Local leaders celebrate $5 million state budget allocation to California Indian Nations College

California State assemblymembers James C. Ramos and Eduardo Garcia joined local higher education leaders Wednesday in Palm Springs to celebrate the state’s $5 million budget allocation to California Indian Nations College.

CINC is seeking to become the first federally accredited tribal college in California in nearly two decades. CINC President and CEO Celeste Townsend said the school will use the money to advance its planning process toward that goal, which could be achieved several years from now.

Accreditation would not only ensure CINC degrees have credibility with other institutions and employers, but it would also open pathways for the community college to receive federal funding, Townsend said.

CINC was chartered by the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians in 2017, and currently relies on tribal funding to support its operating costs.

In the past year, the school has doubled in size to more than 80 students and 10 employees representing over 50 tribes.

For now, CINC does not have a standalone campus and relies on a partnership with College of the Desert to share some of its facilities.

COD and Cal State University San Bernardino also have agreements to accept CINC coursework for transfer.

Leaders stressed that it’s important for California Indians to have better access to higher education and more representation as teachers and professors across the board in addition to their own standalone college where tribal cultures are celebrated and studied.

“Many people tried to take away our education and culture, but they didn’t succeed,” Ramos said, referring to a history of marginalization.

As a member of the Serrano/Cahuilla tribe, Ramos is the first California Indian to be elected to the California State Assembly.

“Indian people being able to have our own college will start to move us forward in areas that others might not see as important in our community,” he added.

Those areas include teaching tribal languages and cultures, implied Stanley Rodriguez, the director of the Kumeyaay Community College in San Diego County.

“We need to be able to teach our people our history, our language, our culture and our spirituality in a safe space where they feel welcome,” Rodriguez said.

His and other tribal colleges currently offer tribal coursework through memoranda of understanding with accredited schools, but he warned that such agreements can be canceled when new administrators come into office.

COD Superintendent/President Martha Garcia pointed out that statewide, about half of Indigenous high school students go on to college compared to the state average of 63%.

She added that less than one is six Native Americans earn college degrees. And, during the pandemic, Native American students dropped out of California community colleges at rates higher than most other student groups.

“CINC will help break the cycle by improving individual prosperity, instilling individual and cultural pride and helping Native students develop into the leaders of today and tomorrow,” Garcia said.

Townsend called the state’s budget allocation “just the beginning” for her school. She explained the road ahead to federal accreditation is long and complex, but assured the college is on track to meet its goals and will likely have 200 students by next year.

Jonathan Horwitz covers education for The Desert Sun. Reach him at jonathan.horwitz@desertsun.com or @Writes_Jonathan.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: California Indian Nations College leaders celebrate state budget allocation