Editorial: Get behind Tohono O'odham college

Wednesday, February 20, 2008  

"The Tohono O'odham Nation has embarked on an ambitious campaign to construct a community college about 50 miles southwest of Tucson. The college would be a welcome addition to Arizona's educational landscape and would help alleviate social problems within the O'odham community.

The tribe's government donated $6 million. The challenge for the college, however, is to come up with $18 million more.

We urge other tribes and Arizona residents and companies that recognize the importance of creating a well-educated work force to get behind this effort.

Tohono O'odham Community College already exists, but it's not a college campus in the true sense. The college opened its doors in 2000 and is a collection of modular buildings in Sells. The college enrolls 200 to 300 students each semester.

The planned main campus would sit on 32 acres to the east of Sells. It would have administration buildings, classrooms, laboratories, a gymnasium and housing for students and staff. The plans also include a satellite campus on the western side of the nation. College officials said the expanded college would be able to serve up to 1,000 students."

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Editorial: O'odham college would benefit tribe, state (The Arizona Daily Star 2/20