UTTC President Russ McDonald Honored by American Indian College Fund

Dr. Leander “Russ” McDonald, president of United Tribes Technical College, has been named the American Indian College Fund’s 2025–26 Tribal College and University President Honoree of the Year. The award recognizes a distinguished leader who has made a lasting and positive impact on the tribal college movement. McDonald will receive a $1,200 honorarium, sponsored by the Adolph Coors Foundation, at the College Fund’s Student of the Year luncheon on March 15.

McDonald, a citizen of the Spirit Lake Dakota Nation and a descendant of the Sahnish, Hidatsa, and Hunkpapa people, grew up on the Spirit Lake Dakota Reservation in a family of nine children. Education was important in his household. His father attended college for several years and worked throughout his career. His mother left high school when McDonald was young but later earned her high school equivalency degree and continued her education before eventually leaving school to care for her aging mother.

McDonald says watching his mother struggle through algebra at the kitchen table left a lasting impression on him and inspired his own commitment to education. Seeing the determination of both his parents helped motivate him to pursue higher education, ultimately becoming the first in his family to earn a Ph.D.

“School always came easy to me. I graduated as class valedictorian, went into the service, and there I took a few classes, but I was in the field so much I never completed my courses,” McDonald said. “After the service I went to school again while working at the same time. At the time work was more important than school. I worked for my dad, a few jobs here and there at Sioux Manufacturing Corporation, where I made supplies for the military. In fact, I worked in manufacturing in the summer before I entered the military. While in Germany I was put on detail in the supply room and was unloading camouflage nets I had helped make.”

McDonald eventually returned to college in 1989, though the journey was not easy.

“It was in 1989 that I went back to school. It took me four years to get a two-year degree because the challenge then I was still drinking,” he said.

Today, McDonald openly shares his personal story to encourage others, demonstrating that personal struggles can be overcome.

He spent three semesters at Minot State University in North Dakota but said that during that time, “I came home, worked, and drank.” Between 1984 and 1994, McDonald entered treatment 16 times before achieving sobriety.

“I often wonder if it was the last time in treatment or all of them together that worked to sober me up,” he said. “When I got sober, I already had a two-year degree from Cankdeska Cikana Community College (CCCC), when I went back to school for another associate degree in business administration from Lake Region State College (LRSC).”

While attending LRSC, McDonald was accepted into the TRIOS Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Program at the University of North Dakota.

“In the McNair Program, I was required to have a research mentor and to do research, which set the foundation for completing my studies and doing work that was beneficial to my people,” he said. “I would end up earning my bachelor’s and master’s degree in sociology and a Ph.D. in Education Foundations and Research, although all I initially wanted to do was get a four-year degree to teach sociology at CCCC. Sometimes God has different plans for us that are beyond our ability to see.”

A mentor later included McDonald in a grant that allowed him to work as a graduate research assistant. During that time, his wife Francine moved to join him and began her undergraduate studies.

“I was making $1,100 a month, more than I made in all my former jobs in roofing, janitorial services, as a blackjack dealer, and manufacturing,” McDonald said. “I was assigned to the library to research surveys and did literature reviews on elder studies and built a survey that we pilot tested.”

After two years, McDonald was hired as a research analyst and continued working toward his doctorate while attending school at night.

“It took me three years to earn my doctorate,” he said. “Once I obtained my PhD, I was hired as an assistant professor at the UND School of Medicine at the Center for Rural Health under the National Resource Center on Native American Aging (NRCNAA) grant. My wife was going to school at the same time and had obtained her master’s degree in public administration by then.”

Eventually the couple returned home.

“They decided to move back when his wife asked when they were going home,” McDonald recalled. “She got a job at CCCC, and we bought a place in Devil’s Lake.”

McDonald later served as vice president of academic affairs at CCCC under former president Cynthia Lindquist before running for tribal chairman of the Spirit Lake Nation.

“I am proud to say the Tribe recovered from a $3.2 million deficit and had its first clean audit for the Tribe under my leadership,” he said of his 15-month tenure as chairman.

Afterward, McDonald applied for the presidency at United Tribes Technical College.

“I applied for the president position at United Tribes Technical College, a position I will have held for 12 years this coming October,” he said.

McDonald credits much of his success to sobriety and spirituality.

“I have been on a spiritual journey since I became sober. Everything I needed was put in my path,” he said. “I give all the glory to God for giving me a good wife and good people to mentor me. Finding spirituality and a different way of life keeps me sober.”

He added: “Relationships, good relatives, having a good spirit, it all protects you. Good jobs, getting my schooling done, and challenges along the way are all part of the growth.”

Under McDonald’s leadership, UTTC has strengthened institutional operations and planning. Policies across fiscal, human resources, academic, and auxiliary services have been reviewed and refined, while the college established an Institutional Research Department to help guide decisions about programs, enrollment strategies, and student needs.

“We have the resources to do some of what is needed this year,” McDonald said. “We didn’t have a lot of construction money and now, thanks to a gift from MacKenzie Scott, the Employee Retention Credit, and a bump from Title III…we are ready to grow.”

He added that campus improvements are underway to better serve students.

“We are building the next generation of tribal leaders,” McDonald said. “I know the challenges I had made me who I am today… I know I don’t want to go back there but it helps me relate to students today. We have vision to make our society better.”

Despite UTTC’s growth, McDonald said he remains concerned about the future of federal funding.

“We are thankful to Congress for restoring funds that had been eliminated under the President’s budget. That is a worry,” he said. “There is also the concern that the federal government would not uphold treaty and trust responsibilities, especially regarding higher education, which is so important to [Native] nation-building.”

He added that education is essential for Native people navigating and defending their rights in a complex society.

“If we are going to compete and interact with society, we don’t have to give up our culture, but we do need to learn about other cultures and how to interact and defend our rights as Indigenous people and advance those rights for future generations,” McDonald said.

Throughout his career, McDonald says the guidance of mentors and teachers has shaped his leadership. His work as a researcher, scholar, tribal leader, and educator has reinforced the importance of listening, developing policy grounded in data, and strengthening institutions that serve Native communities.

Ultimately, McDonald says his commitment remains rooted in helping Native students succeed.

Dr. McDonald’s openness to healing, humility, learning, and growth—both as a professional and as a person—has been central to his success as he continues serving Native students and communities striving to build stronger futures.

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