Governor Bill AnoatubbyMay 2013
The Chickasaw Nation has a rich, proud history of education.
Following the War Between the States, the tribe rapidly expanded its number of elementary and secondary schools. In 1867 alone, the Chickasaw Nation opened 11 new schools and welcomed scores of Chickasaw and other Indian students. Additionally, the tribe invested in secondary institutions known in that time as “seminaries.”
Wapanucka Institute, Chickasaw Male Academy, Bloomfield Female Seminary and Lebanon Orphan School all provided what we today refer to as a high school education.
The Chickasaw Nation became known as a highly progressive, education-focused tribe that valued its educational institutions and learning.
That Chickasaw commitment to education has never wavered. Over the generations, growing numbers of Chickasaws earned their high school degrees and entered the work force prepared. The value of higher education became apparent to tribal leaders and a burgeoning group of Chickasaws began earning bachelor’s and advanced degrees.
Step by step, our tribe built its resolve and promoted the benefits of a good education for our young people.
Today, the Chickasaw Nation is experiencing an explosion in the numbers of college-educated citizens. More Chickasaws than ever comprehend the huge benefit of a college degree. Each year we see greater numbers of recent Chickasaw high school graduates moving on to higher education, and bright futures.
These young people are our legacy. Chickasaws know the educated mind will deliver a huge return on investment, for the individual, his family and his tribe.
In this issue of the Chickasaw Times, you will read about many bright, ambitious and eager young people who are completing their secondary educations. What a robust group it is! Across the country, these young Chickasaws have excelled in a wide array of disciplines, scholarly pursuits and extracurricular activities. They are truly our most precious resource.
Years ago, the tribe was strictly limited in what it could invest in our children’s educations. We relied almost exclusively on federal funding for a range of programs serving pre-kindergarten to college and university students. Today, all that has changed for the better.
During the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, 2012, the Chickasaw Nation invested more than $23.5 million in its education programs. Those funds helped students from three-year-old Head Start kids to men and women completing theses dissertations. Today, if you are Chickasaw and are willing to work hard at your studies, your tribe is going to be with you all the way!
What value can we place on a good education? In terms of dollars, college graduates earn substantially more than those with only a high school degree. In terms of satisfaction, accomplishment and pride, no dollar value can express what Chickasaws are doing in the world.
The human mind has incredible capacity to accept information and learn. But we must position people so they may take full advantage of their intellectual abilities. The Chickasaw Nation makes education a top priority, and that pays dividends in Chickasaw people making tremendous contributions to their tribe, their country and their world.
Please join me in congratulating our 2013 Chickasaw graduates!
