During the late 1960's people of the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation (a South Dakota area the size of Connecticut characterized by poverty, poor soil, aridity, and geographical isolation) began to consider establishment of an institution of higher education on the reservation. A consensus soon developed that a tribally-controlled community college would be the best institution for consolidating new opportunities available under federal funding and for ensuring residents that they would earn transferable academic credit for the work they completed. While other reservations established tribally-controlled centers or colleges, supporters of a community college for Cheyenne River were not idle. The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal Council approved a charter for the Cheyenne River Community College (CRCC) in 1973, and CRCC soon became a member of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium. Acquisition of funding was a serious problem, but a schedule was organized for the 1975 fall semester and the complex task began of consolidating available piecemeal course offerings into a coherent curriculum. CRCC moved to new quarters during January, 1980. Fall 1980 saw implementation of joint programs with Presentation College (nursing) and Black Hills State College (teacher training). Enrollment grew from 184 students in 1975 to more than 200 in 1978. (BRR)