In response to the persistent disparities in Tribal representation in health research, education and professionals, the Northwest Indian College has established the Northwest Indian College Center for Health.

The Northwest Indian College Center for Health (NWICCH) will pursue multi-faceted educational responses to the long-standing health disparities in our Tribal communities. This response will include research supporting health education and services, development of culturally relevant research, curriculum and publications, and continued Tribal “ownership” of Native research and data.

The foundation of NWICCH’s projects will rest in Community-Based Participatory Research, ensuring all research is rooted in the needs of the communities, engaging communities and serving communities. The research projects will be conducted with consensus and collaboration of Tribal communities, further supported through additional partnerships with the Northwest Washington Indian Health Board and its member tribes.

The public is invited to submit third party comments in writing concerning the institution’s qualifications for candidacy or accreditation by March 31, 2010. The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities will be evaluating NWIC from April 26-28.

Northwest Indian College is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational institution chartered by the Lummi Nation. Its primary goal is to serve the educational and training needs of the Pacific Northwest tribes and their people. Its main branch is on the Lummi Reservation near Bellingham, Washington, with sites and learning centers situated throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Northwest Indian College is currently engaged in a comprehensive self-study review process as a 4-year degree granting institution.  The comprehensive evaluation is a voluntary process by which institutional accreditation is granted by a regional accrediting agency within a scope of authority by the U.S. Department of Education.  Institutional accreditation applies to the college as a whole, not individual programs or units within the institution.
 

Northwest Indian College is hosting a public educational forum next week featuring internationally renowned Native scholar David Eugene Wilkins.

Wilkins, one of the country’s leading experts on Native American law and policy, returns to NWIC after a three-year hiatus to deliver “American Indian Legal Universe.” In this open discussion session Wilkins will share his research from his upcoming book, “The Legal Universe,” which he co-authored with the late Vine Deloria Jr. His work provides insight and perspective into current and ongoing legal and political issues facing indigenous peoples of the United States. Wilkins will address tribal sovereignty, environmental rights, reclaiming and exercising tribal governance, and the U.S. Supreme Courts’ consistently inconsistent support for minority groups’ rights.

The public is invited to attend the forum. It will be held from 10:30 a.m. to noon on Thursday, Feb. 11, in the CAC building on NWIC’s campus, located at 2522 Kwina Rd. on the Lummi Reservation near Bellingham. The presentation is part of a speaker series of the Native Science Program. This series invites influential Native American leaders to discuss Indian affairs, culture and issues.

We've added a few new courses to the winter schedule. The following options are now available winter quarter 2010:  Digital Photography, Conversational Navajo Language I, Intro to Coast Salish Bone Game, and Aboriginal Healing and Health.  Sign up Now! 

Get more information ► Winter Quarter New Classes (pdf)