Oglala Lakota College receives 2.5 million NFS Grant to launch Tribal-Focused Environmental Scienve Master's Program
Oglala Lakota College (OLC) has been awarded a $2.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP) to establish the college’s first accredited Master of Science degree in Environmental Science. The five-year project, titled ICE-Tl: Maka Kin Awayankapi (Stewards of Earth}, will expand STEM research and educational capacity while centering Indigenous knowledge systems.
This transformative initiative will support the development of an advanced degree program that prepares students for high-level scientific, environmental management, and academic roles, particularly within tribal communities. The program builds upon OLC’s successful Bachelor of Science in Natural Science and responds directly to local workforce needs and student demand.
“The Maka Kin Awayankapi project reflects OLC’s commitment to growing place-based research and professional capacity integrating Lakota knowledge and Values,” said Dr. Dawn
Frank, President of OLC. “This proposed graduate program will give our students the opportunity to pursue careers as scientists, environmental stewards, and educators-right here in our homelands.”
The program is currently in the planning and curriculum development phase. OLC anticipates seeking permissions and accreditation this year and welcoming its first graduate student cohort in Fall 2026.
Key components of the project include:
•Launching an accredited MS in Environmental Science with a culturally relevant, research-rich curriculum
•Increasing full-time, credentialed STEM faculty at OLC
•Enhancing student pathways from high school to graduate-level STEM education
•Strengthening alignment between Lakota ecological knowledge and Western scientific approaches
The initiative also contributes to broader efforts across Indian Country to expand tribal sovereignty through environmental leadership and self-determined research.
“We’re preparing the next generation of scientists to work on issues that matter deeply to our communities-water, land, food systems, and climate resilience,” said Dana Gehring, Chair of the Math, Science, and Technology Department (MST) at OLC. “By grounding this program in both scientific rigor and cultural relevance, we’re building capacity for long-term impact.”
Dr. Camille Griffith, Principal Investigator of the project, emphasized the unique vision behind the initiative: “This program is more than a degree, it’s a movement to elevate Indigenous science and empower Lakota students to become environmental leaders globally. We’re creating a model for what sovereign, community-based science education can look like.”
The grant, awarded by NSF’s Division of Equity for Excellence in STEM, runs through May 2030.
For more information about the Maka Kin Awayankapi project, please contact Pl, Dr. Camille Griffith, cgriffith@olc.edu. For information about STEM programs at Oglala Lakota College, please contact MST chair, Dana Gehring, danag@olc.edu or visit www.olc.edu.
ICE-Tl: Maka Kin Awayankapi (Stewards of Earth} is supported by the National Science Foundation through funding opportunity NSF 21-595 Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (grant no. 2426716).