Comanche Nation College was a two-year, open admissions, American Indian tribal college. It was located in Lawton, Oklahoma, the capital of the Comanche Nation. The school was chartered in 2002 by the Comanche Nation Business Committee.[1] Comanche Nation College operated until July 31, 2017.[2]
A Comanche Nation Charter Resolution established CNC as a community college in 2002. CNC was the first Tribal College established in the state of Oklahoma.[3] The college closed in 2017 due to a lack of funding following a loss of accreditation.[4]
The college became a candidate for accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission in 2012.[5] It withdrew from the process in 2016. Unable to gain sufficient funding without accreditation, [6] it closed in 2017.
The Comanche Nation established a Comanche Nation College Council of leaders in higher education. The Comanche Nation is federally recognized as a tribe of Oklahoma. The Comanche Nation has 13,679 enrolled Tribal members, with about 6,000 members living in the Lawton-Fort Sill area of southwest Oklahoma.[3]
The college was a member of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium and American Association of Community Colleges. It was the 36th member of the organization and the first tribal college in Oklahoma.[1]The college partnered with Cameron University in Lawton; students were dual-enrolled and transfers were facilitated for students who wanted to pursue four-year degrees.[7]
The Oklahoma Board of Nursing approved the college's two-year nursing program, making it the first approved tribal nursing program in the state.[8]
The school occupied a former elementary school building.
34°35′22.51″N 98°24′3.06″W / 34.5895861°N 98.4008500°W / 34.5895861; -98.4008500