Archives Blogs

As we celebrate everything that we have to be thankful for, I want to thank each and every one of you for your enduring support over the years. If not for our students, our tribal colleges, our teachers and tribal college presidents, and our supporters, American Indian education would not be where it is today.

November is National Indian Heritage Month, and city, state, and private events are being held across the nation to mark the occasion. As we celebrate our heritage, let’s also celebrate our endurance as a people. We have achieved so much, and that is largely due to education that celebrates and reinforces our culture.

Tomorrow is Veteran’s Day. Our Native peoples have a long history of fighting for our country. Per capita more American Indians enter the armed forces than any other group.

With the historic victory of President-elect Barack Obama, we learned an important lesson last night. Regardless of your political affiliation, the important lesson is that we as a people can do anything we put our minds to. America is the land of opportunity.

We’ve been busy at the Fund, readying for the Flame of Hope Gala a week from today in New York City, taking in corporate and individual donations that are coming in the door, and preparing for the launch of our new Public Service Announcement campaign designed by our advertising supporter, Wieden+Kennedy.

American Indian families have the lowest incomes in the nation, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. American Indian students often must choose between attending college or putting food on the table. In tight economic times, students rely even more heavily on scholarship support.

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