Red Lake Nation College Opens New Educational Site in Downtown Minneapolis

Article by Becky Fillinger, photos provided

Have you seen the new campus of the Red Lake Nation College at 900 S 3rd Street? We were curious about the opening date for the college, curriculum offered and if tours would be available. Kayla Duane, Communications Director, had the answers for us. "Boozhoo!" to our new neighbors!

Kayla DuaneQ:  Please tell us the history of Red Lake Nation College and the new location in downtown Minneapolis.

A:  Red Lake Nation College (RLNC) is a two-year tribal college located on the beautiful shores of Red Lake in Northern Minnesota. Its state-of-the-art facilities, combined with Ojibwe language and culture, and globally-relevant courses, offer a unique combination of Native innovation and tradition that prepares students of all backgrounds for the twenty-first century job market. RLNC is accredited with the Higher Learning Commission, an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. In 2021, RLNC took the step of securing a location in downtown Minneapolis for its distance education site, dedicated to serving the large and growing Indigenous population in the Twin Cities metro area. 

Q:  What courses of study and degrees will the college offer at the Minneapolis site?

A:  Our Minneapolis site offers an Associate of Liberal Arts degree, a two-year degree designed intentionally as an exploration of, and exposure to, many disciplines in order to develop a wide breadth of understanding of liberal education and to prepare for transfer to a four-year institution. This Degree Program is infused with culturally-relevant material with the intent of exposing students to the Ojibwe language and allowing them the opportunity to understand Anishinaabe values and how these values can provide a foundation for lifelong learning and community involvement. The credits earned at RLNC are designed to transfer for continuing education in a baccalaureate program.

Artist rendering of the aerial view of the building site

Q:  How do you incorporate Ojibwe culture into your curriculum?

A:  Red Lake Nation College utilizes the most effective learning methods available depending on the subject area and instructional activity. We develop course offerings that are grounded in Anishinaabe values and culture, and specifically use the seven Ojibwe Grandfather Teachings of Humility, Bravery, Honesty, Wisdom, Truth, Respect and Love to form the basis of our learning outcomes. All course offerings evolve from this cultural basis.

Q:  How will you pursue students to enroll in the new location? Do you have plans to do outreach to the local Native and non-Native communities?

A:  Red Lake Nation College looks to where students are. For example, we pursue students to enroll at our Minneapolis site by having a presence at a number of different events across the Twin Cities Metro, and are currently offering different modalities of learning. RLNC currently offers in-person classes, Hy-Flex classes and asynchronous classes to cater to different learning styles. Our typical students demand flexibility in their learning to accommodate busy lives, so we strive to provide opportunities that meet those needs to help our students achieve their educational goals and provide them with a great first start on their education journey.

Q:  May we tour the facility?

A:  Currently our educational space is under renovation. We anticipate opening our space to all guests for tours in February 2024 when we plan on having our grand opening. However, we are currently leasing a building at 1001 S Washington Avenue. If you would like a tour, you can reach out to Rachel King (rachel.king@rlnc.edu) who is the Director of Student Success at our Minneapolis Office.

Q:  How may we stay up to date with the college's plans and events?

A:  You can stay up to date with the college’s plans and events by visiting our website and on our Facebook page, where we upload all of our upcoming events.