College of the Menominee Nation
SITE VISIT 8/8/02

The College of the Menominee Nation (CMN) is located in Keshena, Wisconsin on the Menominee Reservation. CMN has recently undergone campus-wide renovations. The result is a stunning and inviting main building filled with computer labs and technology. I met with James O'kimish, Technology Director and ADEC PCO, and Dave Heup Distance Learning Coordinator.

CMN has outreach sites at Stockbridge and Oneida. Each site has varying degrees of internet connectivity: CMN has T3 access, Stockbridge has T1 access, and Oneida has only dial-up options. For this reason the Oneida site will be the recipient of a Tachyon CPE next month. James' is envisioning a wireless LAN with laptop computers so that the building space can be altered, as needed depending on the course or activity. If his work on the main campus is any evidence, the Oneida site will be a cutting-edge classroom space.

The computer labs on the main campus were high in number and excellently equipped. They are using great new technologies including the SMART whiteboard, which allows one to cut and paste computer documents within a virtual whiteboard. Lecture notes made on the board can then be saved and e-mailed to the students. They have experienced great success utilizing this impressive technology. Plans for the future include using web-based, videoconferencing, and/or multicasting to offer classes at the various outreach sites.

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Craig Campbell
Project Coordinator for
Tribal Colleges and Indian Affairs
American Distance Education Consortium (ADEC)
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