Ugvwiyuhi (Principal Chief) Michell Hicks and the EBCI (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians) Higher Education Program have announced the official launch date of the new Higher Education Student Portal which will go live on Saturday, June 1.
Ugvwiyuhi (Principal Chief) Michell Hicks and the EBCI (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians) Higher Education Program have announced the official launch date of the new Higher Education Student Portal which will go live on Saturday, June 1. Shown, left to right, are Amy West, Tammy Cagle, Amanda Smoker, Brittany Beck, Paige Locust, Ugvwiyuhi Hicks; back row – Sheena West, Brittany Driver, and Kyla Teesateskie. (EBCI Higher Education Program photo)
The Higher Education Program (Program) has been working with the EBCI Office of Information Technology “OIT” team since May 2023 to create a new student database. The new database’s main priority was an online student portal for document submittal and improved communication.
The selection process for the database developer began in May 2023. With guidance from OIT, the Program met with several developers before deciding to partner with Microsoft. Since October 2023, the Program has met weekly with OIT and the developer to establish the new database’s goals, flow, look, and functionality.
Brittany Beck, manager of Higher Education stated, “The student portal is important to us [program]. We want the students to see their electronic files and be able to access them at any time. This will enable us and, more importantly, the students to see what they have submitted in real-time.”
This ease of access to your Higher Education file is just one of the features students and their families can look forward to, here are some of the staff’s favorite features:
- Fully online application
- Upload and access required documents
- Update contact information easily
- Identify your Education Specialist and email them directly from the student portal
- The portal will send reminder emails with links to upload directly to the portal
The Higher Education Program is grateful for the assistance of Kevin Jackson, director of OIT; Jeremy Brown; and Brandon Ledford, for their persistent work on this project. The Program believes the new database with multiple reporting features will provide valuable statistics to improve how the EBCI and its entities prepare the workforce now and in the future.
Important information for current and future students:
- You can access the student portal after June 1 at https://ebcihighered.com.
- The new student portal will go live on June 1 for newly enrolled students.
- Currently funded students’ information will be preloaded into the system, a link will be sent to set up a username and password.
- Staff are trained and available to assist with login or system issues.
- Video tutorials will be provided at https://ebcihighered.com.
- If you or your parent/guardian would like in-person assistance, contact our office at 828.359.6650, Monday – Friday 7:45 – 4:30 p.m. after June 1.
Student Portal email EBCIHigherEdu@ebci-nsn.gov
- The Qualla Boundary Public Library, located in the Ginger Lynn Welch Complex has a computer lab and free wi-fi.
- EBCI Higher Education Program release
