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Diné College

Former name	Navajo Community College (1968–1997)
Motto	The Higher Education Institution of the Navajo
Type	Public tribal land-grant college
Established	1968; 56 years ago (1968) (opened January 20, 1969)
Academic affiliations	Space-grant
President	Charles Monty Roessel
Students	2,000
Location	Tsaile, Arizona, United States
Colors	blue and gold
Mascot	Warriors
Website	www.dinecollege.edu

Diné College is a public tribal land-grant college based in Tsaile, Arizona, serving the 27,000-square-mile (70,000 km) Navajo Nation. It offers associate degrees, bachelor's degrees, academic certificates, and one master's degree.

History

Diné College opened in 1968 as the Navajo Community College, the first college established by Native Americans for Native Americans. The college was chartered by the Navajo Nation in 1968. The Navajo Tribal Council appointed Guy Gorman, Yazzie Begay, Chester Yellowhair, Carl Todacheene, Wilson Skeet, Howard Gorman, Allen Yazzie, and Dillon Platero to be the first to serve on the college's Board of Regents. Robert Roessel served as the college's first president.

The college was originally located at the site of the Rough Rock Community School in Rough Rock on a temporary basis until a permanent site could be chosen and constructed. The Board of Regents selected three possible sites for the college, namely the Tsaile–Wheatfields area, Many Farms, and Ganado. After a Board-commissioned survey of possible sites for the college, the Tsaile–Wheatfields area was recommended because it had plenty of water available and has scenic forests and lakes. After the Board was guaranteed 1,000 acres for the campus, a residential area, and a shopping area, the Board officially chose the Tsaile–Wheatfields area in October 1968. The Board asked people to send in designs for the college's seal, and it chose the William Morgan's design of an arrowhead encircled by a rainbow god.

On January 20, 1968, the college officially opened with 40 faculty members. There were 340 students enrolled during its first semester, which was the limit of its capacity. More than 3,000 other applicants were turned away due to a lack of space. The college added 23 evening classes because there was a higher demand for evening classes than daytime classes.

By 1973, 3,421 students had enrolled at Navaho Community College, but only 46 had graduated with associate degrees during that time. There was little for the students to do outside of classes, and excessive drinking became a problem for some.

In October 1973, following construction delays, students began taking classes at the college's permanent campus in Tsaile. The campus was officially dedicated on May 14, 1974. Most campus buildings were built in octagonal shapes, similar to the eight-sided traditional Navajo hogan. The campus cost $12 million to build. Some classes were taught in Shiprock and Fort Defiance.

In August 1992, Tommy Lewis became president. During his tenure, the college's funding from the Bureau of Indian Affairs increased to almost $7.3 million in 2000. The Navajo Language and Culture Curriculum became widely popular at the Tsaile campus after the program saw increases in class enrollment, thus allowing the Board of Regents to implement the program throughout the institution. In 1994, the college was designated a land-grant college alongside 31 other tribal colleges.

During the Summer of 1997, the administration changed the name of the college from Navajo Community College to Diné College in order to better to represent the school's function as an institution of learning for the Diné/Navajo people.

In 1998, Diné College bestowed its first bachelor's degrees under the Diné Teacher Education Program, accredited through a partnership with Arizona State University.

In 1998, the Diné College Library was rededicated as the Kinyaa'áanii Charlie Benally Memorial Library.

On May 21, 2011, the women's archery team made history by winning the United States college national championship in compound bow. This is believed to be the first time a tribal college team has won a top-tier intercollegiate national championship event in any sport.

In 2019, the Chicago-based Higher Learning Commission (HLC) approved Diné College’s four-year institution status and two additional emphasis options within the BA of Fine Arts degree: silversmithing and weaving.

Academics

Diné College offers bachelor's degrees, associate degrees,certificate programs, and one master's degree.

The college's Center for Diné Studies "applies Navajo Są́ʼąh Naagháí Bikʼeh Hózhóón principles to advance quality student learning through Nitsáhákees (Thinking), Nahatʼá (Planning), Iiná (Living) and Siihasin (Assurance) in study of the Navajo language, history, and culture in preparation for further studies and employment in a multi-cultural and technological world."

The college also hosts the Uranium Education Program on its Shiprock campus. It is an empowerment program for the Navajo centering on the study of radiation and environmental health issues arising from the aftermath of uranium mining/milling operations on the Navajo Nation, as well as other serious environmental issues.

Campuses

The main campus of Diné College is in Tsaile, a census-designated place in unincorporated Apache County, Arizona. There are also five branches of Diné College: two in Apache County, Arizona (Chinle and Window Rock), one in Coconino County, Arizona (Tuba City), one in McKinley County, New Mexico (Crownpoint) and one in San Juan County, New Mexico (Shiprock). Diné College also has two micro-sites in Aneth, Utah, and Newcomb, New Mexico.

The main Tsaile campus includes eight fifteen-room dormitories housing about 150 students: each octagonally shaped unit has a fireplace in the center, and is described by the college as a "hooghan away from hogan"—a reference to the traditional Navajo hogan dwelling.

Hogan Faculty Housing is also on campus. Residents of family housing and faculty housing are zoned to the Chinle Unified School District. Tsaile Elementary School is in proximity to the university. All Chinle USD residents are assigned to Chinle High School.

Governance

The college is directed by an eight-member Board of Regents confirmed by the Government Services committee of the Navajo Nation Council. The name Diné comes from the traditional name for the Navajo, meaning "the people."

Alumni

• Carmelita Little Turtle, Apache/Rarámuri photographer
• Nicco Montaño, professional Mixed Martial Artist, inaugural and current UFC Women's Flyweight Champion, first UFC Champion of Navajo descent

See also

• Diné College Press

References

1. ^ "College Opens for Navajo Tribe". United Press International. The Ogden Standard-Examiner. January 20, 1969. p. 8A.
2. "About". Diné College. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
3. "MS Biology - Diné College". 2022-11-14. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
4. Pollard, Marvin E. (Spring 1984). "Naaltsoos Ba' Hoogan: The Navajo Community College Library". Community & Junior College Libraries. 2: 15-19.
5. "All-Indian Regents Selected for Navajos' First College". Associated Press. The Arizona Republic. July 27, 1968. p. 10.
6. "Navajo Council Backs College Regents Board". United Press International. Albuquerque Journal. July 21, 1968. p. B11.
7. "Open Door Policy Set By New Navajo College". Arizona Republic. September 6, 1968. p. 31.
8. "Council Endorses College". Associated Press. Arizona Daily Sun. July 19, 1968. p. 2.
9. ^ "Wheatfields Is Recommended". The Gallup Independent. September 14, 1968. p. 1.
10. "Site Selected". Associated Press. Arizona Daily Sun. October 8, 1968. p. 1.
11. "Regents Pick Winning Seal for College". Arizona Republic. January 15, 1969. p. 8.
12. "Higher Education Comes to Navajoland". Arizona Republic. January 19, 1969.
13. ^ "First Reservation College Established By Navajos". El Paso Times. July 19, 1969.
14. "Navajo College Adds 23 Night Courses". Arizona Republic. February 7, 1969. p. A8.
15. ^ "First College for Indians Undergoing Growing Pains". The Los Angeles Times. Fort Worth Star-Telegram. April 6, 1973. p. 3D.
16. ^ "Navajo School Dedicated". Associated Press. Carlsbad Current-Argus. May 15, 1974. p. 4.
17. Penrose, Steve (July 28, 1974). "Navajo College One of Kind". Albuquerque Journal. p. C8.
18. "NIFA 1994s The First 20 Years of the 1994 Land-Grant Institutions Standing on Tradition, Embracing the Future" (PDF). National Institute of Food and Agriculture. September 25, 2015. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
19. "American Indian Higher Education Consortium". Archived from the original on June 14, 2012.
20. "US Intercollegiate Archery Championships". May 2011. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
21. "News Release – Diné College Now a 4-year Institution; Students to See Big Improvements in Fall 2019 - Diné College". 2019-08-08. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
22. "Diné College Catalog 2022-2023". Diné College. 2022.
23. "Hogan Navajo Dwelling". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
24. "Tsaile Campus". Diné College. Retrieved 2020-04-10. – See map
25. "Tsaile Campus Area Map Archived 2015-05-13 at the Wayback Machine" (Archive). Diné College. Retrieved on June 16, 2015.
26. "Official Website of Nicco Montaño". Archived from the original on 2018-07-22. Retrieved 2018-07-24.
27. "Nicco Montano | UFC". www.ufc.com. 14 September 2018.
28. Observer, Navajo-Hopi. "Navajo Nation honors UFC champion Nicco Montano". Navajo-Hopi Observer News.

External links

• Official website

Links to related articles

v t e  Navajo Nation Politics and institutions Council Council Chamber President Vice President Flag Supreme Court Chapter houses Police Rangers Miss Navajo Culture People Language Ethnobotany Music Weaving Navajo dolls Navajo-Churro sheep Navajo Nation Zoological and Botanical Park Media Ádahooníłígíí Navajo Times KTNN Radio History The Emergence Dinétah Navajo pueblitos (1600s–1700s) Navajo Wars (1800s) Long Walk of the Navajo (1864) Treaty of Bosque Redondo (1868) Navajo Scouts (1873–1895) Livestock Reduction (1930s) Code talkers (1940s) Education District public Cedar USD (AZ) White Cone HS, now closed Central Consolidated (NM) Newcomb HS Shiprock HS Chinle USD (AZ) Chinle HS Gallup-McKinley County (NM) Navajo Pine HS Tohatchi HS Ganado USD (AZ) Ganado HS Kayenta USD (AZ) Monument Valley HS Magdalena Municipal (NM) Page USD (AZ) Red Mesa USD (AZ) Red Mesa HS Red Valley/Cove HS Tuba City USD (AZ) Tuba City HS Winslow USD BIE/Tribal Greyhills Acad HS (AZ) Hunters Point Boarding (AZ) Kaibeto Boarding (AZ) Leupp Schools (AZ) Many Farms Community (AZ, former Chinle Boarding) Many Farms HS (AZ) Rough Point Community (AZ) Rough Rock Community (AZ) Shonto Prep (AZ) Tuba City Boarding (AZ) Navajo Prep (off-reservation, NM) Private St. Michael Indian School Tertiary Diné College Press Communities List of communities v t e Education in Apache County, Arizona School districts K-12 Chinle Ganado Red Mesa Round Valley Sanders St. Johns Window Rock Elementary Alpine Concho McNary Vernon District high schools Chinle HS Ganado HS Red Mesa HS Red Valley/Cove HS Round Valley HS St. Johns HS Valley HS Window Rock HS BIE/tribal schools Many Farms High School Rock Point Community School Rough Rock Community School Hunters Point Boarding School Many Farms Community School (former Chinle Boarding) Private St. Michael Indian School Tertiary Diné College Tsaile, Chinle, and Window Rock v t e Education in Coconino County, Arizona School districts K-12 Ash Fork Joint Flagstaff Fredonia-Moccasin Grand Canyon Page Tuba City Williams Elementary Maine Consolidated No grades Chevelon Butte District public high schools Coconino Flagstaff Fredonia Grand Canyon Tuba City Williams Closed Sinagua Notable public elementary schools Closed South Beaver Charter schools Flagstaff Arts and Leadership Academy Northland Preparatory Academy BIE/tribal schools Greyhills Academy High School Havasupai Elementary School Kaibeto Boarding School Leupp Schools, Inc. Tuba City Boarding School Tertiary Coconino County Community College Diné College Tuba City Center Northern Arizona University v t e Education in McKinley County, New Mexico School districts Gallup-McKinley County Schools Crownpoint HS Gallup HS Miyamura HS Navajo Pine HS Ramah M/HS Thoreau HS Tohatchi HS Tseʼ Yiʼ Gai HS Zuni Public School District Zuni HS BIE Wingate HS Private Rehoboth Christian School St. Bonaventure Indian School* High school closed Gallup Catholic K-12 Tertiary Diné College Crownpoint Center * served high school students from 1986–2001 v t e Education in San Juan County, New Mexico School districts Aztec Municipal Schools Bloomfield Municipal Schools Central Consolidated Schools Farmington Municipal Schools Public high schools Aztec HS Bloomfield HS Farmington HS Kirtland Central HS Newcomb HS Piedra Vista HS Shiprock HS K-12 state schools New Mexico School for the Deaf FMN preschool Tribal Shiprock Associated Schools, Inc. 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Graduate and professional institutions A.T. 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Window Rock High School is in Fort Defiance.

36°19′13″N 109°13′51″W / 36.32038°N 109.23088°W / 36.32038; -109.23088

• Universities and colleges in Arizona
• Education on the Navajo Nation
• American Indian Higher Education Consortium
• Education in San Juan County, New Mexico
• Universities and colleges established in 1968
• Education in Apache County, Arizona
• Education in Navajo County, Arizona
• Education in Coconino County, Arizona
• USCAA member institutions
• 1968 establishments in Arizona
• Community colleges in New Mexico
• Two-year colleges in the United States