College Indian retention presentation slated

From Montana State University-Northern

An expert on Native American Studies is coming to Montana State University-Northern to talk about how to keep Native Americans coming to college.

Montana State University-Northern's Little River Institute is sponsoring Donald Pepion's talk on research in the field of American Indian student retention during a presentation 7 p.m., Tuesday in Northern's Hensler Auditorium.

Pepion, who grew up on a ranch on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Montana, teaches Native American studies at New Mexico State University's Anthropology Department.

The presentation is the first in a series of quarterly lectures hosted by the Little River Institute featuring recognized experts in the area of Indigenous education.

The Little River Institute is funded by the U.S. Department of Education Native American Serving Non-Tribal Institutions program with the aim of providing culturally responsive tutoring and mentoring services, faculty professional development on the topics of cultural responsiveness and technology use in teaching. It is meant to provide a gathering space with mentoring support for the American Indian student club on campus, the Sweetgrass Society.

Pepion received his doctoral and master degrees from Montana State University in adult, community and higher education in addition to a bachelor's degree in Business Management/Sociology from New Mexico State University.

His doctoral dissertation is entitled "Blackfoot Ceremony: A Qualitative Study of Learning."

Pepion has an extensive background in education, health and tribal government including an appointment as president of Blackfeet Community College in Browning. As an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Indian Nation, he holds the distinction of being a member of the Brave Dog, Rough Riders, Medicine Pipe and Beaver Bundle societies.

The elders of the Blackfeet Nation have honored him as a leader in the war-bonnet transfer ceremony.

Pepion's current research includes a participatory action research study on Native American student cultural sources of strength and how they relate to retention at New Mexico State University.

For more information on the Indigenous Education Lecture Series and other activities of the MSU-Northern Little River Institute visit http://www.littleriverinstitute.org.