(Hayward, WI) – February 15, 2022– Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe College (LCOOC) is excited to announce its successful bi-annual Accomplishments to Goal following a re-vamp of LCOOC’s strategic goals for the 2021/2024. The following are notable accomplishments from June 30 – December 31, 2021.
1. Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe College will continue to implement our mission by expanding our services and strengthening our relationships to meet the needs of the communities we serve.
a. LCOOC revised our social media communication plan to be more relevant to the platforms that we communicate on.
b. LCOOC launched a new website December 2021 to provide greater functionality for internal and external customers. Students, staff, faculty, and community members were surveyed in developing the new site.
c. LCOOC, in partnership with the College of Menominee Nation and the University of Wisconsin System, hosted the 3rd Annual Seven Generations Inter-tribal Leadership Summit bringing together leaders and learners from across our communities.
d. Continued relations work with the Sokaogon Chippewa Community/Mole Lake (SCC) and Forest County Potawatomi (FCP) communities has resulted in two new enrollments at Sokaogon and an impending visit and tour from FCP officials.
e. LDF Outreach staff member accepted a seat on the LDF Library Board as Secretary
f. LDF Outreach staff member represents LCOOC in the LDF Indian Education Committee
g. Sent handwritten cards, medicine bundles and gift cards to over 145 LCO Elders for Thanksgiving
h. LCOOC held a recruitment and one stop registration event in Mole Lake, December 2021
2. Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe College will practice ethical and responsible conduct by continuing to develop and care for those in its employ.
a. Donation of leave time to fellow employees
b. Creating a team atmosphere for positive, productive meetings; outreach inclusion; and commitment to the team
c. The President was selected for the 2021-2022 Aspen New Presidents Fellowship. The program supports community college presidents in the early years of their tenure as they aim to achieve higher and more equitable levels of student success.
d. Conducted employee trainings including: out of office notification, NARCAN, active shooter, inclement weather policy, and customer service training.
3. Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe College will proactively pursue innovative ways to enhance current support services and create new opportunities for its students and alumni.
a. Partnerships with businesses and organizations in the community resulted in job opportunities shared with our current students and alumni, specifically positions with NorthLakes Community Clinic.
b. Disbursed $544,940 in student aid including grants & scholarships as of December 22, 2021; Received 323 2021-2022 FAFSA Applications, received 74 LCOOC Scholarship Applications for Fall 2021
c. Campus Upgrades:
i. Additional upgrades to AV systems in classrooms
ii. Procured AV upgrades to the auditorium to allow for live streaming events
iii. Procured AV upgrades for a portable online presentation meeting system
d. New more effective processes for Drop-Out-Detective being implemented in Spring 2022.
e. First BookSwap/BuyBack event held December 2021 – Over $1,000 in reference text-books purchased for students.
f. Awarded over $21,000 in Emergency Aid to over 50 college students; program holds an average of 80%-90% retention/persistence rates.
g. Fun & Study Week (Mid-Term & Finals) averaged 33 – 34 students. Activities include; games, coloring sheets, therapy kittens, games, pizza, and tutoring.
h. LDF Outreach reserved a small space for donations (inhouse only) for students and their family members
4. Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe College will continue to evaluate current academic offerings and develop new programs to meet the needs of the tribal and surrounding communities we serve.
a. Created 3 new 1 credit courses (bandolier bags, advanced grant writing, and jingle dress making) to meet community needs
b. Developed Workplace Wellness Yoga Program
c. Indigenous Wellness and Resilience Micro-credit course taught for Ashland County Jail
5. Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe College will continue to develop relationships to increase the capacity to accomplish its goals and meet the needs of its students.
a. LCOOC applied for and received grants to evaluate the need and develop new academic programing from Wells Fargo Philanthropy, Patricia Ann Emberg Charitable Trust and the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families.
b. LCOOC received a $25,000 anonymous donation to support student scholarships in the field of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
c. Financial Aid Director appointed to the NASFA Task Force.
d. Business Office corrected trial balance to produce financial statements to Board of Regents
Solicited and approved new ERP system for the College and approved consulting contract to assist with the implementation of Ellucian Colleague software ERP system.
Campus Upgrades:
i. Completed generator connections and eliminated electrical services and combined them into one
ii. Solicited bids for Exterior Façade and awarded contract
iii. Awarded contract for cultural center ceiling repair
iv. Finalized plans and specs for HVAC renovation and solicitating bids
v. New CAT-6 network cabling installed and removed old wire, reconfigured network closets and labeled all network outlets and connection points
vi. Installed emergency lighting to be compliant with building codes
vii. Renovated restrooms
viii. Installed additional interior and exterior security cameras and waiting on parts for additional cameras.
ix. Procured contractor to install additional access control systems on exterior doors
x. Completed additional office renovations
xi. Repaired lighting controls in library
xii. Finalizing network upgrades
g. Campus Expansion:
i. LCOOC engaged in a contract with a fundraising consultant to develop a strategy to fund the implementation of the Campus Expansion project.
ii. Completed land survey and Phase 1 Environmental review of new campus property
h. Applied for and received an additional $20,000 from Otto Bremer Trust in supplemental emergency aid funding.
i. Applied and received a $500,000 2-year grant from USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture for New Beginning for Tribal Students in conjunction with College of Menominee Nation and UW-Madison
j. Career Services placed a total of 33 interns since July 2021; 33% gained full-time employment; 81% retention rate and 90% maintained satisfactory academic progress
k. Partnered with the LCO Tribe and UW-Madison for hemp research; cultivated 1 acre of hemp for CBD and harvested over 200 lbs of biomass in 2021
l. LCOOC completed the Achieving the Dream Institutional Capacity Assessment Tool (ICAT), a self-assessment tool to help colleges assess areas of strength and improvement.
m. Hired staff for new positions including: English Faculty, Human Services Field Coordinator Faculty, Education Faculty, Nursing Faculty, Advancement Coordinator, and Placement Coordinator.
n. Filled vacated positions including: Academic Assistant, HR Assistant, Admissions & Recruitment Specialist, NAS Faculty Director, Registrar, Recruiter, Sustainable Ag. Research Manager, and Retention Coordinator.
To learn more visit the website at http://lco.edu.
About Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe College
The Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe College’s mission is to provide Anishinaabe communities with post-secondary and continuing education while advancing the language, culture, and history of the Ojibwe.
Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe College (LCOOC) is a non-profit Ojibwe tribal college celebrating 40 years of education in 2022. We are an open-door institution that is proud to serve American Indian students. LCOOC welcomes non-native students and celebrates a diverse student population at all of our locations.
Learn more at http://lco.edu