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American Indian College Fund Names Dr. Leander “Russ” McDonald, President of United Tribes Technical College, its 2025-2026 Tribal College and University President Honoree of the Year

Denver, Colo., March 10, 2026 — Dr. Leander “Russ” McDonald, President of United Tribes Technical College, was named the American Indian College Fund 2025-26 Tribal College and University President Honoree of the Year. This award is granted to a distinguished individual who has made a positive and lasting impact on the tribal college movement. President McDonald will receive a $1,200 honorarium sponsored by The Adolph Coors Foundation for his dedication to tribal college education at the College Fund’s Student of the Year luncheon on March 15.

Dr. McDonald, a member of the Spirit Lake Dakota Nation and a proud descendant of the Sahnish, Hidatsa, and Hunkpapa people, grew up on the Spirit Lake Dakota Reservation in a family of nine children. McDonald’s parents both valued education. His father attended college for a few years and was employed throughout his career. His mother dropped out of high school when he was young, then earned her high school equivalency degree and continued her education but was unable to complete her studies as she needed to care for her aging mother. McDonald said his mother inspired him to work hard on his education because he saw how hard she worked at the kitchen table and her struggle with algebra to get through it so she could complete her studies. As a result of seeing his parents’ hard work, he says he became the first in his family to earn a PhD.

“School always came easy to me. I graduated as class valedictorian, went into the service, and there I took a few classes, but I was in the field so much I never completed my courses. After the service I went to school again while working at the same time. At the time work was more important than school. I worked for my dad, a few jobs here and there at Sioux Manufacturing Corporation, where I made supplies for the military. In fact, I worked in manufacturing in the summer before I entered the military. While in Germany I was put on detail in the supply room and was unloading camouflage nets I had helped make.”

“It was in 1989 that I went back to school. It took me four years to get a two-year degree because the challenge then I was still drinking.” President McDonald frequently shares his personal story as an inspiration for others to show that challenges can be overcome to lead a successful and happy life.

He spent three semesters studying at Minot State University in Minot, North Dakota. He said during that time, “I came home, worked, and drank. Between 1984-1994, I went into treatment 16 times until I found sobriety. I often wonder if it was the last time in treatment or all of them together that worked to sober me up. When I got sober, I already had a two-year degree from Cankdeska Cikana Community College (CCCC), when I went back to school for another associate degree in business administration from Lake Region State College (LRSC). While at LRSC, I applied for and was accepted into the TRIOS Ronald E. McNair Postabacclaureate Program (McNair) at the University of North Dakota (UND). In the McNair Program, I was required to have a research mentor and to do research, which set the foundation for completing my studies and doing work that was beneficial to my people. I would end up earning my bachelor’s and master’s degree in sociology and a Ph.D. in Education Foundations and Research, although all I initially wanted to do was get a four-year degree to teach sociology at CCCC. Sometimes God has different plans for us that are beyond our ability to see.”

McDonald’s mentor wrote him into a grant to be a graduate research assistant and this is when McDonald’s wife, Francine, moved to join him and started her undergraduate degree.

“I was making $1,100 a month, more than I made in all my former jobs in roofing, janitorial services, as a blackjack dealer, and manufacturing. I was assigned to the library to research surveys and did literature reviews on elder studies and built a survey that we pilot tested. After two years I was hired as a research analyst with my master’s degree and went to school at night for my Ph.D. It took me three years to earn my doctorate. Once I obtained my PhD, I was hired as an assistant professor at the UND School of Medicine at the Center for Rural Health under the National Resource Center on Native American Aging (NRCNAA) grant. My wife was going to school at the same time and had obtained her master’s degree in public administration by then.”

They decided to move back when his wife asked when they were going home. “She got a job at CCCC, and we bought a place in Devil’s Lake [near their home reservation]. Eventually, I got a job as the vice president of academic affairs under former President Cynthia Lindquist at CCCC, then threw my hat in the ring for tribal chairman, a position I served in for 15 months. I am proud to say the Tribe recovered from a $3.2 million deficit and had its first clean audit for the Tribe under my leadership. After I left, I applied for the president position at United Tribes Technical College, a position I will have held for 12 years this coming October.”

McDonald believes his career success is no accident but stems from his sobriety. “I have been on a spiritual journey since I became sober. Everything I needed was put in my path. I give all the glory to God for giving me a good wife and good people to mentor me. Finding spirituality and a different way of life keeps me sober. Relationships, good relatives, having a good spirit, it all protects you. Good jobs, getting my schooling done, and challenges along the way are all part of the growth. When challenges occur, these experiences are for us to be able to use for ourselves, and sometimes these experiences are to be able to help someone else. When we trust in the Creator, then we begin to believe everything is going to be okay all the time, because we believe there is a blessing and a protection on us. These blessings and protections spill over and end up on everyone around you when you are trying to live as a good person”.

McDonald is proud of the accomplishments UTTC has made during his tenure. All of the fiscal, human resources, academic, and auxiliary services policies were reviewed and refined, and continue to be refined, to the betterment of UTTC. The college has also developed an Institutional Research Department that provides institutional data to guide decisions on academic programs, enrollment strategies, and student needs. This work was largely influenced by McDonald’s mentors, Drs Richard Ludke and Alan Allery, at the NRCNAA.

“We have the resources to do some of what is needed this year. We didn’t have a lot of construction money and now, thanks to a gift from MacKenzie Scott, the Employee Retention Credit, and a bump from Title III (a federal grant program) for another $2.2 million…we are ready to grow. And thanks to a grant from the College Fund, we had a master plan in place to guide our work. The construction we are doing will enhance our campus and facilities to better serve our students. We are building the next generation of tribal leaders. I know the challenges I had made me who I am today… I know I don’t want to go back there but it helps me relate to students today. We have vision to make our society better.” McDonald cites the college’s cultural focus of treating students and employees as relatives and doing its’ best to build people while incorporating culture into the work.

Despite UTTC being poised for growth, McDonald says he is concerned about federal funding. “We are thankful to Congress for restoring funds that had been eliminated under the President’s budget. That is a worry. There is also the concern that the federal government would not uphold treaty and trust responsibilities, especially regarding higher education, which is so important to [Native] nation-building. If we are going to compete and interact with society, we don’t have to give up our culture, but we do need to learn about other cultures and how to interact and defend our rights as Indigenous people and advance those rights for future generations.”

At his core, McDonald still has the heart of a student while working as a leader and teacher. He cites the mentors and teachers in his life as a major influence on his career at UND, as well as his mentors throughout his work for his Tribe developing policy from data approved and recommended by the White House Council on Aging for the AIAN population. He had the opportunity to present testimony for the Senate Committee for Indian Affairs with Senator Inouye from Hawaii, Senator Ben Night Horse Campbell of Colorado, and more. He said his work as a researcher and scholar, the work Indian Country is doing at TCUs, and his work as a tribal chairman taught him the importance of listening to people, developing policy recommendations, and rebooting and strengthening current policies while also carrying on the policies and political legacy of the late Dr. David Gipp, the former president of UTTC.

Dr. McDonald’s openness to healing, humility, learning, and evolving—as a professional and as a human being—have been the real secret to his success—as he serves Native students and communities to help them reach their own successes.

About the American Indian College Fund — The American Indian College Fund has been the nation’s largest charity supporting Native higher education for 37 years. The College Fund believes “Education is the answer” and provided more than $23 million in scholarships and other student support for higher education in 2024-25. Since its founding in 1989 the College Fund has provided more than $391 million in scholarships, programs, community, and tribal college support. The College Fund also supports a variety of 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. It earned a four-star rating from Charity Navigator, a Platinum Seal of Transparency from Candid (Guidestar), and the “Best in America Seal of Excellence” from the Independent Charities of America. The College Fund was also named as one of the nation’s top 100 charities to the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance. For more information about the American Indian College Fund, please visit collegefund.org.

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