Sinte Gleska University

Sinte Gleska University (SGU) is a public tribal land-grant university in Mission, South Dakota, on the Rosebud Indian Reservation. It is a Brulé Lakota Indian Reservation home to the Sicangu (Burnt Thigh). SGU has an enrollment of 828 full and part-time students.^[1] It is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.^[2]

Sinte Gleska University

Motto	Wahope unglawa sakapi hecel oyate ki Wolakota gluha tokatakiya unya pi kte.
Motto in English	Reenforcing our foundation for the people to go forward in the Lakota Way.
Type	Public, tribal, land-grant university
Established	1970; 55 years ago (1970)
Academic affiliations	American Indian Higher Education Consortium, Space-grant
President	Ted Hamilton
Students	approximately 1,000
Location	Mission , South Dakota , United States
Campus	rural
Affiliations	Brulé Lakota
Website	sintegleska.edu

History

SGU was founded in 1971. SGU was named for the Brulé Lakota chief Sinte Gleska.^[3] The founding Board President was Lakota elder Stanley Red Bird Sr., and Joseph M. Marshall III, the first published writer in Lakota, was a founder as well.^[4] In 1994, the college was designated a land-grant college alongside 31 other tribal colleges.^[5]

Partnerships

The college is a member of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, a community of tribally and federally chartered institutions working to strengthen tribal nations. Tribal colleges generally serve geographically isolated populations who have no other means accessing higher education; they also are a means for the tribes to teach subjects from the perspectives of their cultures, as well as specific classes in their cultures.^[1]

Academics

Undergraduate demographics as of Fall 2023^[6]

Race and ethnicity	Total
American Indian/Alaska Native	93%
White	7%
Economic diversity
Low-income[a]	52%
Affluent[b]	48%

SGU describes its approach to higher education as focusing on "an educational direction and philosophy that both promotes and preserves our Lakol Wicohan (traditional way of life) for the benefit of our future generations."^[7]

The university offers 25 associate degrees, 23 bachelor's degrees, two master's degrees, a dozen certificate programs, and several vocation programs through seven academic undergraduate departments:

• Great Plains Art Institute
• Arts and Sciences
• Business
• Education
• Human Services
• Lakota Studies
• Institute of Technologies (vocational/career education)

The college has programs in Lakota studies,^[8] including the language and aesthetics. As of 2011, it is one of seven tribal colleges in the U.S. to offer a degree related to tribal administration.^[9]

The Great Plains Art Institute of the University offers AA and BA degrees in art and a BAAE degree in art education.^[10]

In 1988, SGU established the annual Northern Plains Indian Art Market in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, which included a juried art show, art market, powwow, and Oscar Howe lecture.^[11][12] The market aimed to educate students and the community about Northern Plains art, philosophy, dance, and music.^[7] In 2023, SGU canceled the market, citing financial issues and decreasing participation from students.^[12]

SGU has partnered with Red Crow Community College and Old Sun Community College, both in Alberta, Canada, enabling them to offer a master's degree in education, with an emphasis in early childhood special education.^[13]

Notable faculty

• LeAnne Howe (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma)
• Joe L. Kincheloe (1950–2008)
• Simon J. Ortiz (Acoma Pueblo)
• Albert White Hat (1929–2013)
• Doris Leader Charge (1930–2001)

See also

• American Indian College Fund (AICF)

Notes

1. The percentage of students who received an income-based federal Pell grant intended for low-income students.
2. The percentage of students who are a part of the American middle class at the bare minimum.