Independent news from the Indigenous Media Freedom Alliance

Denise Juneau to receive honorary doctorate degree

JT Shining Oneside shared stories about her Ojibwe and Anishinaabe inheritance during the Native American Heritage Month Celebration on Nov. 15. She spoke about the coming-of-age and traditional birth ceremonies. (Photo credit/ Adrianna Adame)
Denise Juneau in the KBGA studio with Jodi Rave, Tribal Scene Radio
Denise Juneau in the KBGA studio with Jodi Rave, Tribal Scene Radio

Congratulations to Denise Juneau, a fellow member of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, for her most recent recognition. The The Office of Public Instruction just shared this information on Friday:

HELENA – On May 8, 2010, Carroll College will confer an honorary doctorate degree on Montana’s State Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau. At the 2:00 pm ceremony on Saturday, 265 graduates will receive their degrees during Carroll College’s commencement ceremonies, which will occur in the Carroll College PE Center. The Honorary Degree: Doctor of Humane Letters.

“I am honored to receive this distinguished award and look forward to continuing to contribute to the advancement of academic excellence in Montana,” said Juneau.

Denise Juneau was elected in 2008 as the State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Ms. Juneau is the first American Indian to be elected to statewide executive office in Montana. Juneau also serves on the Executive Board of Directors for the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). She graduated from Browning High School, in Browning MT. She then earned her Bachelor’s Degree in English from Montana State University; her Master’s of Education Degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education; and her law degree from the University of Montana. Ms. Juneau was selected as the 2009 Educator of the Year by the National Indian Education Association.

Juneau was recently a guest on Tribal Scene Radio. The past programs are online at KBGA. Go to the April 16 show for Denise Juneau Indian education interview.

Jodi Rave

Jodi Rave Spotted Bear

Jodi Rave Spotted Bear is the founder and director of the Indigenous Media Freedom Alliance, a 501-C-3 nonprofit organization with offices in Bismarck, N.D. and the Fort Berthold Reservation. Jodi spent 15 years reporting for the mainstream press. She's been awarded prestigious Nieman and John S. Knight journalism fellowships at Harvard and Stanford, respectively. She also an MIT Knight Science Journalism Project fellow. Her writing is featured in "The Authentic Voice: The Best Reporting on Race and Ethnicity," published by Columbia University Press. Jodi currently serves as a Society of Professional Journalists at-large board member, an SPJ Foundation board member, and she chairs the SPJ Freedom of Information Committee. Jodi has won top journalism awards from mainstream and Native press organizations. She earned her journalism degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder.