MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College is honored to announce a $45,000 grant renewal from the American Indian College Fund’s Native Students Stepping Forward: Dollar General Adult Education Program.

This vital funding, generously sustained by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, will allow SCTC to deepen and expand its community-centered adult education project, Nanda-Gikendan (Seek to Learn), for the 2026-2027 academic term.

Building directly upon the foundations laid in previous terms, this renewal shifts the program from a maintenance-focused approach to a dynamic model designed to measurably boost student retention and High School Equivalency (HSE) graduation rates.

Over the new grant term, which runs through June 30, 2027, SCTC will continue utilizing the Seven Grandfather Teachings as an active operational and evaluation framework to holistically nurture adult learners.

“This grant renewal empowers us to evolve our support systems and address the real-world obstacles our students face,” said Amanda Flaugher, dean of students. “By continuing to weave traditional Anishinaabe storytelling, local history, and Indigenous pedagogy into core subjects, we are breaking historical educational barriers and honoring our community’s worldview as a tool for contemporary academic mastery.”

Key initiatives funded under this renewed cycle include:

•Contextualized math learning: Partnering with SCTC faculty to co-design and deliver two distinct, culturally tailored mathematics tracks to reduce academic anxiety and accelerate student self-efficacy.