2026 TCU Faculty Convening
12th TCU Faculty Convening | May 19-20, 2026
The 2026 TCU Faculty Convening in Denver, Colorado brought together 175 tribal college faculty members, higher education leaders, and College Fund staff to share experiences, build knowledge, and forge connections. Each day of the convening began with a plenary session. On the first day, two faculty members and a president discussed how they collaborate on student success at their institutions. On the second day, three faculty members shared their experiences with culturally responsive, relationship-centered teaching and Indigenous pedagogy.
Attendees could choose from 18 breakout sessions to create their own professional development pathway. The sessions covered a wide range of topics relevant to faculty today, such as ethical artificial intelligence (AI) use, student mental health, curriculum development, cross-departmental collaboration and team teaching, language revitalization, and building research capacity and innovations. Faculty members also had an opportunity to focus on their own mental and spiritual health during a special expressive arts and storytelling session.
Presentations
The presentations are listed below in alphabetical order by presenter.
Addressing WEIRD Assumptions: Decolonizing Psychology Pedagogy
Timothy Raymond, Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College
Approaching Artificial Intelligence (AI) with Integrity: TCU Student-led Approaches to Ethical AI Use
Ron Johnson
Building Alignment: Faculty and Presidents Dialogue on Student Success
President Duane Bedell, EdD (Bay Mills Indian Community), Bay Mills Community College; Dena Dorval, Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College; and Sarah Vande Corput, EdD, Associate Professor, College of Menominee Nation
Campus Climate for Indigenous Students
David Sanders, American Indian College Fund
The Cost of Not Being Ourselves: Evidence that Cultural Fit Drives Performance in Indigenous Organizations
Matthew Yates, DBA, College of the Muscogee Nation
Creating an Inclusive Environment for the Two Spirit Community
Glen Philbrick, Sitting Bull College
Culturally Responsive Teaching: Identity, Healing and Student Success at Tribal Colleges
Roxann Smith, Fort Peck Community College
Developing Curricula at a Multi-Tribal Institution
Eric P. Anderson, PhD, Haskell Indian Nations University
Every Pattern Tells a Story: Integrating Mathematics and Indigenous Perspectives for Deeper Student Learning
Kayshish Pichette-Cline, and Matteo Tamburini, Northwest Indian College
Hustle Culture Isn’t Our Culture: 5 Lies Higher Education Told Us About Productivity That are Quietly Stealing Our Sovereignty
Karen Colbert, Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College
Indigenous Innovation and Student Research: Building an Applied Research and Technology Hub at a Tribal College
Ruby Alhajjar, PhD, Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College
Innovation in the Classroom: Cross-Listed Courses and Team Teaching
Arista Slater-Sandoval, MFA, Institute American Indian Arts, and Frances Kay Holmes, PhD, Institute of American Indian Arts
MNALRC: Building Native American Language Courses and Content in Digital Spaces
Alexandrea Walker, Little Priest Tribal College
A New Approach to the First-Year Seminar: Supporting Students in Four Dimensions
Freda Gipp, EdD; Jessica Burghart, PhD; Kristyn Fish; and Judith Gipp, Haskell Indian Nations University
Ojibwe Language Revitalization through Digital Technology: A Wordle-Style Learning Game
Ananth Ramaseri, PhD, Turtle Mountain College
Partnership Videos as a Tool for Learning and Building Better Partnerships
Cheryl Crazy Bull, President and CEO, American Indian College Fund
Rethinking Math Sequencing: Building Strong Roots to Increase Retention and Student Confidence
Jenny Serpa, Northwest Indian College; and Alisa Smith Woodruff, Northwest Indian College
Student Persistence at a Tribal College: The Influence of Hope and Trust
Lisa Cantlon, PhD, United Tribes Technical College
Supporting Student Mental Health: A Tribal College Journey Integrating Arts, Indigenous Knowledge, and the JED Campus Model
Eliza Combs, Institute of American Indian Arts; Kapi’olani A. Laronal, JED Foundation; and Monte Yellow Bird Sr.; Institute of American Indian Arts
Teaching as Relational Accountability: Weaving Tribal Culture, Values, and Language into Teacher Preparation
Brian Dodge, Oglala Lakota College
Tiny Earth, Big Impact: Leveraging Partnerships to Build Research Capacity and Student Engagement in STEM Research
Lucy Fenzl, PhD, College of Menominee Nation
Toward Visual Sovereignty: Hands-on and Anti-Extractive Approaches to Teaching Video Ethics at a Tribal College
Eryka Dellenbach, MFA, Tohono O’odham Community College
Additional Resources
Below are resources that were mentioned or shown at the convening.
Image Gallery
