HURON, S.D. – The purchase or merger of Huron University by Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe’s Si Tanka College carries with it many questions, controversy and, to many people, confusion.
Huron University officials have kept a low profile and were reluctant to say much about the agreement between the two institutions. News of the purchase or merger leaked to the media and for what it’s worth, nobody admits to the leak. The news of the purchase or merger may have been premature.
Chancellor David O’Donnell confirmed that Huron University officials are negotiating an agreement with Si Tanka College, but he disputed that the college was being purchased by the tribal college. O’Donnell said a merger or purchase are not involved.
“It’s really not structured that way,” O’Donnell said.
Meanwhile, Si Tanka officials, presenting a more optimistic viewpoint, suggest the agreement is more than a merger, using a $6.6 million loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to buy the 120-year-old private university.
“We’re acquiring it,” said Si Tanka President T.L. Traversie.
Traversie said if the two institutions reach agreement, the tribal college will create a 12-member board – adding five members from the Huron area to its present board of directors – which will oversee the operation of Huron University and what is now Si Tanka Tribal College.
“It will be tribally owned and operated,” he said.
Tribal Chairman Gregg Bourland also said it was a purchase and added that it was not the tribe, but Si Tanka that was involved in the deal. “No tribal assets are involved.”
He said that for the first time in the United States, a private, accredited, four-year college will be purchased by a tribal college. “This is a way of reconciliation, of bringing people together.”
O’Donnell said the story is premature because he is also investigating other business opportunities for the university and confidentiality provisions prevent him and others from being specific. Because the two institutions are early in the negotiations, a number of issues remain to be worked out.
“There is no guarantee or assurance that this is something that will happen,” O’Donnell said. “The process is enormous, involving a review by the university’s board of directors and the approval of owners.”
O’Donnell said it would more than likely be more than a month before any formal announcements are made concerning final decisions on any agreement if it materializes. And the chancellor said he would prefer not to see the issue played out in the media.
Meanwhile, Traversie said negotiations toward a final agreement that will allow the university to become a tribally operated institution are nearly 80 percent complete.
Founded in 1883, the nearly 120-year-old Huron University has gone through some turbulent times including changes in ownership that proved costly. For a time a Japanese businessman owned the college and failed to reinvest in its facilities. On the verge of losing its accreditation, local investors bought the school in 1999 and it rebounded. It is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
The attitude from Cheyenne River is more than positive about conclusion of negotiations. Bourland said because of Si Tanka’s ability to attract grants and federal funds, it can add high technical assistance to the university making it the “MIT of Indian country.”
Students from Eagle Butte mostly travel to Aberdeen to complete their four-year degrees. The chairman said this takes them away from families which can assist with child care in the case of married students. It can also lower the cost of attending a four-year institution since the Si Tanka campus will be included in the accredited four-year program.
Huron has since been listed as one of the top college buys in U.S. News and World Report for the past few years in its rankings. The enrollment on the compact college campus continues to increase with more than 532 full time students.
Bourland said the purchase of Huron University makes sense from a political point of view. For many years the institution has been open and helpful to American Indian students. He said at first, when the institution was young the mascot was the Scalpers. Then without any threats, the college changed it to the Indians and again made a unilateral change to today’s Screaming Eagles. He said the college has always been respectful of the American Indian culture.
Traversie said that in return for the gains Si Tanka will make, including the ability to offer a four-year degree to students and accessibility to scholarships requiring students to be enrolled in accredited colleges and universities, Huron University will gain a non-profit status.
Si Tanka also will gain the accreditation it has sought for more than 27 years, Traversie said. “If we go through the regular process, it could be 2008 before we receive accreditation.”
He said the move also will allow a faster turn around on student aid such as Pell Grants, giving the tribal college better cash flow.
To pay for the loans Huron University and Si Tanka will have to increase enrollment by a total of 200 new students, he said. Si Tanka’s current enrollment is more than 320 students.
Traversie said he sees few changes in staffing at either of the two campuses nor does he see a tuition hike for students at Si Tanka College. He said students who attend classes at the Cheyenne River campus will continue to pay $83 per credit hour. However, he indicated those who choose to move to the Huron campus will pay the same rate as those on the Huron campus.
