Projects

The Great Plains RC&D cosponsored a conference with Southwestern Oklahoma State University's Center for Distance Learning and Continuing Education and the American Indian Institute for Progress to offer more learning opportunities for Native Americans in Oklahoma.

Through interactive studios, courses can be taught from SWOSU campus and watched by Native Americans from their own education complexes. Teachers are able to tell if a student understands the last point made by seeing their faces through the monitors. More importantly the student is able to ask the teacher any question directly and have it answered immediately. The project has been in the works for two years and the faculty is very pleased with the progress. Public relations person for the tribes, Richard Subia, said much of the success of this project for SWOSU has come from the working relationship with university president and Great Plains RC&D Council member, Dr. John Hays. Dr. Hays made personal visits to many of the tribal centers to invite them to be a part of the project. Because of the working relationship with the university and American Indian tribes, the Cheyenne-Arapaho have agreed to sponsor one third of the salary of an American Indian counselor on the university campus. This project is the first of its type in Oklahoma to serve the Native American community.

The October 2002 conference, which was titled "Building Educational Partnerships", presented the project to tribal representatives. Nineteen of the thirty-nine federally recognized tribes in Oklahoma were represented by sixty attendees at the one-day conference.

The Great Plains RC&D Council continues to add to the Distance Learning project in cooperation with Southwestern Oklahoma State University. Farm Bill training on final EQIP rules was offered through distance learning and interactive television to NRCS teams at twelve different locations on June 3, 2003. A Global Position System - Geographic Information System workshop was also offered at no charge and was attended by RC&D council members from High Plains, Great Plains and ASCOG RC&D and Oklahoma Conservation Commission Water Quality staff on June 20, 2003.

Two teleconferences have been held with a group from Texas to discuss the regional aspect of this project. GPS/GIS technology training will be one of the primary delivery products to start the project on a regional basis.