DePoe takes helm at Salish Kootenai College
Robert DePoe stands by a buffalo robe and a metal art piece of a buffalo. He chose the items because the Salish Kootenai College mascot is the bison
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PABLO — Autumn is approaching, and Salish Kootenai College begins its fall quarter on Sept. 30.
Along with new students and new classes, SKC has a new president — Robert DePoe.
Not totally new to the area, DePoe is a Mission Valley boy. He graduated from Ronan High School, and his family lives in Polson.
DePoe attended Southern Utah University in Cedar City, Utah. His undergraduate degree was in criminal justice.
“I originally went to school so I could come home and be a juvenile probation officer or a tribal policeman,” DePoe said.
But life intervened and he became a social worker for the Paiute Indian tribe and then the tribe’s education director. DePoe also got his master’s degree in professional communication. Before he returned to the Mission Valley, DePoe worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in St. George, Utah.
“I’ve always had a desire to come home and serve,” DePoe said.
When he heard about the SKC president position, he applied since he felt that SKC and the Mission Valley were a good fit for him and his family.
“It’s been a long road, and it’s good to be back,” he said.
DePoe is looking forward to a site visit in October from Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.
“It’s a great opportunity to show them what we can do,” DePoe said. “I’m excited for that assessment, as the new president.”
The site visit will also show SKC what areas need improvement.
Last year 950 students enrolled in SKC, with 65 percent declared American Indian or descendant.
“To maintain our identity as a tribal college, we have to have above 51 percent American Indian students,” DePoe explained.
SKC also provides some student housing — 140 beds including units for families and dormitory style accommodations.
For students not living on campus, “We like to work with our local landlords, finding out and providing information to our students so they can find housing,” DePoe said.
Many students from other tribes also come to Pablo, since SKC has degree programs in education, natural resources and nursing, and a variety of other majors.
“One program I see us adding in the near future is welding,” DePoe said.
SKC may offer welding in the next calendar year, and the college is making partnership in the community to make it happen. Though there might not be a lot of jobs for welders locally, oil fields in eastern Montana and the Dakotas continue to seek qualified people.
Ten years down the road, Poe would like SKC to add more access so more people can have an opportunity for higher education and continue to build on the foundations Joe McDonald has established, and be sound financially while providing necessary resources to the community.
“(SKC) can’t be everything for everybody. What we have here, we’re really good at what we do. We’ll just continue to be the best — that’s our mission and our purpose,” DePoe said.
“Who wouldn’t want to come to school,” he said, gesturing to the backdrop of the Mission Mountains. “Look where we’re located … It’s good to be in the shadows of the mountains, with the sun rising over the mountains everyday, and clean, fresh water as part of our everyday life.”
