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We hope you will join us at the Fund to celebrate 40 years of tribal colleges at the 13th annual 2008 American Indian College Fund Flame of Hope Gala. This event will take place at Gotham Hall in New York City on Wednesday, October 29 at 6 p.m. The event will raise funds for student scholarships and honor a longtime supporter.

It’s been a crazy week, and it’s only Tuesday. With the announcement of Merrill Lynch and Lehman Brothers’ insolvencies, the financial markets have gone haywire. And now the threat of the international insurer A.I.G.’s demise may cause world markets to destablize.

I am writing from Montana, where I am with several friends of the Fund on a Journey for the Mind and Spirit. These journeys take our supporters to Indian country, where they visit American Indian communities and see first-hand the sacred work that the tribal colleges are performing.

Labor Day weekend is officially over, and with it, summer has ended. That means one thing in the world of tribal colleges: back-to-school time! Whether you are a new student this year or returning to complete your education after a hiatus or are headed towards the final stretch to earning your degree, I want to personally congratulate you for the strength and wisdom it took to enroll in college

United Tribes Technical College President Dr. David M. Gipp has been invited to address the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado. Dr. Gipp will speak to convention delegates assembled in the 20,000 seat Pepsi Center today between 3 and 3:30 p.m. MDT. His will be one in a series of talks by so-called ‘real people’ who have been asked to offer ideas on the theme of “Renewing America’s Promise.

Gail Torreano, president of AT&T Michigan, recently wrote in the Detroit Free Press about the nation’s drop-out problem, especially among African American, Hispanic, and American Indian students. “Dropping out is not a victimless choice affecting just the person who decides to leave school,” she says. “That choice impacts each and every one of us. Studies have shown that students who are unprepared to enter college cost the economy $3.7 billion annually in lost earnings and remedial education.”

Last week I had the great pleasure of speaking at the Association of American Indian Physicians. What a wonderful group of Indian people. The whole conference was covered with a cloud of intellectualism. The students were delightful and their enthusiasm brought great joy to my heart. I shared an old Cheyenne story about always seeking to improve oneself.

The American Indian College Fund board of directors spent Friday of last week brainstorming and planning for the organization’s five-year strategic plan. As the economic landscape is changing, the Fund needs to change as well. Although it is important not to be too reactive, swinging the organizational philosophy to meet the economic climate which may change, it is also important to set a course for growth that is attainable and mission-driven.

Today we are hard at work, filming a new video, bringing information to our donors about the mission of the American Indian College Fund. We are also working to put the finishing touches on maps of Indian country and our tribal colleges to our donors, which also features several of our students and their stories.

American Indians are citizens of not only the United States, but our own nations, as well as citizens of the world. Our warriors have fought hard and strong for the United States in its many wars, and we are proud of that, and we are equally proud of our own nations and our Indian heritage.