The Indigenous Visionaries initiative builds upon the American Indian College Fund’s previous work for a number of years developing Native women leaders, through education, mentoring, and networking. Indigenous Visionaries focuses on connecting students at tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) with faculty members in their area of study.
Since 2004, the American Indian College Fund has awarded the Mellon Career Enhancement Fellowship to deserving tribal college and university (TCU) faculty who are in the final stages of their doctoral programs to complete the writing process of their dissertations.
Black Hills State University in South Dakota honored Dr. Lionel Bordeaux (Sicangu Lakota), President of Sinte Gleska University and the longest-serving university president in the United States, by naming a residence hall on its campus in his honor. Bordeaux Hall gives university students a view of Crow Peak, Spearfish Mountain, and Lookout Mountain, while providing them with a place to meet, study, and learn.
Tribal elders are an integral part of the Restorative Teachings program, serving as an important link from past to future, and Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College’s program is no different (KBOCC). When the tribal elder who serves as the program’s cultural consultant was interviewed for the position, honesty, integrity, and respect emanated from him as he looked at each of the program’s employees in the eyes and told the stories of the Ojibwe past.
Lakota people believe that the place we go to on our spirit journey is a beautiful place where our ancestors welcome us. The College Fund team lost a beloved colleague earlier this week when Karen Whiting, our Human Resources Manager, died unexpectedly. Karen was a gracious, caring, and professional individual.
