Ten Indian high school graduates will soon be attending the North Dakota School of Science at Wahpeton, North Dakota l through scholarship program made possible by a grant of Federal land to the school, the Department of the Interior announced today.
Assistant Secretary Roger C. Ernst recently signed a quitclaim deed conveying 70 acres of land previously used by the Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding school at Wahpeton to the State-controlled school in the same city with the understanding that the scholarship program would be established.
The land, purchased for $8,000 by the Federal Government in 1929, became excess a few years ago when the Bureau discontinued a farm training program at its school for Indian children. At about the same time the School of Science, a State educational institution, obtained approval of a building program requiring additional land for completion. State and Federal officials conferred and negotiated arrangements for transfer of the land, which is conveniently situated near the science school's present buildings. Congress formally authorized conveyance of the land, now valued at $20,000, by Public Law 85-205 of August 28, 1957.
The North Dakota State School of Science, which now has about 950 students at the college undergraduate level, has agreed to make available free tuition to 10 qualified Indian students each year for a period of 10 years. To qualify for a scholarship the prospective student must be at least 17 years old, be a high school graduate, be recommended by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and meet the entrance standards of the School of Science.
Students awarded these scholarships may also receive working scholarships at the nearby Wahpeton Indian School which will provide them with room and board in return for 14 hours of work per week.
According to the act, the ten-year scholarship program must begin not later than two years after its date of approval by the President on August 28, 1957.
