Sinte Gleska University: Lakota Higher Education

On the Rosebud Reservation in Mission, South Dakota stands one of the oldest tribal colleges in the United States. Sinte Gleska University was chartered by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in nineteen seventy, and its doors opened on February third, nineteen seventy-one. The school takes its name from the Brule Lakota chief Sinte Gleska, known in English as Spotted Tail, a nineteenth-century statesman who advocated peace and placed great value on bringing education to his people.

The college was founded because Sicangu Lakota community members wanted higher education available to tribal members who could not leave the reservation. What began as a small community college has grown into a four-year accredited university awarding bachelor's and master's degrees. It is a member of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium and a model for tribal colleges across the country.