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President's Message
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Olivia Vanegas-Funcheon
President
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Şam ’a’ i masma!
Greetings!
Welcome to Tohono O’odham Community College and to the
life-changing opportunities that accompany the pursuit of
education.
From the late 1960s through the late 1990s, Tohono O’odham
elders and leaders dreamed of having a college located
within the Tohono O’odham Nation to make higher education
accessible to the people of the Nation, thereby improving
the economic base of the Nation and enriching the lives of
the O’odham people. Many steps were taken along the way,
but decisive action came in January 1998, when the Tohono
O’odham Legislative Council passed resolution 96-422
establishing Tohono O’odham Community College. The dream
truly became reality two years later when TOCC offered its
first classes in January 2000.
An integral part of the original dream was having
leaders of Tohono O’odham ancestry to guide the college.
I am honored to serve as TOCC’s first president who is
Tohono O’odham. My colleagues and I will strive to imbue
all aspects of TOCC’s operations, everything from the
curriculum to the graduation ceremony, with O’odham
Himdag—our values and expressions of culture. |
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All students, faculty, and staff study Tohono O’odham
language and history, and developments within the
College rely on the O’odham way of cooperation and
participation.
In addition to our community objectives, TOCC has the
mission of helping individual students achieve their
educational dreams. Take some time to define your
academic goals. This website will show you how TOCC can
help you attain them. I look forward to working with you
as you fulfill your dreams at TOCC.
T-a ’ep ’em-ņei,
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