Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College accredited

After many years of trying, Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College in Baraga has  been granted full accreditation.

KBOCC was originally chartered by the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community in 1975. It closed in 1980, but reopened in 1998.  In 2007, the KBIC Tribal Council voted to close the college again because little progress toward accreditation had been made.

An outcry from Tribal members caused the council to reverse its decision. The school was accepted as a candidate for accreditation in 2009 by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

Full accreditation was granted on Wednesday.

Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College offers general education classes, trades classes, and courses in Native American history and culture.

The main campus is in Baraga. The college recently took over the former Baraga County Memorial Hospital building in L’Anse, and is renovating it for classroom and office space.