SKC president honored with Shining Star Award

The Jeannette Rankin Foundation presented Dr. Sandra Boham, president of Salish Kootenai College in Pablo, with the “Shining Star Award” for her dedication to American Indian higher education. The Rankin Foundation, a national leader in making higher education accessible, honored Dr. Boham at its annual STAR Party on Thursday, Nov. 2, at the Missoula Public Library.

The celebration honors women who are a bright light in higher education while raising vital funds to support Rankin Foundation Scholars.

The Rankin Foundation awards Scholar Grants to women 35 and older and 25 and older in Montana, who are pursuing their first vocational certificate, associate’s or bachelor’s degree and experiencing financial need. Founded in 1976 with a bequest from Jeannette Rankin’s estate, the foundation has awarded more than $4 million in grants to deserving students in all 50 states.

“Every year we come together to shine a light on the success of our scholars, alumnae and beacons of inspiration like Dr. Sandra Boham,” said Karen Sterk, CEO of the Rankin Foundation. Last Thursday’s celebration brought a community of supporters and scholars together in Jeannette Rankin’s hometown, and at additional locations around the country and virtually.

The STAR Party also recognized Robyn Iron, a Rankin Foundation Scholar and recent graduate of Salish Kootenai College who is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree at the University of Montana. Iron is one of 51 Indigenous women students to receive a grant through the Rankin Foundation’s newly created Montana Tribal College Scholar Grant program.

Dr. Boham was honored for her service to Indigenous students “and for being a shining role model to women students like Robyn and so many others,” said Betsy Bach, PhD, a retired University of Montana faculty member who serves as chair of the Rankin Foundation board of directors. “Her dedication has made Salish Kootenai College one of the country’s leading tribal colleges in the country.”

Dr. Boham graduated from the University of Montana, becoming the first in her family to complete a bachelor’s degree. She earned a master’s degree in Adult and Higher Education from Montana State University and a doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Montana.

Her many accolades include being named the 2020 Tribal College and University Honoree of the Year by the American Indian College Fund, receiving the 2019 Educational Leadership Excellence Award from the University of Montana and serving as a Woodrow Wilson Higher Education Policy Fellow in 2019.

Dr. Boham says she became interested in higher education because her parents both wanted to attend college but didn’t have the opportunity. In 1977, Dr. Boham and her mother started taking night classes together at SKC, which sparked her lifelong passion for higher education. In 2016, Dr. Boham was named president of the college after serving as acting president and academic vice president.

Along with SKC Nursing Department Chair Dr. Lisa Harmon, Dr. Boham was instrumental in creating a four-year nursing curriculum at SKC in 2020, establishing SKC as the first tribal college in the country to do so.

“Under Dr. Boham’s leadership, SKC is excelling and notably has the highest graduation rate of any tribal college or university in the country at 62%, compared to the average U.S. tribal college graduation rate of 21%,” said Bach. “That is simply remarkable and is a testament to Dr. Boham’s leadership and commitment to her community.”

To learn more about the Jeannette Rankin Foundation, visit rankinfoundation.org.