American Indian College Fund Congratulates Tribal College Faculty and Staff Completing Master’s and Terminal Degrees
Denver, Colo.—August 4, 2020– The American Indian College Fund is announcing the graduation of seven tribal college and university faculty members who participated in the College Fund’s Mellon Master’s and Mellon Faculty Career Enhancement programs. Both programs develop new education leaders who are committed to continuing their work at TCUs serving Native American communities and help increase and retain the number of credentialed faculty with terminal degrees at TCUs while positioning them to offer advanced degrees.
The American Indian College Fund Mellon Faculty Career Enhancement Program awards fellows a $40,000 fellowship to allow them to reduce their teaching and administrative responsibilities to give them the additional time needed to complete dissertations and degrees. In return, fellows commit to remain as TCU faculty for three years after completing their degrees.
The American Indian College Fund Mellon Master’s Program provides financial assistance to TCU faculty and to staff members with teaching responsibilities who are interested in becoming faculty and who are pursuing a master’s degree. Candidates may qualify for up to $20,000 in assistance under the program. Master’s fellows commit to remain as TCU faculty for two years after completing their degrees.
The following Mellon Faculty Career Enhancement Program fellows earned a terminal degree in the academic year 2019-2020:
- Linda Herzberg, faculty member at Oglala Lakota College, South Dakota, earned a Ph.D. from the University of Kansas.
- Tyler Parisien, faculty member at Turtle Mountain Community College, North Dakota, earned an Ed.D. from Concordia University-Portland.
The following Mellon Master’s Program fellows earned a master’s degree in the academic year 2019-20:
- Kenneth Chan of San Carlos Apache College, Arizona, earned Master of Science degree from Western Governors University.
- Brian Kowalkowski of College of Menominee Nation, Wisconsin, earned a Master of Arts degree from Marian University.
- Aanor Louis of Navajo Technical University, New Mexico, earned a Master of Arts degree from Gonzaga University.
- Carey Patrick-Wertz of Aaniiih Nakoda College, Montana, earned a Master of Education degree from Montana State University North.
- Joshua Rosenau of Salish Kootenai College, Montana, earned a Master of Arts degree from the University of Montana.
About the American Indian College Fund—Founded in 1989, the American Indian College Fund has been the nation’s largest charity supporting Native higher education for 30 years. The College Fund believes “Education is the answer” and provided $7.72 million in scholarships to 3,900 American Indian students in 2018-19, with nearly 137,000 scholarships and community support totaling over $221.8 million since its inception. The College Fund also supports a variety of academic and support programs at the nation’s 35 accredited tribal colleges and universities, which are located on or near Indian reservations, ensuring students have the tools to graduate and succeed in their careers. The College Fund consistently receives top ratings from independent charity evaluators and is one of the nation’s top 100 charities named to the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance. For more information about the American Indian College Fund, please visit www.collegefund.org.
Reporters: The American Indian College Fund does not use the acronym AICF. On second reference, please use the College Fund.
CONTACT:
Dina Horwedel
dhorwedel@collegefund.org, 303-430-5350
