College celebrates anniversary

| Friday, March 31, 2006

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KYLE -- A two-day celebration beginning Friday will mark the 35th anniversary of Oglala Lakota College, the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation tribal college.

On Friday and Saturday, Oglala Lakota College will celebrate its anniversary with a variety of activities, including a forum, the OLC Founders Recognition Program and a powwow.

The Elders' Forum will begin Friday in the Piya Wiconi conference room at OLC's administrative center near Kyle. The elders will discuss "The Future of Oglala Lakota College and Higher Education on the Reservation."

On Saturday, OLC will host a one-day powwow in the Little Wound School Gymnasium in Kyle. Grand entry ceremonies begin at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. A recognition program will begin the festivities at 10 a.m. at the Little Wound School Gymnasium. A meal will be served at noon.

The program will honor and recognize the founders of Oglala Lakota College, which includes tribal members Gerald One Feather, Calvin Jumping Bull, Birgil Kills Straight, Jake Little Thunder, Alma Jacobs, Hattie Twiss, Norman Rogers, Raymond Howe and Geraldine Janis.

In a written statement, OLC president Thomas Shortbull said that it was fitting to honor the college's founders.

"It was their foresight that led to the development of a college that has been so important to the people on the Pine Ridge Reservation," Shortbull said in the news release.

Newton Cummings, OLC board president, said the college has successfully followed its mission of rebuilding its tribal nation through leadership and education, according to the news release.

"Oglala Lakota College is clearly a leading force in the effort to 'Rebuild the Lakota Nation Through Education,'" he said in the release.