The success of Turtle Mountain Community College in higher education and community development (North Dakota)

This case study examined the extent to which Turtle Mountain Community College (TMCC) achieved four goals to which community colleges are committed: its open-door access, the success students had in transferring to 4-year institutions, its ability to collaborate with locally owned businesses and industries, and how well it facilitated area economic development. These 4 points are key to improving the educational and employment opportunities of the enrolled and nonenrolled members living on or nearby the Turtle Mountain Reservation.; The data were collected from a survey of students (N = 465) and representatives of 14 nearby businesses, as well as findings from another researcher's unpublished dissertation on TMCC students.; The results portray student demographics, open access, transfer success, how TMCC functions as a partner, and the relationship between TMCC and economic development. The current study that found that the TMCC students/graduates surveyed were Native Americans over the age of 25, of whom fewer than half transferred to a 4-year college; slightly more than half of those transfers graduated from a 4-year school. The findings indicated that (a) TMCC has practiced open access, (b) those students/graduates who transferred to a 4-year school were successful, (c) TMCC functioned as a true partner with local employers, (d) TMCC has facilitated economic development on within its service area, and (e) TMCC has been a factor in fostering social change within its service area.; The data presented suggest that TMCC functions as an active agent for change on the reservation. This collaboration between the college and the community can serve as a model for other communities across the country where reservations and community colleges can work cooperatively to build a better future for the members of the community.