Pittsburg State University

The 21st Century Alliance: Enhancing the Workforce and Meeting the Information Needs of American Indians is a project of Pittsburg State University, nine American Indian Tribes, sixteen school districts with an American Indian student population greater than 10 percent, and the American Indian Center for Excellence at Northeast Oklahoma A & M. American Indians currently have the highest dropout rate of any United States ethnic or racial group, twice the national average. The 21st Century Alliance will recruit and retain through graduation and an induction year 25 American Indians or those who will serve American Indian populations as library media specialists in tribal libraries, museums, or partner school libraries. Graduates will be able to better support learners from nine tribes/nations in northeast Oklahoma and sixteen schools in Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri.