Salish Kootenai College gets funding for Indigenous Research Center

Salish Kootenai College will receive a $3.5 million National Science Foundation grant to fund an Indigenous Research Center on its campus in Pablo, Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., announced Tuesday.

“Tribal colleges and universities provide students and faculty with unique opportunities to conduct Indigenous research, and Salish Kootenai College is on the forefront of this movement,” Tester said in a press release. “This grant will allow the college to expand Indigenous STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) research, providing Native American students with the resources they need to succeed in those fields.”

The grant will help establish the Salish Kootenai College Indigenous Research Center, enabling students and faculty to conduct indigenous research methods and practices in STEM fields. The center will also serve as a repository for existing and developing STEM indigenous research, house seminars and lectures, and bring in indigenous STEM scholars from other tribal colleges and universities.

Tester has been an avid supporter of education initiatives in Indian Country. He recently reintroduced his Native Educator Support and Training (NEST) Act to recruit more Native American teachers and retain qualified educators in Indian Country, and he was instrumental in negotiating a budget deal that brought millions to Native American education programs earlier this year. He also recently helped secure nearly $3 million in funding for Salish Kootenai Head Start programs and nearly $4 million in funding for Blackfeet Head Start programs.