We have been receiving calls and questions about the Ft. Lewis College (located in Durango, Colorado) tuition waiver and its history in the wake of a proposed bill that would strip $1.8 million from Fort Lewis College’s budget. House Bill 10-1067, sponsored by Karen Middleton, D-Aurora, would reduce the per-student amount the state reimburses the school for out-of-state Indian students. Middleton said the bill’s passage would have no impact on the promise to educate American Indians free of charge.
Inside the College Fund Blogs
Intellectual Capital in Indian Country
This past week we spent two days hearing about the projects that the tribal colleges have been implementing over the past year for the Woksape Oyate Wisdom of the People project.
Elder’s Dinner Draws 200 Native Elders
The Denver-based American Indian College Fund (the Fund) honored 200 American Indian elders in the Denver community at a holiday dinner on December 15 at the Church of All Saints. In American Indian tradition, “Elders are highly esteemed for their direction and are considered to be sacred,” says Richard B. Williams, President and CEO of the Fund.
Thank You for Making Our 2009 Flame of Hope Gala A Success!
Neither, rain, nor sleet, nor 18 inches of snow could stop supporters of American Indian education from turning out to celebrate the American Indian College Fund’s 20 years on Wednesday, October 28 at the Seawall Ballroom of the Denver Center of the Performing Arts. As more than 18 inches of snow accumulated outside, more than 300 supporters,
20th Anniversary Flame of Hope Gala Oct. 28
Irene Bedard, Benjamin Bratt and L.A. Lakers coach Phil Jackson, celebrity co-chairs of the American Indian College Fund’s 20th anniversary Flame of Hope Gala, would like to invite you to join us for an evening of fun and celebration in Denver, Colorado.
American Indian College Fund Meets Colorado Community
The American Indian College Fund welcomed more than 200 business people and community members to the Colorado History Museum Thursday, June 4 to learn more about American Indian college students’ needs and the tribal college movement. They saw Native dances, heard Native musicians perform, and enjoyed crafts, a silent auction, and refreshments.
Think Indian public service advertisement campaign launches
The Fund is rolling out a new public service announcement campaign titled THINK INDIAN. The campaign tells the story of how America’s 32 accredited tribal colleges and American Indian students are combining traditional Native solutions with modern knowledge to solve contemporary problems.
Chrysalis
I received a letter from Ann Marie Donoghue from the Buffalo Bill Historical Center about this painting, A Young Oglala Sioux, painted by the artist James Bama. I was the subject in the painting, which is currently on view in the Coe Auditorium Gallery. Prior to that, it was displayed in the Kriendler Gallery of Contemporary Art, a gallery inside the Whitney Gallery of Western Art at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center.
Hope on the Rez
It’s been almost nine months in the making, and like a birth after a nine-month wait, we are ready to release the American Indian College Fund documentary video into the world? It was a joyful, expectant, and sometimes difficult nine months?
In A Good Way
It seems that wherever I go, I meet people who are interested in what we are doing here at the College Fund, our mission, and our students. I speak with people around the country about the underfunded miracles that are the tribal colleges, and how they impact our students’ lives. And I speak about the everyday people that I meet and how they are overcoming huge obstacles.





