American Indian Higher Education Consortium Meeting

Mar 30, 2009 | Archives, Blog

As always, it is invigorating attending the American Indian Higher Education Consortium meeting. The tribal college presidents, professors, staff members, and students come together from across the country, reaffirming their commitment to American Indian education, tradition, culture, and beliefs, while ensuring that entire communities move forward through higher education.

Students like Stephen Yellowhawk, a Coca Cola schoar and elementary education major, reinforce the reason I love my job so much. Stephen has a family, and is committed to earning his degree so that he can not only offer a better future for his children, but also for his community. It is the hard work and selflessness of people like Stephen that give me great hope for the enduring strength and the possibility the American Indians an achieve their dreams despite the hardships we have faced as a people. I draw strength from the hard work and success of all of you in Indian Country.

Thank you!

Rick Williams

Recent Blog Posts

Native American Rights Fund (NARF) Challenges Federal Staff Reductions at Haskell and SIPI

Native American Rights Fund (NARF) Challenges Federal Staff Reductions at Haskell and SIPI

On Friday, March 7, 2025, the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) announced three Tribal Nations (Pueblo of Isleta, Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, and Cheyenne Arapaho Tribes) along with five Native students sued the United States Department of Interior and Office of Indian Affairs. The case, brought by NARF in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, challenges the staff reductions at the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) and the BIE-run tribal colleges which include Haskell Indian Nations University (HINU) and Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI).