Navajo Technical University Kirtland Instructional Site
Kirtland Instructional Site Re-Entry Plan
NTU Kirtland Instructional Site and Bond Wilson Technical Center (BWTC) and Central Consolidated School District (CCSD) will be working collaboratively during this time to ensure safety for all employees, students, and guests at BWTC. .
Course Schedule Job Opportunities
NAVAJO TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY
Kirtland Instructional Site
45 Road 6580
Kirtland, NM 87417
505.609.5020
MESSAGE
“Ya’at’eeh” to everyone: our Northern Native communities and to our non-Native communities of Kirtland, Farmington, Bloomfield, Aztec, and La Plata.
NTU Kirtland Instructional Site is located next to Judy Nelson Elementary in Kirtland, NM. We’ve been here since August 2018. One of the biggest challenges is increasing the student enrollment and hiring instructors for this site. For Fall 2022, we will be launching the new Plumbing Certificate Program. We’re very excited about the Plumbing Program as we know that specialized trades are needed. The Plumbing Certificate Program needs a Technical Instructor of Plumbing.
We currently have three full-time faculty: Chef Lorencita Billiman who has a wealth of knowledge on cooking with Indigenous ingredients and has won the SkillsUSA competition. She’s the Culinary Arts Program instructor. Harrison Lapahie, teaches Technical Math, Intermediate Algebra, and College Algebra along with Introduction to Computers, and Lorenzo Gurule who is the newest faculty to teach Welding—he has many years in the field and brings his expertise to our site. He’ll be teaching beginning to advance courses in welding. We have two Adjunct Faculties: Ms. Carmelita Lee teaches Technical Communications and Navajo Studies in Navajo I and Navajo Culture, and Dr. Cleofus Nelson who is a counselor at the local Kirtland Central High School and teaches College Success Skills for NTU students in the evenings. We are in the process of working with local businesses to build a working relationship for students to transition into a skilled trade and/or do internships and a possible apprenticeship.
This area is Dinetah to the Navajo people where we have our majestic sacred mountains visible to his area, our beloved Dibe Nitsaa (Hesperus Mountain) to the north, Ch’oolii (Gobernador Knob), and Dzilna’oodilii (Herfano Mountain) to the southeast, these are preeminent sacred mountain to the Navajo people and landmarks that hold stories from our ancestors. I would like to acknowledge our Jicarilla Apache Nation and the Southern Ute Nations and Pueblos who are Indigenous to this area of southern Colorado, northwestern New Mexico and northeastern Arizona. I extend an invitation to you to come visit us at the NTU Kirtland Instructional Site. I invite our neighboring tribes to send their students here. I welcome all businesses to partner for student internships, apprenticeships, students to shadow at your site, and hiring of our students.
Ahehee’ (thank you).
MISSION, VISION, AND PHILOSOPHY
Mission: Navajo Technical University honors Diné culture and language, while educating for the future.
Vision: Navajo Technical University provides an excellent educational experience in a supportive, culturally diverse environment, enabling all community members to grow intellectually, culturally and economically.
Philosophy: Through the teachings of Nitsáhákees (thinking), Nahátá (planning), Īína (implementing), and Siihasin (reflection), students acquire quality education in diverse fields, while preserving cultural values and gaining economic opportunities.
BITSÉ SILÉÍ (CORE VALUES)
The NTU core values are in addition to its mission, vision, and philosophy statements, and help guide the university's day-to-day operations. They apply to students, faculty, staff, and the board of regents, and help us achieve our intended goals.
- Íhoo’aah: Learning - We are passionate about knowledge and continue to learn throughout our lives. We pursue new experiences and ways of thinking. We appreciate that much of our learning will occur by interacting with others, inside and outside of the classroom.
- Éédééhtį: Innovation - We encourage and support our faculty, staff, and students in all forms of scholarship, including the discovery of knowledge in teaching and learning, and in developing innovative products and processes.
- Ałk’izhdiitį: Communication - We strive to practice honest and open exchanges of ideas in an environment where encouragement serves as the basis for our communication.
- Ahiłna’anish: Collaboration - We work together towards the common goals of the university and our larger communities, while valuing teamwork, participation, and a wealth of ideas.
- ’Adiłjidli ̨́: Integrity - We seek to reflect integrity by upholding the highest ethical standards in personal and professional behavior, and in our commitment to transparency and accountability.
- Ałhidilzin: Respect - We strive to be a community that appreciates the gifts and unique contributions of each person. We honor the Navajo way of life while also welcoming diverse perspectives.
- Na’alkaah: Research - We create new knowledge that benefits the Navajo people and all human beings through ethical research practices. Academic Excellence Committee: 2/26/2021 http://www.navajotech.edu/about/mission
BACKGROUND FOR KIRTLAND INSTRUCTIONAL SITE
Navajo Technical University’s Kirtland Instructional Site is housed in the Bond Wilson Technical Center (BWTC) in Kirtland, NM. There is a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Navajo Technical University (NTU) and Central Consolidated School District (CCSD). On August 31, 2018, NTU and CCSD celebrated a grand opening of BWTC, the first early college high school academy in the state of New Mexico. High school stduents from Shiprock, Newcomb, Kirtland, and Career Prep participate in dual-credit courses at the instructional site, formerly Grace B. Wilson Elementary School, where they are able to earn college credits throught NTU offers adult classes, as well as internships, community service opportunities, and other hands-on experiences, that enable students to find employment and/or graduate in a certificate or degree program. NTU and CCSD developed a partnership with local industries to offer courses at the new instructional site.
GOALS FOR KIRTLAND INSTRUCTIONAL SITE
NTU Kirtland Instructional Site is still growing. Our goals are the following:
- Recruit new students from this area at this site.
- Have a Grand Opening for the Plumbing Certificate Program in Fall 2022.
- Recruit the first co-hort of students for the Plumbing Program for Fall 2022.
- Hire a Technical Instructor of Plumbing and Welding.
- Add more courses and offer evening and late afternoon courses.
- Continue to honor NTU’s strategic plan in the six priorities and construct reports.
NTU IMPORTANT DATES - FALL 2022
| Pre-Registration Begins | Apr 25 |
| Faculty Return | Aug 8 |
| Navajo Code Talkers Day | Aug 15 |
| New Student Orientation | Aug 18 |
| On-Site Registration | Aug 12 |
| Instruction Begins | Aug 22 |
| Late Registration w/ Fee | Aug 23-24 |
| Last Day Add/Drop w/out W | Aug 26 |
| HOLIDAY - Labor Day | Sep 5 |
| Fall Graduation Petition Due | Sep 30 |
| Mid Term Exams | Oct 10-14 |
| Fall Break | Oct 20-21 |
| Last Day to Withdraw With a W | Oct 31 |
| HOLIDAY - Veterans Day Observed | Nov 11 |
| HOLIDAY - Thanksgiving Day/NN Family Day | Nov 24-25 |
| Final Exams | Dec 12-15 |
| Grades Due to Registrar | Dec 16 |
| Fall Graduation | Dec 16 |
| HOLIDAY - Christmas | Dec 26 |
FACULTY
CULINARY ARTS
FACULTY: Lorencita Billiman Aka Chef Billiman (Diné). I'm a certified Sous Chef through the American Culinary Federation with an AAS Degree in Culinary Arts from Navajo Technical University. I'm originally from Buell Park, AZ (between Navajo NM and Sawmill, AZ). My passion is cooking from Indigenous to different ethnicities. I honestly do not have a favorite type of meal, but I enjoyed what my mother used to make for her five children, and you will not find it on a menu. I have been in the kitchen over 20 years, and I love spending time with my family and my babies, my daughter, nieces and nephews. Navajo Technical University has given me the opportunity to live my dream as a certified Chef and as an instructor that allows me to share my knowledge. Indeed, NTU has Endless Possibilities. I'm currently a faculty at NTU Kirtland Instructional Site where I teach Professional Basic Cooking and other culinary courses, Food Safety & Sanitation, Nutrition, and ServSafe Essentials.
DINÉ STUDIES/ENGLISH
ADJUNCT FACULTY: Carmelita Lee (Diné). I’m originally from Sanostee, New Mexico and I live in Farmington, New Mexico. I’m of the Honagháanii clan and born for the Naakai Dine’é clan. My Maternal Grandfather’s clan is Táchii’nii and my Paternal Grandfather is Naakai Dine’e. I have been teaching Navajo Language and Culture for over 24 years. I’m currently an adjunct instructor teaching Navajo Studies and English for Navajo Technical University Kirtland Instructional Site. I’ve obtained my Associates of Arts degree in Elementary Education from Diné College, Shiprock, New Mexico; Bachelors of Arts degree in BiCultural Studies with an Emphasis in Navajo Language from Ft. Lewis College, Durango, CO; Masters of Arts degree in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) from Grand Canyon University, Phoenix, AZ; and I’m currently a PhD candidate at Grand Canyon University in Organizational Leadership with an Emphasis in Educational Leadership. My motto for Navajo Language & Culture Learners: “Our Navajo language and culture is beautiful and should not be forgotten. Learn to speak, read and write the language, live the culture and learn our Navajo traditions.”
MATHEMATICS
FACULTY: Harrison Lapahie (Jr.) (Diné) I was born in Dził Ná’oodiłii (Huerfano Mesa), NM and I’m from the Bit’ahnii/ Táchii’nii lineage, Bit’ahnii (Folded Arms People) nish[8, Táchii'nii (Red-Running-Into-The-Water-Clan) báshíshchíínd, Tódích'íi'nii (Bitter Water Clan) dashíchei, and Ta'neeszahnii (Tangle People) dashináłí. I’m an Associate Professor at NTU Kirtland and Teec Nos Pos Instructional Site where I teach mathematics (Technical Mathematics I & II, Introduction to Algebra, College Algebra, Mathematics for Engineering Applications, Programming I) and Introduction to Computers. I’m an only child of the late Harrison Lapahie, Sr. and Lillie (Todychini) Lapahie. My father was a Navajo Code Talker during World War II. I grew up in the Pico-Union District of downtown Los Angeles, CA and graduated from Belmont High School. I was raised as an urban Indian, not knowing or learning my Diné (Navajo) culture or language. But I always considered Dził Na’oodiłii and the farmland at Hogback, and the grazing land at Table Mesa, as my homeland. I earned a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering (MSEE) and I have 15 years of engineering experience, and 20 years of teaching electronics, computer science and mathematics, and 1 year of college administrative experience. My engineering experience involved boresight, attitude control, analysis of satellite data and systems, analysis of process control systems (including Allen Bradley PLCs, Honeywell TDC 3000, Foxboro and Rosemont instrumentation), Navy work in the over-haul and conversion of ship’s electrical systems, building a computer hardware system from scratch, cost analysis & estimation, and a lot of technical writing. I have extensive teaching experience in math, electronics, and computer courses and electronics and computer science. I taught Electronic Fundamentals, DC & AC Electronics, Industrial Control Systems, DOS, Windows, MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), and others. I taught at high school, technical institutes, universities and tribal colleges at Diné College (DC) in Shiprock, and Navajo Technical University (Crownpoint, Kirtland, Teec Nos Pos). I’m the owner of www.LAPAHIE.com which uses ColdFusion, JavaScript, HTML and a relational database (MS ACCESS) to make some web page dynamic. He has administrative experience as the Chair of DMST (Dept. of Math, Science & Technology) at Diné College and faculty and was Principal Investigator for two grants that sent DC students to two different NASA facilities. I returned to my homeland after my father’s passing. I currently reside in Shiprock, NM with my family.
SOCIAL & BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES
ADJUNCT FACULTY: Cleofus Nelson (Diné) Yá’á’t’ééh. Shí éí Cleofus Nelson yinishyé. Nát’oh Dine’é Táchiinii níshłí. Tó’áhání báshíshchíín. Tséníjikiní da shicheii. Kiiyaa’áanii da shinálí. I was born and raised in Fort Defiance, Arizona. A graduate of Window Rock High School (’08). After high school I attended Northern Arizona University and graduated with three degrees: Bachelor of Science in Education-English (’11), Master of Education in School Counseling (’15), and a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership (’21). I’ll be teaching the College Success Skills at NTU this spring 2022. I’m looking forward to helping new students fulfill their dreams. Currently, I’m a school counselor at Kirtland Central High School and now reside in Farmington, New Mexico.
WELDING
FACULTY: Lorenzo Gurule I am Lorenzo Gurule. I am originally from Belen, New Mexico. I have been in the field of welding since 2005. During my career I have had the opportunity to weld in various power plants across the county, several schools and hospitals also. I have also had the opportunity to weld in the oil and gas industry in southeastern New Mexico and west Texas. I am experienced in pipe and structural welding using stick, mig and tig welding. I look forward to working with the staff and teaching welding at NTU Kirtland, as well as building the welding program with various businesses and creating partnerships.
PLUMBING
Looking for ADJUNCT FACULTY for the following:
- ADVOCATE LAW COURSES
- CERTIFIED NURSING ASSISTANT
- CONSTRUCTION
- PLUMBING
- PSYCHOLOGY
- YOGA