“Empowering Students, Building Nations–Cokv Hecvlke En Yekcetv, Etvlwv Oh Hayetv”
By AIHEC Member, Student Services, and the American Indian College Fund TCU Student Success teams
Under the warm skies of Oklahoma, nearly 200 participants representing 30 tribal colleges and universities gathered June 10–12 on the Muscogee (Creek) Nation at the stunning campus of the College of the Muscogee Nation (CMN). The 2025 CSSI Convening carried the theme “Empowering Students, Building Nations–Cokv Hecvlke En Yekcetv, Etvlwv Oh Hayetv,” a message that echoed throughout the three-day gathering which celebrated collective wisdom, cross-institutional connection, and Native student success.
This year’s convening was a powerful reminder of what’s possible when partners align with purpose. The American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) and the American Indian College Fund (the College Fund) have long worked in close collaboration to uplift tribal colleges and universities (TCUs), and this joint convening stood as a shining example of that ongoing partnership in action.
The event kicked off with a pre-conference hosted by AIHEC, which centered on communities of practice (CoPs), a key initiative supporting TCU professionals through shared learning and peer exchange. CoP workshops sparked rich conversations around student services, equity-rooted strategies, and data-informed practices. The Four CoP priority areas were Advising, Developmental Education, Distance/Digital Learning, and Institutional Policy.
Service providers from Student Ready Strategies (SRS), Advising Success Network (ASN), Every Learner Everywhere (ELE), and Strong Start to Finish (SStF) were invited to lead sessions. They were supported to intentionally weave in cultural knowledge while fostering strong relationships within each CoP, laying the groundwork for sustainability beyond the convening.
The pre-conference set the tone, but the next two days of the convening came to life like a carefully woven basket.
This Indigenous-centered SEM conference is the first of its kind. It was an opportunity for professional development and peer-learning for TCU leaders to come together to share knowledge and expertise around Strategic Enrollment Management. SEM is the touch points that a Native Student takes in their journey through higher education that can start at any moment, whether its interacting with the college through marketing at pow wow tabling, through dual enrollment at their high school, participating in career counseling, or enrolling in the GED program that the TCU offers.
All of these are examples of SEM and how TCUs strategically engage Native students with activities to help guide them through their individual journeys to become successful leaders for their communities and in Indian Country. SEM incorporates enrollment, retention and graduation plans in alignment with an institution’s strategic plan.
A keynote address from Dr. Amanda R. Tachine (Diné) and Jameson D. Lopez, Ph.D. (Quechan) ignited participants to think through how decolonial data leads to liberated futures while advocating for Indigenous data sovereignty in the important work and collective rights of TCUs. They asked participants to think deeply about the values they seek to pass down to future generations and strategies they can commit to moving forward that are integrated into Indigenous Data Sovereignty work.
A panel on CoPs showcased TCU representatives from enrollment managers, the National Alliance on Concurrent Enrollment TCU Chapter, first-year experience and mentorship programs, career readiness, and the transfer advisory committee. Panel representatives spoke about their CNSS funding, their vision for the CNSS program, and how they hope the program will be sustained after the grant period has ended.
The TCU administrators and staff leaders led 24 breakout sessions as an opportunity for participants to learn from one another and share practices from their respective institutions. TCU volunteers from the Enrollment Manager CoP organized breakout sessions through several tracks such as academic advising models and practices, professional development and campus community, pathways and structured degree planning, and new student welcome and engagement events.
A highlight included a session on navigating tribal college transfer, a session led by the transfer advisory committee at the College Fund that provided practices for developing a cohesive transfer system for institutions and introduced the work and progress of the committee’s transfer course. A session about student success through dual credit initiatives spoke to how the CNSS funded program reduced barriers to high school students receiving college education.
The conference also included cultural exchange opportunities. Representatives from Dine College led a live demonstration of making Chííł Chin or sumac berry pudding. Their presentation included sharing the cultural significance, tools involved, ingredients, and ended with a tasting.
With the TCUs leading sessions, volunteering their time to help create the breakout schedule, serving as representatives on the panel, The College Fund hopes to continue fostering opportunities for TCUs to share the vision of the CNSS program of fostering collaboration and peer learning to make it sustainable after the grant period ends. To learn more about the CNSS program visit our website here: https://collegefund.org/cultivating-native-student-success/
The full article can be found at the Tribal College Journal.
Scroll through photographs from the conference:
