Volume 11 Number 3
May 1972

For 20 years the Navajo people dreamed of possessing their own institution of higher learning--located on their reservation and geared to the needs of the Navajo people. In February, 1968, the Bureau of Educational Research and Services of Arizona State University completed a feasibility study, which determined the need for a community college for the Navajo Indians.

Through the recommendations of this study, the College was established in July, 1968, after working out with the Bureau of Indian Affairs the temporary usage of unused space in the new BIA Many Farms High School facility. The College has operated since that time at Many Farms, and has been working diligently to acquire the resources necessary to build its own facility at Tsaile Lake. College officials have been successful in obtaining the funds necessary for Phase I construction which began at the new campus on August 9, 1971, with Phase I scheduled to be completed by October 15, 1972.

The second phase of construction, its contracts to be awarded in July, 1972, will include a Library-Learning Center, a Student Union, more dormitories and a Navajo Cultural Center.

The permanent campus, now under construction, will be located on a 1,200-acre site at Tsaile Lake. It is centrally located in the heart of the Navajo Reservation, and therefore, will be able to serve a larger percentage of Navajos within a one-hour driving radius than would any other site. More than 33% of the total Navajo population resides within a one-hour drive.

Nearly $5 million worth of classroom and dormitory facilities, as well as an additional $1.6 million for water and sewer facilities, are being built under Phase I, which will accommodate an additional 1,000 students by 1976. Having its own campus will greatly enhance the College’s spirit, operation and ability to serve its students and the Navajo people.

A two-year institution, Navajo Community College was awarded "Recognized Candidates for Accreditation" status by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools in March, 1972.

Composition of Faculty and Staff. The College now has 41 full-time faculty members--two with doctoral degrees, 25 with M.A. or M.S. degrees and six with B.A. or B.S. degrees. Eight instructors in vocational-technical programs and the Navajo Studies program substitute experience, specialized knowledge and achievement for academic degrees. Sixteen of the 41 faculty members are Indian, of whom 13 are Navajo. Among the 91 employees, 78 are Indian, with 70 of them being Navajo.

Navajo Community College is directed and guided by the following principles, as stated in its 1971-1972 catalog:

A. For any community or society to grow and prosper, it must have its own means for educating its citizens. And it is essential that these educational systems be directed and controlled by the society they are intended to serve.

B. If a community or society is to continue to grow and prosper, each member of that society must be provided with an opportunity to acquire a positive self-image and a clear sense of identity. This can be achieved only when each individual’s capacities are developed and used to the fullest possible extent. It is absolutely necessary for every individual to respect and understand his culture and his heritage; he must have faith in the future of his society.

C. Members of different cultures must develop their abilities to operate effectively, not only in their own immediate societies, but also in the complex of varied cultures that make up the larger society of man.

D. In light of the difficulties experienced by traditional educational programs in meeting the needs of individuals and societies, it is important that Navajo Community College make every possible effort to search out and test new approaches to dealing with old problems. It also is important to build the capacity of the College so that it can respond effectively to problems arising out of rapidly changing conditions.

E. To assure maximum development and success of individual students, Navajo Community College accepts the responsibility of providing individualized programs and of assisting students with their academic and social adjustment.

The objectives of the College, as outlined in the catalog, are: 1) To provide academic foundations for students who plan to transfer to senior colleges or universities; 2) To provide vocational-technical training programs for students; 3) To provide adult education courses for individuals who desire further education; 4) To provide a program of community service and community development; 5) To provide assistance and consultation upon request to public, church and Bureau of Indian Affairs schools and other organizations or institutions in the area which the College serves; 6) To foster the development and preservation of a healthy pride among Navajo people in their heritage; 7) To serve as a center for development of Indian cultures, with special emphasis on the Navajo.

These goals are carried out in the College’s curriculum, which contains basic programs in college transfer, vocational-technical training, and adult education, as well as an extensive department of Navajo and Indian studies. As a community institution, the College not only offers courses and lectures, but also sponsors such nonacademic programs as its livestock breeding service which makes high quality stallions and bulls available to Navajos free of charge.

According to the American Association of junior Colleges, in 1971 there were 1,091 junior colleges in the United States. A characteristic of each of these institutions is the fact that it serves a restricted geographical area and is attended primarily by residents from that area. Navajo Community College is no exception. It is attempting to perform this function with regard to the geographical area encompassing the Navajo Reservation.

In the spring semester, 1972, 561 full-time equivalent students were enrolled, composed of approximately 80% Navajos, 10% other Indians, and 10% non-Indians. Students from 12 tribes, other than the Navajo, attended, and included students from 11 states.

The College is not an exercise in segregation any more than are the other 1,090 colleges. Rather, NCC is an effort on the part of the Navajo people to provide for themselves an educational institution geared to their needs and area, just as more than 1,000 other communities are doing.

This philosophy has been stated clearly by Yazzie Begay, a former Board of Regents member of the College, who said, "We are not attempting to build walls up through the establishment of this College. Rather, we are trying to knock walls down. We only want what millions of other Americans already enjoy, and that is our own college designed to serve our own needs."

It is interesting to note that the Navajo Tribe, in which the average family income is less than $800 per year, considered the College of such significance that it appropriated $1 million for Phase I construction. This is in addition to an annual appropriation of $250,000 for operational expenses. Truly, it can be said that the Navajo Tribe is putting its money where its mouth is. The Tribe is firmly convinced that the future growth of the Navajo people and the development of the reservation will in large measure be dependent upon the success of Navajo Community College and its ability to meet the educational needs of the residents of the Navajo Reservation.

The role which Navajo Community College must play in the growth and development of the Navajo people and their reservation can best be understood through the presentation of certain facts. In the first place, the unemployment rate on the Navajo Reservation exceeds 70%. Second, the average number of school years completed for Navajo adults is less than three years. Third, 70% of Navajo adults do not read, write or speak English. Fourth, until the establishment of Navajo Community College, there was not a single institution of higher education within the 25,000 square mile Navajo Reservation. Fifth, prior to the establishment of Navajo Community College, 90% of the Navajo college scholarship recipients, who were selected from the top 100% of each year’s high school graduating classes, dropped out of college before they graduated. Sixth and last, the Navajos are proud to be what they are and want to be contributing Navajos as well as Americans. They want to learn about themselves as Navajos.

Historically, in the west as territories became states, the establishment of colleges and universities contributed to the growth and development of those areas. Even today in underdeveloped nations, institutions of higher education play an important role in the growth of the new emerging nations. It certainly would appear that the Navajo people should be entitled to the same opportunities for higher education that exist in other sections of the world and which in many cases are supported by American money.

Navajo Community College is the result of a broad spectrum of support which included the Navajo Tribe, the federal government, foundations, industries and corporations as well as individuals. Herein lies the strength of the College! One indication of that strength is to be found in the passage of the Navajo Community College Bill (P.L. 92-189) and in the fact that the College has achieved a stable position in a period of only four years.

Obviously there are many hurdles and problems which lie ahead but if the College can continue to enjoy the respect and support of the array of sources it presently enjoys then its future is both secure and bright.