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On Sunday, we were thrilled to meet LA Lakers coach Phil Jackson and support a charity near and dear to his heart. Jackson has been a long-time supporter of the American Indian College Fund, and will be one of our celebrity co-chairs for the Fund’s 20th Anniversary Flame of Hope Gala in Denver, Colorado on Wednesday, October 28.

We are looking for tribal college students, faculty, and staff who want to share their stories about what it means to Think Indian—as commentary posts, guest bloggers.

Fund staffers Dina Horwedel and Jonas Greene had the opportunity to present information to the Native American Journalists Association about the Think Indian campaign and how an advertisement can tell a story. As part of the program, they discussed how using social media such as Twitter, blogs, and Facebook can move a story forward.

According to the Pell Institute, only 11% of first-generation students earn a degree within six years. There are many reasons for this. First-generation students are less prepared than their counterparts, they did not get help choosing a college that is a good fit for them, their families often discourage them from getting a higher education, and being unfamiliar with college culture, rather than immersing themselves in it, they withdraw.

This week the team at the American Indian College Fund embarks on a one-day retreat to recharge and regenerate, learning about leadership principles and applying them in our mission to provide scholarships and access to higher education for all of our students. We will be out of the office all day Wednesday.

After Independence Day, one thing strikes me: if American Indians are ever going to be free of poverty and being treated as second-class citizens, education is vital. Education does not just mean the basics: the math, the science, the language and reading skills: education also means being educated in the Indian way. Learning our native languages. Learning our traditions and ways as Indian people, and preserving them.

Check out my article on the political motives behing ignorance about Native Peoples at Indian Country Today.

The New York Times ran a story Sunday about an organization that matches alumni and cash-strapped students at Harvard University. The alumni provide loans for students to be able to take tests, finish a semester, and buy books.

To continue the theme of our Think Indian public service print media announcements, our pro bono advertising partner, Wieden+Kennedy, has graciously donated its time and creative genius to create an animated television spot. The spot celebrates American Indian ways of thinking and how tribal colleges preserve both that and Native cultures.

The CLIO Awards are one of the world’s most recognized international advertising and design competitions honoring creative excellence and innovation in the industry. As the president and CEO of the Fund, I was proud to watch as Dan Wieden, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Wieden+Kennedy (W+K), the American Indian College Fund’s pro bono ad agency, was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award on May 13 during the 50th Anniversary CLIO Awards in Las Vegas.