  • Statement of process used to collect input
  • How collected input was considered

The Tribal Colleges Extension Program’s purpose is to increase extension program capacity at the 1994 Land Grant Institutions. Joan Gill reviewed the purpose and priorities of the Tribal Colleges Extension Program. Tribal Colleges can request funding up to $85,000 for up to one year. Projects may be “new” or “renewal” of an existing project.ORyou may request funding up to $85,000 per year for up to four years (fiscal years 2006-2009). Four-year projects will be considered “new.”

Each successful institution will conduct only one Increasing Extension Program Capacity project at a time.

Successful applicants for one-year projects may submit another application for either a one-year or four-year project in FY07. Successful applicantsfor four-year projects will need to submit required forms (e.g., cover page with appropriate signatures, budget forms, etc.) to receive funding in years two-four of the project, but do not submit a full application again until FY10.

Extension Special Emphasis Projects

  • Each application may request up to $100,000
  • The project period may not exceed three years
  • No limit to the number of Special Emphasis applications an institution may submit
  • No limit to the number of Special Emphasis projects an institution may conduct at a time

Farm Bill Discussion

Phil Baird, the incoming 1994 representative to NASULGC, addressed the group about the opportunities of an overall Land Grant system reform and the issue of future funding for Land Grant programs. Baird asked the group for input on the issues and concerns and how to best represent the stakeholders and what other “different” programs are needed. Some examples include: facilities and continued construction funding for rural development, regional 1994 liaisons, and more effective partnering with 1862 and 1890 land grant institutions.

The Farm Bill initiative, led by 1862s, is requiring input from the 1994s. What is our process for moving forward to meet mid-February deadline? In late January, we will conduct a conference call to give an opportunity for all 1994 faculty and staff to provide input.We will ask USDA to sponsor a conference call, and Phil Baird can provide an explanation of the issues and answer any questions. We need to move quickly on email, to ask the 1994 faculty and staff for their input. The email will include summary of yesterday’s Farm Bill discussion questions. John Phillips will use his email distribution list to send the email, and will give a two-week response period. We will also set up meeting with Meg Goetz, AIHEC Director of Congressional Relations next week to seek her counsel. We also need to work our delegations. Ask AIHEC who the key congressional contacts are on the reauthorization of Farm Bill. Document our accomplishments.

USDA IPAs (Intergovernmental Personnel Arrangements) for regional 1994 liaisons were discussed. We need to develop a position on the liaisons before 2007. Mr. Vernon Parker, USDA Asst. Secretary for Civil Rights, is taking on a new role in January 2006. We need to provide a recommendation to Mr. Parker ASAP, and then share our position with the AIHEC presidents. 1) We want to be involved in hiring of national liaison, by helping to write the Position Description. 2) We want reverse IPAs for the regional liaisons, which means that 1994 personnel are hired under IPAs to work for USDA. We also need to provide list of candidates. We need some input from the southwestern TCUs: Presidents Tutt (Crownpoint Institute of Technology) and Clark (DineCollege).

Minutes of FALCON Meeting, December 8, 2005

Terry Tatsey, FALCON President, called the meeting to order at 8:45am. He began by reviewing the afternoon session on December 7, 2005.

Updates and Discussion Topics:

Treasurer’s Report

  • Susan Given-Seymour, FALCON Treasurer, provided the report. FALCON has opened up a bank account and has a $1,856.50 balance. In the past, FALCON has sustained its operating fund through meeting registration. There are no paid dues for membership. We may need to discuss additional revenue-generating ideas. Pursuing non-profit status will cost approximately $1,200.

Membership Report

  • John Phillips, FALCON Executive Director, provided the membership report. Currently, there are 51 FALCON members: 5 USDA, 5 TCU Presidents, and the rest are 1994 faculty/staff. The membership represents 23 TCUs out of 33 land grants. Members are encouraged to recruit from their colleges.
  • Dan Burns, AIHEC STEM Project Officer, asked for more information on FALCON’s scope. How inclusive is FALCON? Can TCU science faculty join? AIHEC could set up a FALCON portal on its main website. Tina McKinney and John Phillips can receive stipend to maintain websites.
  • Professional development is what FALCON is about, so it is inclusive of all TCU faculty and staff. Professional development makes it a little easier to find funding.
  • We are missing students in our recruitment. We should touch base with the AIHEC Student Congress. We should go back to our campuses and each recruit one student. What about Indian students from mainstream universities? We may want to consider amending the by-laws to include students. We could create some sort of vehicle for students to develop histories of tribal land bases, which would be a baseline for additional research.
  • Virgil Dupuis, speaking as an Indian Land Tenure Foundation board member, confirmed that there is a great research opportunity for tribal land histories. It is a funding opportunity from the foundation. Curriculum development is also a priority. More information can be found at: indianlandtenure.org.

Non-Profit Status Report

  • Virgil Dupuis, FALCON Vice President, provided the non-profit status report. FALCON has hired David Seymour-Givens to work with John Phillips and the IRS to gain 501(c)(3) status. John reported that the by-laws were completed in May 2005. The articles of incorporation will be filed through the State of Missouri, and then the IRS process will begin. The non-profit status process should take about six months.

One SkyCenter Presentation

  • R. Dale Walker, MD, Executive Director of the OneSkyCenter presented. The focus of his organization is on mental health and addiction. They provide long-term training on issues such as domestic violence, suicide, and school violence.
  • One SkyCenter is SAMHSA funded. The have done some work with the TCUs, but not enough. Powerpoint presentations are available on their website, The core curriculum is to train workers in alcohol dependency counseling. They have a telemedicine training program that provides certificates and degrees. They work with tribal governments, and act as tribe’s community’s consultant. There is a lack of training and career preparation in alcohol counseling.
  • What’s out there among the TCUs? NWIC has had a chemical dependency program for many years. But, it is difficult to find Native American teachers. There are very few Native teachers to recruit. At Little Big Horn College there is a strong link with youth development.
  • When deciding on new academic programs, we must ask ourselves where are the jobs? The community need is there, but what about workforce opportunities? We can work with the Community Health Representatives (CHRs). Credentialing differs from state to state, and that will be a challenge.
  • In Alaska, Medicaid payments are allowed for traditional healing. It is the only state that does that. One Sky is trying to get IHS to follow that model. The Crow model is that everyone who gets through treatment successfully gets a job, and is plugged back into the community.
  • The main comment from youth who are depressed and suicidal is that, “we want to be heard.” They feel that their parents won’t listen.

Updates from the TCUs

The following TCUs were represented in the Update session: UTTC, CDKC, NWIC, LBHC, CIT, BCC, Ft.Peck, LCO, SKC, Dine.

Terry Tatsey adjourned the meeting at 12:58pm.