The Pokagon Band Announces a Partnership With Lake Michigan College

DOWAGIAC, MI--(Marketwired - Jun 9, 2015) - The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians is pleased to announce a partnership with Lake Michigan College that supports the educational journeys of Pokagon Citizens and employees of Pokagon organizations through cohort programs covering manufacturing, Tribal leadership and development, and gaming, hospitality, and culinary management. These initiatives are scheduled to be ready for students for the fall 2017 semester. As part of the partnership, the Pokagon Band will make five annual donations of $100,000 to fund the college's new Hanson Technology Center, for a total of $500,000. 

Pokagon Citizens, employees, and custodial parents of Pokagon children can take advantage of the partnership with Lake Michigan College through three cohort programs. Cohorts allow a group of students from the same community to study together throughout the entire course of a degree program.

• Pokagon Citizens interested in manufacturing can take related courses at Lake Michigan College and earn an associate's degree, or higher. Through this program, they can also receive apprenticeships with Mno-Bmadsen's businesses Accu-Mold and D.A. Dodd, which both require a highly-skilled manufacturing work force. Mno-Bmadsen is the economic development enterprise of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians. 
• Those interested in working for Tribal Government can take advantage of a new program that will study Tribal sovereignty, Potawatomi culture, and the intricacies of Tribal law and government-to-government relationships.
• Pokagon Citizens and employees can study gaming, hospitality and culinary management at the college. Four Winds Casinos employees are also eligible. 

The Hanson Technology Center will be located in Benton Harbor and provide Lake Michigan College with state-of-the-art, hands-on advanced manufacturing training, education and innovation to meet the evolving workforce needs of the future. Pokagon apprentices will be able to learn in the Center's open, flexible classrooms and labs, and Pokagon businesses will benefit from a stream of qualified, ready to work graduates.

Lake Michigan College is a 2-year community college offering associate degrees, certificates, and a wide range of continuing education and business and industry training. Campuses are located in Benton Harbor, Niles, and South Haven, Mich. More information is available at www.lakemichigancollege.edu.

About The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians
The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians' sovereignty was reaffirmed under legislation signed into law by President Clinton in September of 1994. The Pokagon Band is dedicated to providing community development initiatives such as housing, education, family services, medical care and cultural preservation for its approximately 5,000 Citizens. The Pokagon Band's ten county service area includes four counties in Southwestern Michigan and six in Northern Indiana. Its main administrative offices are located in Dowagiac, Mich., with a satellite office in South Bend, Ind. In 2007, it opened Four Winds Casino Resort in New Buffalo, Mich., followed by Four Winds Hartford® in 2011 and Four Winds Dowagiac® in 2013. More information is available at www.pokagonband-nsn.gov.