Distinctly Montana Magazine

70 D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A M A G A Z I N E • S P R I N G 2 0 2 4 retirement in 2010, the college resources included a 130-acre campus, 53 instructional and support buildings, student hous- ing, 91 full-time faculty, a $10 million endowment and boasted a net worth of over $75 million. Where did this "daring" to dream big come from? A clue may come partly from Joe's summer job with the Forest Service right out of high school. For four years, he spent his summers as a smokejumper, initially out of West Yellowstone. Smokejumpers back then had a confidence and a swagger about them, probably much like the "flyboys" of World War II. But life as a smokejump- er was not all excitement; there was training, mundane chores and discipline, again not unlike the military. These are all traits that Joe would have carried over from his athletics. He was fond of saying, with his signature grin, that he had to jump out of the very first plane he ever flew in! But it takes a certain daring, cour- age and confidence to jump out of a plane into a fire. That daring to not be afraid to jump or to pursue lofty goals against the odds, and the confidence of knowing they are achievable after hard and sometimes boring work, were innate traits of Joe McDonald. A hallmark of SKC, both in its staff and its faculty, is its diver- sity. Being a tribal college, the focus of the its mission and cur- riculum is naturally Indian education and cultural preservation, such as teaching the Salish and Kootenai languages, as well as cultural arts and crafts. But Joe saw a broader role for SKC. His vision for the college was one that could serve the whole of the Flathead Reservation community, tribal and non-tribal alike. Many programs he supported developing were not strictly "cul- tural." A main emphasis was to increase Native graduation rates across many disciplines, such as nursing, social work, education and life science, to name a few. However, programs were there for the benefit of all. As the reputation of SKC grew, it began to attract students from many tribes across the U.S. and Canada. At one time there were over 100 tribes represented within the ranks of students and faculty at SKC. To teach some of these courses it was often necessary to hire outside of the tribe, which meant a portion of SKC faculty was, and still is, non-tribal. Joe's abili- ty to motivate and mentor his faculty, regardless of ethnicity, to always look for ways to improve the student experience, is how SKC became one of the flagships of the tribal college system. Although Joe was an enrolled member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, he also embraced his Scottish ances- try. He was active in the Fort Connah Restoration Society and would enthusiastically MC the annual "rendezvous" hosted on site most summers. He would recount stories of Angus and Cath- erine and help bring the history of Montana's fur trapping past and the fort alive. He attended many Clan McDonald gather- ings and was not averse to donning a kilt. Once he was invited to speak at a conference on preserving endangered languages ALL OF US WHO HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN ANY PORTION OF INDIAN EDUCATION OVER THE PAST 40 YEARS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SEE AND DREAM MUCH FURTHER THROUGH JOE'S MANY ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND MENTORING. HIS ARE MOCCASINS THAT WILL NOT BE FILLED EASILY BY THOSE WHO FOLLOW. PHOTO COURTESY OF MCDONALD FAMILY (2) Joe and Sherri McDonald at a Clan McDonald gathering in Kalispell

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