New Name Reflects Tribal College Growth

(Hayward, WI) – Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College has announced a name change, changing to Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe College. This announcement comes from community conversations, community surveys, and the announcement of pilot bachelor’s degree courses.

The Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe College Board of Regents authorized the name change and the Lac Courte Oreilles Tribal Governing Board authorized a change to the College’s charter to reflect the new name effective November 15, 2019.

Dr. Russell Swagger, President of Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe College shared that “the reason for dropping the word ‘Community’ is to demonstrate to internal and external stakeholders that we are transforming and positioning our college to offer bachelor’s degrees. This is consistent with the common practice in the higher education field. The letter ‘a’ was changed to ‘e’ to be consistent with the Lac Courte Oreilles Tribes name and the pronunciation and correct spelling of the word ‘Ojibwe.’”

Lac Courte Oreilles (LCO) Tribal Chairman Louis Taylor states “the College and education are key to the growth of our community. The LCO Tribal Government is pleased with the progress the College is making and optimistic about their future plans to expand further into Bachelor Degrees and beyond.”

The College is planning a feast on December 19, 2019 at noon to recognize the name change and ask for guidance as the College moves forward.

Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe College will be transitioning all print materials and apparel to the new name over the next few months while internal and external signs may take more time.

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 community college. Our focus is to help Native students advance themselves in the world, while studying their own history and language. We are an open-door institution which welcomes anyone who would like to work toward a better tomorrow. LCOOC does not discriminate based upon race and will not deny admission to any Native student regardless of tribal enrollment or affiliation.

Learn more at http://lco.edu