Faculty are essential to creating a thriving academic and cultural environment at tribal colleges and universities (TCUs). They teach and advise students, develop culturally relevant curricula, and take on administrative duties. Yet faculty often are unable to learn from one another or foster relationships in the research arena to focus on research activities and further learning for themselves.
The American Indian College Fund staff, the students, and the many faculty and staff at the tribal colleges it serves are saddened to learn of the passing of our friend, Dan Wieden, co-founder of the international award-winning advertising agency and longtime College Fund supporter, Wieden+Kennedy.
In response to the need for greater communications outreach at TCUs, the American Indian College Fund (the College Fund) initiated a one-year pilot project to build communications capacity and visibility for TCUs. In November 2021, the College Fund moved forward with the project and selected a limited number of TCUs to participate.
The Kresge Foundation has named Cheryl Crazy Bull, President and CEO of the American Indian College Fund, a member of the newly created Thrive Leaders Network.
The American Indian College Fund published the latest volume of the Tribal College and University research journal. Volume 6 of the research journal contains case studies focused on topics such as seed germination, culture as a method to improve mental health, and methods for increasing Native student success.
The American Indian College Fund’s faculty fellowship programs are creating greater education expertise in Indian Country, while building the academic and intellectual capacity of the 35 tribal colleges and universities it supports. In 2021-22 the College Fund awarded more than $366,150 to 22 faculty members.
The College Fund is pleased that President Biden has announced that individuals making under $125,000 a year may cancel $20,000 of their student loan debt. Affordable access to higher education for Indigenous students was lacking up until the 1960s and creating those pathways to higher education was the intention of the founders of the tribal college movement.
American Indian College Fund’s Ihduwiyayapi Advancing Indigenous Early Childhood Education (IECE) Builds Community of Practice for Indigenous Educators
The American Indian College Fund, in collaboration with Alfred Walking Bull of Walking Bull Storytelling + Culture, will host a Two-Spirit and LGBTQ+ Guided Discussion on August 26th from 10:00 a.m. – Noon MDT. This free session is open to all Tribal College and University (TCU) administration, faculty and staff, students, and families and will provide an overview of the current landscape of Two-Spirit and LGBTQ+ concerns. A question-and-answer session allowing participants to ask anything will be included.
The National Native Scholarships Providers (NNSP) has released its first-ever National Study on College Affordability for Indigenous Students. Researchers have found the primary obstacle to college completion is affordability, causing overall college student attrition. Yet until NNSP’s research, the national data on the effect of college affordability on Indigenous students’ college completion had not been fully explored.
SAVE THE DATE
May 19 - May 21, 2024
Virtual Conference
All are welcome!
