Entrepreneurship is perceived to be a key to revitalizing the economies of American Indian communities. Gonzaga University offers an MBA specifically designed to prepare tribal college instructors to teach entrepreneurship. Beginning with the relevant background on the need for and benefit of indigenous management education, this article describes the elements of this unique program such as the cohort system, on-line and on-campus courses, and culturally appropriate curriculum changes. The program is analyzed through a qualitative examination of an alumni survey. The survey reveals that the foremost challenge for the program is the integration of indigenous cultural values and management practices with mainstream business curricula. The most prominent success factor the survey reveals is the fit between the program’s goals and the mission of the Jesuit institution in which the program resides. Finally, the survey results provide some insight into the impact the program is having on indigenous communities.
Adamson, R., & King, J. ( 2002). The Native American Entrepreneurship Report. Fredericksburg, VA: First Nations Development Institute .
2.
American Indian Higher Education Consortium. ( 1999). Tribal colleges: An introduction. Alexandria, VA: Author.
3.
American Indian Higher Education Consortium. ( 2007). AIHEC-AIMS Fact book 2007. Retrieved from http://www.aihec.org/resources/AIMS.cfm
4.
American Indian College Fund. (2005). Tribal college map. Retrieved from http://www.collegefund.org/colleges/map.html
5.
Bly, B. ( 2005). Tribal colleges can be a key to native entrepreneurship. Community Dividend. Retrieved from http://www.minneapolisfed.org/publs/cd
6.
Boyer, P. ( 1997). Native American colleges: Progress and prospects. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
7.
Carter, D., & Wilson, R. ( 1997). Minorities in higher education. Washington, DC: American Council on Education.
8.
Champagne, D. ( 2007). In search of theory and method in American Indian studies . American Indian Quarterly, 31, 353-372.
9.
Clement, D. ( 2006). Growth by degrees. Fedgazette, 18(2), 8-10.
10.
Community Development Financial Institution. ( 2000). Native American lending study. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Treasury.
11.
Deweese, S., & Macleod, M. ( 2007). The Native American dream: Entrepreneurs pursue their passion and self sufficiency. Tribal College, 18(3), 20-23.
12.
Fixico, D.L. ( 2003). The American Indian mind in a linear world: American Indian studies and traditional knowledge. New York, NY : Routledge.
13.
Garsombke, D.J., & Garsombke, T.W. (2000). Non-traditional vs. traditional entrepreneurs: Emergence of a Native American comparative profile of characteristics and barriers. Academy of Entrepreneurship Journal, 6, 93-100.
14.
Grande, S. ( 2004). Red pedagogy: Native American social and political thought . Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield .
15.
HeavyRunner, I., & DeCelles, R. ( 2002). Family education model: Meeting the student retention challenge. Journal of American Indian Education, 41(2), 29-37.
16.
International Commission of the Apostolate of Jesuit Education. (1986). Characteristics of Jesuit education . Retrieved from http://www.sjweb.info/documents/education/characteristics_en.doc
17.
International Commission of the Apostolate of Jesuit Education. (1993). Ignatian pedagogy: A practical approach. Retrieved from http://school.jhssac.org/faculty/cheneym/documents/Section_14__IGNATIAN_PEDAGOGY__A_PRACTICAL_APPROACH.pdf
18.
Jorgensen, M., & Taylor, J.B. ( 2000). What determines Indian economic success? Evidence from tribal and individual Indian enterprises. Red Ink, 8, 45-51.
Malkin, J., Dabson, B., Pate, K., & Mathews, A. ( 2004). Native entrepreneurship: Challenges and opportunities for rural communities. Washington, DC: Corporation for Enterprise Development.
21.
Miller, R.J. ( 2001). Economic development in Indian country: Will capitalism or socialism Succeed? Oregon Law Review, 80, 757-859.
22.
Miller, R.J. ( 2008). American Indian entrepreneurs: Unique challenges, unlimited potential. Arizona State Law Journal, 40, 1297.
23.
Nelson, R.M. ( 2009). A guide to Native American studies programs in the United States and Canada. Retrieved from http://oncampus.richmond.edu/faculty/ASAIL/guide/guide.html
24.
Ness, J.K.E. ( 2001). American Indian completers and noncompleters in a tribal and community college in Northern Minnesota. Dissertation Abstracts International, 61, 12A. (UMI No. AAI9997652)
25.
O’Hare, W. ( 1992). Reaching for the dream. American Demographics , 1, 32-36.
26.
Pascal, V.J., & Stewart, D. ( 2008). The effects of location and economic cluster development on Native American entrepreneurship. International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, 9, 121-131.
27.
Peredo, A.M., Anderson, R.B., Galbraith, C.S., Honig, B., & Dana, L.P. ( 2004). Towards a theory of indigenous entrepreneurship. International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 1, 1-20.
28.
Raber, L. ( 2000). Tribal colleges face challenges in the sciences. Chemical and Engineering News. Retrieved from http://pubs.acs.org/cen/html/education2000.html
Society of Jesus. (1599). Ratio studiorum. Retrieved from http://www.bc.edu/libraries/collections/collinfo/digitalcollections/ratio/ratiohome.html
31.
Stewart, D., & Schwartz, R.G. (2007). Native American business strategy: A survey of northwest U.S. Firms. International Journal of Business Performance Management, 9, 259-277.
32.
Verbos, A.K., Gladstone, J., & Kennedy, F.M. ( 2011). Native American values and management education: Envisioning an inclusive virtuous circle. Journal of Management Education , 35(1), 10-26.
