Four speakers will address the "Tribal College Presidents' Perspectives on the Last 100 Years” at the 20th Annual “Consider the Century” conference on Friday, Oct. 10, the South Dakota State University announced.

The conference began in 1989 as a reaction to the “mostly mono-cultural focus” of South Dakota's centennial celebration, "Celebrate the Century," Charles Woodard, the conference co-coordinator said.

The event on Friday, which is free and open to the public, will be in the Volstorff Ballroom in The Union on campus and includes four, 50-minute sessions at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.

To commemorate the 20th anniversary, past and present tribal college presidents will discuss the history and development of their institutions.

"Each speaker will speak not only of his or her personal experiences as an American Indian in this region, but also speak to his or her vocational perspectives as well," Woodard said.

Conference speakers and schedule follow:

10 - 10:50 a.m: Karen Gayton Comeau, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and past president of Haskell Indian Nations University in Kansas, 1996 - 2006

11 - 11:50 a.m: Elden Lawrence, Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate and past president of Sisseton Wahpeton College on the Lake Traverse Reservation

1 - 1:50 p.m: David Gipp, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and president of United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck, N.D. for the past 25 years

2 - 2:50 p.m: Laurel Vermillion, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and current president of Sitting Bull College in Fort Yates, N.D

The conference is co-sponsored by SDSU, the South Dakota Humanities Council, SDSU Native American Club, English Department, Journalism Department, Office for Diversity Enhancement and the Brookings Area Reconciliation Council.

For more information on the conference, call Charles Woodard at (605) 688-4056 or Joseph Brewer at (520) 403-4726.

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