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UW partners with tribes for student technology development

August 13, 2013

UW-Madison’s Information Technology Academy (ITA) is about to formally launch a unique partnership with the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin and the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians.

The new ITA Tribal Technology Institute (TTI) will be a pre-college technology access and training program for Native American high school students sponsored by the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

The TTI kickoff will be part of the ITA Summer Recognition Program, held Friday, Aug. 16, from 1-3 p.m. in Memorial Union’s Great Hall. ITA program founders, sponsors, tribal leaders and students currently enrolled in ITA will be in attendance.

TTI’s mission is to increase the recruitment, enrollment, retention and graduation rates of Native American/First Nations students at the university, as well as diversify Wisconsin’s IT workforce. With the addition of TTI, the IT Academy expects to serve 75 percent more students than its current enrollment capacity of 120 allows.

TTI sessions will be held face-to-face in tribal communities in Wisconsin during the summer, complemented by a comprehensive online distance-learning curriculum, as well as Madison-based field experiences.

ITA is a pre-college program in UW’s Division of Information Technology that provides hands-on training and access to technology for diverse students in Wisconsin. Its triple focus on academic preparation, leadership skills, and technological literacy is aimed at inclusive excellence, outreach, and service.