Fort Peck Community College
Address: PO Box 398, Poplar, MT 59255
Phone: (406) 768-6300
Website: www.fpcc.edu
Locations: Northeastern Montana on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. The main campus is in Poplar with a satellite in Wolf Point.
Established: 1978
Chartering Tribes: Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes
President: Haven Gourneau
Land Grant College: Yes
Enrollment: 348 (Fall 2014)
Associate degree programs
- Automotive Technology
- Biomedical Science
- Building Trades
- Business Administration
- Business Technology
- Chemical Addiction Studies
- Computer Technology
- Education
- Environmental Science
- General Studies
- Human Services
- Native American Studies
- Pre-Health/Pre-Nursing
- Psychology
Non-degree programs/Certificates
- Accounting Technician
- Automotive Technician
- Building Trades
- Business Assistant
- Desktop Support Technician
- Computer Programming
- Desktop Support Technician
- Electrical Line Worker
- Graphic Web Design
- Heavy Equipment Operator
- Truck Driving
- Welding Technician
Located on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in northeast Montana, Fort Peck Community College (FPCC) has two campuses. Poplar, site of the main FPCC campus, also serves as headquarters for the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribal Government, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Indian Health Service. The Wolf Point campus, 22 miles west of Poplar, includes the new FPCC Wolf Point College Center.
FPCC serves a rurally isolated community, with the nearest city of Billings located more than 300 miles away.
The history of FPCC dates back to 1969, when Dawson Community College offered the first post-secondary extension courses on the reservation.
In 1977, a similar agreement with Miles Community College to offer additional courses supplemented the opportunities available to tribal members.
By 1977, the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes established its tribal education department responsible for continuing development of the tribal college. The tribes officially chartered Fort Peck Community College in May 1978. FPCC granted its first associate degree in 1987.
FPCC received accreditation by the Northwest Commission of Colleges and Universities in 1991. It received land grant status in 1994.
The college works with Rocky Mountain College, Montana State University-Northern, and the University of Montana, through its articulation agreements to allow students to acquire bachelor’s degrees in elementary education, business, technology, information technology, and psychology.
Fort Peck Community College also has agreements with Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, and University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota, allowing faculty access to executive master’s in business administration graduate programs.
Sixty-three percent of students pursue their studies full-time, 82% are American Indians and 63% are female.
The college employs 27 full-time faculty and 26 part-time faculty. In 2008, the college estimated that less than half of its faculty had attained a bachelor’s degree or higher. Recruiting and retaining highly qualified faculty members remains an ongoing challenge.
The college’s Community Service Department spearheads efforts in three broad areas: agriculture and extension, K-12 outreach, and health and wellness.
The Department of Community Services Agriculture Division identifies and implements agriculturally-related trainings that promote maximized productivity of the reservation’s farming and ranching operations. The division also offers youth-specific programming.
The K-12 Outreach Division of the Department of Community Services promotes college preparation and transition programming for students and extends programmatic opportunities for adults. FPCC’s K-12 Outreach programs include Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, Project Eagle, and its BRIDGES program.
The Fort Peck Community College Health and Wellness Division operates primarily out of two Daya Tibi Health and Wellness Centers, one in Poplar and the other in Wolf Point. Programs and services that include diabetes education, exercise, and nutrition programs promote the concept of total health and well-being amongst tribal members.
