The goal of this project, Tiospaye in Engineering II, is to increase the number of Native American students graduating from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology with bachelor's degrees in engineering. "Tiospaye" is a Lakota word meaning extended family; this extended family supports the Native American students in their academic, professional, cultural, and social activities. This engineering extended family includes the scholarship recipients as well as other students, staff, faculty, administrators, alumni, employers, the community, student family members, tribal members, and the tribal college partners, most notably Oglala Lakota College. The financial support of the scholarships combined with one-on-one and one-on-small group contact with the engineering extended family significantly increases the pathways to success for American Indian students in engineering.
Eleven or more scholarships will be awarded to academically talented and financially needy Native American engineering students. In partnership with the ongoing Tiospaye in Science project, this program is: 1) Recruiting academically talented students, who are members of federally recognized tribes, graduates of tribal high schools, or transfers from tribal colleges or universities. These students must demonstrate academic excellence, financial need, and a commitment to an engineering career; 2) Retaining these students in an environment that promotes academic and professional success, while supporting the students socially and in their cultural traditions; and 3) Placing these students in appropriate employment or further education through programs emphasizing career planning and professional options.
