American Indian College Fund Logo with Tag centered
Contact

Dina Horwedel, Director of Public Education, American Indian College Fund
303-426-8900, dhorwedel@collegefund.org

Colleen R. Billiot, Public Education Coordinator, American Indian College Fund
720-214-2569, cbilliot@collegefund.org

Mar 27, 2024 | Press Releases

American Indian College Fund Invites Indigenous Academics and Administrators to Participate in Higher Education Listening Sessions April 16 and 22

Results to help guide Native higher education policy.

March 27, 2024, Denver, Colo.— The American Indian College Fund invites Native Americans working in academia to participate in Indigenous higher education policy listening sessions.

Who should join: Indigenous faculty, student service personnel, and academic administrators whose research influences policy development or could be used for policy.

Why: The College Fund is joining with Indigenous faculty, student service personnel, academic administrators, and higher education policy organizations to examine the state of Native Higher Education Policy and to offer recommendations to improve policy development and implementation.

Purpose: Facilitators will engage participants in a recorded discussion that gathers information about scholars’ work, their interests in strengthening policy engagement, and insights into research and policy links experienced.

How we will use the information: A team of scholars engaged by the College Fund will summarize the conversation and share participants’ remarks at an invitation-only equity convening in June and include them in a report on Native Higher Education Policy that will be published by the American Indian College Fund in October 2024.

Interested Native scholars can register for one of the listening sessions below.

Tuesday, April 16, 9-11 a.m. MDT https://collegefund.org/scholar-session-1

Monday, April 22, 1:30-3:30 p.m. MDT https://collegefund.org/scholar-session-2

About the American Indian College Fund The American Indian College Fund has been the nation’s largest charity supporting Native higher education for 34 years. The College Fund believes “Education is the answer” and provided $17.4 million in scholarships and other direct student support to American Indian students in 2022-23. Since its founding in 1989 the College Fund has provided more than $319 million in scholarships, programs, community, and tribal college support. The College Fund also supports a variety of academic and support programs at the nation’s 35 accredited tribal colleges and universities, which are located on or near Indian reservations, ensuring students have the tools to graduate and succeed in their careers. The College Fund consistently receives top ratings from independent charity evaluators and is one of the nation’s top 100 charities named to the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance. For more information about the American Indian College Fund, please visit www.collegefund.org.

JournalistsThe American Indian College Fund does not use the acronym AICF. On second reference, please use the College Fund.

Recent Blog Posts

May and Stanley Smith Charitable Trust Partners with American Indian College Fund to Support Native Student Veterans

May and Stanley Smith Charitable Trust Partners with American Indian College Fund to Support Native Student Veterans

The American Indian College Fund (College Fund) has received a $50,000 grant from the May and Stanley Smith Charitable Trust to implement a six-month fellowship focused on empowering Native student veterans to success. The Naabaahii Ółta’í (Student Warrior): Native Student Veterans Peer-to-Peer Program is a mentorship opportunity that builds relationships between veterans based upon their shared experiences.

American Indian College Fund Launches “Make Native Voices Heard” Voting Campaign

American Indian College Fund Launches “Make Native Voices Heard” Voting Campaign

Native Americans are more impacted by the law than any other group in the United States. Native students in higher education, or seeking a higher education, in particular are impacted by federal and state laws impacting funding for education, such as Pell Grants, student loans, and federal funding for tribal colleges and universities (TCUs), 70% of which comes from federal sources.

Support for Native People in Higher Education Includes Permitting Sharing of Tribal Affiliations

Support for Native People in Higher Education Includes Permitting Sharing of Tribal Affiliations

Employees at the University of South Dakota were told to remove tribal affiliations and gender pronouns from email signatures, citing a policy by the Board of Regents. This move lacks support for Native individuals in higher education, according to Cheryl Crazy Bull of the American Indian College Fund, who urges allies to stand with Native faculty and staff by including such details in their signatures.