In 2016, I was invited to submit a chapter on the presidency of tribal colleges for a book on leadership at minority-serving institutions. I started the chapter with these words, Itancan, Bacheei-tche, Ogimaa: tribal words for those in leadership at tribal colleges because their leadership is rooted in their cultural knowledge and practices. This essay is derived from that chapter, “Tribal College and University Leaders: Warriors in Spirit and in Action
By 2020, 65 percent of all jobs will require post-secondary education. But only 13.8 percent of American Indians have a college degree – less than half the national average. Fighting this dynamic is the American Indian College Fund, providing direct, focused solutions that enable American Indian youth to succeed in college and beyond.
Our nation was born in genocide when it embraced the doctrine that the original American, the Indian, was an inferior race. Even before there were large numbers of Negroes on our shores, the scar of racial hatred had already disfigured colonial society. From the sixteenth century forward, blood flowed in battles over racial supremacy. We are perhaps the only nation which tried as a matter of national policy to wipe out its indigenous population.
As the President of the American Indian College Fund I share that we have nothing but pride and gratitude for the Native American Code Talkers, who are true heroes who used sacred Native languages to ensure our nation’s victory against despotism. These individuals are elderly now but their memories are still strong and tell a powerful story of sacrifice and patriotism. Our students value education and encourage us as their supporters to take every opportunity to educate others.
Recently, I’ve been reflecting on how important it is to be able to identify myself using terms that are personal to me; and the impact that has for all of us in the way we feel self-confidence and pride in our individuality. Perhaps you define yourself by the job you do or the language you speak. Or maybe you identify yourself by your skin color, sexual orientation, or what part of the world you grew up in.
The American Indian College Fund is saddened to share that Dr. Nathaniel “Nate” St. Pierre, College Fund Trustee and President of Stone Child College, passed away on Sunday, August 13, 2017. We extend our condolences to his family, friends, colleagues and students. Nate served the College Fund Board from July 1, 2016 to present. His leadership and dedication to the mission of the College Fund and the important role the tribal colleges filled in their communities will be missed.
Greetings to our friends and supporters. This week I shared a video message on social media for Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla in the wake of their visit to the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana. In his Facebook post it was clear that the social and economic issues they saw made a powerful impression on them.
Are tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) the result of de facto segregation? Currently in higher education there is considerable discussion about the value and challenges faced by our Nation’s historically black college and universities (HBCUs). While this debate rightly belongs squarely in all discussions about access and affordability and value of higher education, it neglects the experiences of American Indian and Alaska Native students and the colleges and universities that have emerged to serve them in a similar fashion.
We at the American Indian College Fund stand with people concerned about the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline in a peaceful way, based on our Native values of caring for the environment and each other. Our values are as relevant today as they were generations ago, based on the importance of the physical health of our citizens and the economic health of our nation. These are the values we incorporate in the education of our tribal college students.
Right after the presidential election, I sent a message to our students urging them to practice self-care in the face of expected increases in racial, gender, and religious discrimination fueled by the divisions the election exacerbated – divisions that were both obvious in the rhetoric and actions of the candidates and in the electorate and which are also hidden in the language of nationalism. My message spoke to the choices that we each have in how we will respond and the awareness that we must have when we choose to be silent or speak out.
