Aaniiih Nakoda College


Aaniiih Nakoda College is a public tribal land-grant community college on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in Harlem, Montana. The institution incorporates native culture into the curriculum and promotes cultural identity; however, the school is open to both tribal and non-tribal members. Aaniiih Nakoda College is a member of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, which is a community of tribally and federally chartered institutions working to strengthen tribal nations and make a lasting difference in the lives of American Indians and Alaska Natives. ANC was created in response to the higher education needs of American Indians. ANC generally serves geographically isolated populations that have no other means accessing education beyond the high school level.
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History

Aaniiih Nakoda College was founded in 1984 by men and women from the Fort Belknap Indian Community Council, Fort Belknap Education Department, and Fort Belknap campus of Dull Knife Memorial College. The leaders wanted to start their own college since off-reservation programs were not adequately meeting the post-secondary educational needs of the community. Today, the college provides academic and vocational training programs and services. The college was charged with preserving and promoting the A'anin and Nakoda languages, cultures and histories. The college has hired many talented young people from within the community since the college is dedicated to a "grow your own" philosophy of developing the community's future leaders.

Academics

ANC offers associate degrees in eleven disciplines and vocational training in five others through the Native American Career and Technical Education Program. In the beginning of 2020, Aaniiih Nakoda College expanded its four-year offerings with the creation of its Bachelor of Science in Aaniiih Nakoda Ecology. This is a place-based programs grounded in Indigenous scientific though, traditional ecological knowledge, and stewardship of Fort Belknap homelands. The curriculum integrates fire ecology, long-term ecological monitoring, and instruction from tribal elders.
Overall, ANC currently offers five different programs to its students: Bachelor of Science, Associate of Science Programs, Associate of Arts Programs, Associate of Applied Science, and Certificate Programs. The Bachelor of Science program is designed to prepare graduates to become caretakers and stewards of the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation and the surrounding prairies, river bottoms, and island mountain ranges of northcentral Montana. The Associate of Science program offers four degrees in Allied Health, Computer Information Systems, Environmental Science, and Nursing. ANC's Associate of Arts program currently offers eight degrees in American Indian Studies, Business, Chemical Dependence Counseling, Early Childhood Education, Education, Human Services, and Liberal Arts. The Associate of Applied Science program offers one degree in Industrial Trades. The Industrial Trades program is designed to provide community members with quality education across multiple fields of the building industry, equipping them with the skills and knowledge needed to begin a career and offering employment opportunities throughout the state and surrounding states upon completion. Finally, ANC offers four Certificate Degrees including Behavioral Health Technician, Health Science, Tribal Management, and Welding.
Aaniiih Nakoda College also participates in nationally recognized STEM development efforts supported by the National Science Foundation’s TCUP. These partnerships emphasized culturally grounded STEM instruction, community relevant research, and support for Native student pathways in science and technology. In its STEM programs ANC incorporates place-based and culturally responsive teaching models. This aligns with broader TCU practices that integrate community needs, Indigenous knowledge, and local environmental issues into science education. ANC faculty and administrators participate in national TCU STEM leadership forums, collaborating with federal agencies, universities, and other tribal colleges to expand STEM research and educational opportunities for Native students.
In 2025, the college announced plans for its second bachelor’s degree, a Bachelor’s in Computer Information Systems. If approved by accrediting agencies upper division coursed will begin in Fall 2026, with the first graduates expected in Spring 2028. The CIS program includes coursework in hardware, networking, cybersecurity, and leadership, and is supported by a $2.5 million National Science Foundation grant. The program is also designed with cultural integration, including Aaniiih and Nakoda language technology tools and elder engagement.

Research and environmental programs

Aaniiih Nakoda College conducts extensive environmental research connected to climate change impacts on the Fort Belknap Reservation. Students monitor the Milk River by examining benthic macroinvertebrates and periphyton to assess long-term water health, study buffalo pasture ecosystems, and track biomass and carrying capacity trends affected by rising temperatures. Students also collaborate with allied health faculty to trap and test mosquitoes for West Nile Virus using polymerase chain reaction analysis, sending samples to state labs and the CDC. This long-term surveillance program informs public health planning for the reservation. Through a National Science Foundation partnership, ANC students and faculty participate in international ecological research in Namibia, comparing grassland responses to warming in both regions and studying the effects on large ungulates and rangeland ecology.

Sponsored programs

  • Fort Belknap Extension Program: Part of the college demonstration farm established in 1998 currently focused on alternative crop research and is one of many Federally Recognized Tribes Extension Programs funded by the USDA
  • Fort Belknap Tech Department
  • Global Information Systems / Global Positioning Systems Program:
  • Natural Resources
  • KGVA 88.1 FM: Public radio station serving the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation
  • Tribal Colleges & Universities Program : "provides awards to enhance the quality of science, technology, engineering and mathematics instructional and outreach programs at Tribal Colleges and Universities, Alaskan Native-serving Institutions and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions."
  • Basketball: In August 2010 Fort Belknap College, along with the other tribal colleges around Montana, formed the Montana Tribal Colleges Basketball League Presently, the college only has a men's team.
  • Administration for Native Americans : Program ran through the department of Health and Human Services with the goal of promoting self-sufficiency and cultural preservation for Native Americans through economic development and technology.
  • Head Start Program, initiated by Minerva Allen in 1969
  • Teacher Training
  • Grow Our Own Food Security Program: ANC operates several food-security initiatives under this program. These initiatives include community gardening education, beekeeping for local pollination and honey production, and nutrition outreach on the Fort Belknap Reservation. These efforts are supported by the ANC farm, the Tribal College Extension Program, and the “Grow Our Own” nursing program, which promotes culturally grounded health and nutrition resources for residents.