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Dina Horwedel, Director of Public Education, American Indian College Fund
303-426-8900, dhorwedel@collegefund.org

Colleen R. Billiot, Public Education Coordinator, American Indian College Fund
720-214-2569, cbilliot@collegefund.org

Oct 26, 2020 | Press Releases, Research

American Indian College Fund Grant Recipient Named ROI Institute 2019 Award Winner

Denver, Colo.—October 27, 2020. Dr. Jennifer Janacek-Hartman, Vice President of Campus Services at Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College, a tribal college in New Town, North Dakota, received the Most Innovative Approach to ROI award from the ROI Institute. She was one of several honorees in the prestigious 2019 ROI Institute Awards Program, which recognizes outstanding application of the ROI Methodology® and honor individuals and organizations for exceptional work in measurement, evaluation, and analytics.

The Most Innovative Approach to ROI award is given to the individual or organization that shows the most creativity in the implementation of the ROI Methodology. Innovation can occur in data collection, analysis, or reporting. It can also involve creativity in getting others involved, using data, and building capability.

Dr. Janacek-Hartman said she wanted to create an ROI evaluation model that would work for tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) serving Native communities. Most western-style ROI models are linear, with ROI being measured monetarily, she said. She set out to create an Indigenous assessment based on the local, traditional, and tribal values that comprise the lens through which decisions are made at TCUs. Return on investment results cannot always be measured with a dollar value at TCUs, she said. Non-monetary ways of measuring ROI include looking at institutional changes resulting from programming, learnings that have been incorporated for institutional success, the numbers of graduates and their earnings before and after graduation, and more.

Partners in Dr. Janecek-Hartman’s work included five TCU presidents belonging to the North Dakota Association of Tribal Colleges: Dr. Cynthia Lindquist (Cankdeska Cikana Community College), Dr. Twyla Baker (Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College), Dr. Laurel Vermillion (Sitting Bull College), Dr. Kelli M. Hall (Turtle Mountain Community College), and Dr. Leander McDonald (United Tribes Technical College), as well as the American Indian College Fund, and the Strada Foundation (which was the grantor for the work).

“The submissions and nominations we received were remarkable,” said Dr. Patti P. Phillips, CEO of ROI Institute. “The hardworking professionals who are receiving awards this year have greatly contributed to the ROI Methodology all over the world.”

“We are so impressed by the work that this group has completed and excited to follow their achievements in the future,” said Ann Akins, president of ROI Institute.

“We are incredibly proud of these individuals, groups, and organizations,” said Dr. Jack Phillips, chairman of ROI Institute. “The weeks and months of hard work and dedication they put into implementing the ROI Methodology is greatly appreciated.”

The awards would normally have been presented at the annual Center for Talent Reporting (CTR) conference in Dallas, Texas in October of 2020, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, the ROI Institute looks forward to presenting the 2020 awards at the CTR conference in October of 2021.

Nominations are accepted on an ongoing basis. Applications can be submitted for up to three categories. For more information about the awards, a downloadable brochure, or to apply/nominate, please visit www.roiinstitute.net/awards or contact Kylie McLeod at kylie@roiinstitute.net.

About ROI Institute, Inc. – ROI Institute, Inc., founded in 1992 as a service-driven organization, assists professionals in improving programs and processes using the ROI Methodology® developed by Dr. Jack J. Phillips and Dr. Patti P. Phillips. This Methodology is the global leader in measurement and evaluation including the use of return on investment (ROI) in non-traditional applications. ROI Institute regularly offers workshops, provides consulting services, publishes books and case studies, and conducts research on the use of measurement and ROI. This makes ROI Institute the leading source of content, tools, and services in measurement, evaluation, and analytics. Working with more than one hundred ROI consultants, ROI Institute applies the ROI Methodology in 20 fields in over 70 countries. ROI Institute authors have written or edited over 100 books, translated into 38 languages. Organizations build internal capability with the help of ROI Institute and its ROI Certification process. By successfully completing this process, individuals are awarded the Certified ROI Professional® (CRP) designation, which is respected by executives in organizations worldwide. For more information on ROI Institute, please contact info@roiinstitute.net or visit www.roiinstitute.net.

ROI Institute®, ROI Methodology®, Certified ROI Professional®, and ROI Certification® are registered trademarks owned by ROI Institute, Inc. and are used by others only with written permission of Jack and Patti Phillips.

About the American Indian College Fund – The American Indian College Fund has been the nation’s largest charity supporting Native higher education for 31 years. The College Fund believes “Education is the answer” and provided $9.25 million in scholarships to American Indian students in 2019-20, with scholarships, program, and community support totaling over $237 million since its inception. The College Fund also supports a variety of academic and support programs at the nation’s 35 accredited tribal colleges and universities, which are located on or near Indian reservations, ensuring students have the tools to graduate and succeed in their careers. The College Fund consistently receives top ratings from independent charity evaluators and is one of the nation’s top 100 charities named to the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance. For more information about the American Indian College Fund, please visit www.collegefund.org.

Reporters: The American Indian College Fund does not use the acronym AICF. On second reference, please use College Fund

CONTACT:
Dina Horwedel
dhorwedel@collegefund.org, 303-430-5350

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