ERIC Number: EJ839442
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008-Nov-27
Pages: 2
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1557-5411
EISSN: N/A
A Steward of American Indian Education
Pember, Mary Annette
Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, v25 n21 p9-10 Nov 2008
David Gipp, Hunkpapa Lakota and member of the Standing Rock Indian Tribe, is considered by many to be the unofficial historian of tribal colleges and the tribal college movement. He has been president of the United Tribes Technical College (UTTC), one of the first tribal colleges, in Bismarck, North Dakota since 1977 and led the college to its initial accreditation in 1978. Six years earlier, Gipp became the first full-time executive director of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC), a Washington, D.C.-based lobbying, advocacy and research organization for tribal colleges. He learned the ways of Capitol Hill and is regarded today as one of the best advocates of tribal colleges in Congress, according to the Tribal College Journal. He was also instrumental in developing the first national legislation that assists "tribally controlled community colleges and universities," the main source of federal funding for the colleges. Gipp's interest in education began when he was a political science student at the University of North Dakota. He noticed that many of his fellow American Indian students left the university without graduating. To stem this flow, he helped organize tutoring and counseling for Indian students and helped found the University of North Dakota Indian Association. In doing so, he gained a lasting empathy and appreciation for the struggles faced by Indian students. These experiences galvanized his lasting commitment to self-determination for American Indians.
Descriptors: Technical Institutes, American Indians, American Indian Education, Tribally Controlled Education, Advocacy, Academic Persistence, Postsecondary Education, Dropout Prevention, Tutors, School Counseling, Cultural Relevance
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A