High Stakes for Blackfeet Higher Ed

The Blackfeet Community College http://bfcc.edu/ has grown in the last decade, but could government budget cuts stop progress in its tracks?

Blackfeet Community College – a sprawling set of buildings on the edge of a town at the edge of the plains – means different things to different people. For Kelsey Wellman, 26, it’s a way to better her life and the lives of her two children in the place she calls home. For Andrew Heavy Runner, 22, it’s a ticket out, a way to "see the world and then come back."

Browning’s two-year community college is growing and with about 470 students it is now offering more courses than ever before in its nearly 40-year history. In 2011, Blackfeet Community College opened a $5 million math and science building, the first tribal structure in the nation to be awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Platinum status. And two years ago it established a much-needed nursing program that has helped the surrounding community.

By Justin Franz

Full Story: http://www.flatheadbeacon.com/articles/article/high_stakes_for_blackfeet_higher_ed/32297/