Leech Lake Tribal College Celebrates 35th Anniversary

Leech Lake Tribal College celebrated its 35th anniversary last Thursday at Northern Lights Casino in Walker.

The college started in the old Cass Lake-Bena High School building then moved into an old church for a period of time. Later, they were able to move and expand into the campus that it is today, with additional plans for growth coming in the future.

Many former students, teachers, and faculty gave remarks about their time at the college, and how having a college instilled with Anishinaabe values has impacted the Indigenous community.

“The Leech Lake Tribal College is really an extension of self-governance and self-determination because we’re able to set the standards at that college, for really what it means to get a degree and to get an education,” explained Leonard Fineday, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Secretary/Treasurer. “One of the things that the tribal college really instills in its educational programs is that Anishinaabe identity—understanding our history, understanding our culture, understanding our language, and the importance of that identity and moving forward in life in whatever field that the student is deciding to move forward in.”

Leech Lake Tribal College includes around 50 faculty, staff, and administrators, as well as close to 200 students. Most of them come from the Leech Lake Reservation, with only about 5% of the student population being non-Native American.