This article describes the history of the Native nations' ability to adapt to their surroundings in order to survive and preserve their cultures. Today, the tribal colleges and universities are employing a variety of methods to preserve culture and maintain Native identity. Large and small TCUs across North America are incorporating the…

The purpose of this research project was to understand the food environment of the Fort Totten community on the Spirit Lake reservation in east-central North Dakota, as perceived by tribal members and employees at Cankdeska Cikana Community College (CCCC). According to a 2010 report from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the food…

The author never thought he would succeed in college--and yet he is. This article presents the short story of who the author is, where he came from, his college experience, and the issues he encountered funding his college education. He is enrolled Northern Cheyenne. He graduated from Chief Dull Knife College (CDKC) in May 2011 with an associate's…

When the lights come up on College of Menominee Nation's theater productions they illuminate the stories that students want to tell. These stories have traveled from the campfires, to classrooms, and then to the stage. They are original in execution but build on a long tradition of Indigenous storytelling. The stories are specific to the students,…

Over the past four decades, tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) have emerged as a cutting-edge approach to post-secondary education in the United States and across the world. They have emerged as exceptional institutions--and their leaders still have promises to keep and new goals to achieve. As people look to the future of the tribal…

AIDS affects thousands of American Indians and Alaska Natives: They have the third highest rate of AIDS diagnosis in the United States, despite having the smallest population. To tackle this problem, the federal agency has provided capacity-building grants to seven tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) for an innovative, peer-to-peer initiative.…

In late 2009, the author first spoke with several tribal college students in Denver, Colorado, where they gathered to celebrate their achievements at the American Indian College Fund 20th Anniversary Gala. These students have unique interests and different goals, but they are united by two factors: (1) each one is a recipient of an American Indian…

Compared to the general population, American Indians are experiencing an alarmingly increased rate of suicide, which some estimate at 50% higher than other ethnic groups. On the campuses of some tribal colleges, things look equally bleak, with 15% of students reporting that they seriously considered suicide over the past 12 months. While the…

Each semester, hundreds of children find themselves on the campus of a tribal college or university. While their parents are busy working toward that associate's or bachelor's degree, the children are getting their own dose of college life. From Ilisagvik College in Barrow, Alaska--the "northernmost accredited community college"--to Tohono O'odham…

This article presents the author's profile. The author is an enrolled member of the Comanche Tribe and a descendant of the last leader of the Quahada Band. Currently, she attends Comanche Nation College in Lawton, Oklahoma, where she is a junior-level student majoring in both biology and chemistry with a minor in non-romance languages. From…

Colleges and universities across the nation offer scholarships to outstanding student athletes to entice them to attend their particular schools. That's not the case with tribal colleges and universities (TCUs). While they may be less expensive to attend, the tribal colleges usually don't have much of a budget for athletics. Still, student players…

Names in Indian country are powerful. Some names are spoken aloud, others whispered. The name of the college drives the identity of the school and fuels the people's desire to preserve their unique tribal identities as opposed to just using, for example, Northern Montana. Of the 37 tribal colleges and universities in the American Indian Higher…

According to a 2008 "newsroom census" by the American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE), the total number of full-time journalists at daily newspapers decreased by 4.4% last year--about 2,400 journalists left daily reporting jobs because of buyouts or layoffs. Despite this trend, the percentage of minority journalists increased slightly since…

For the first time, the race to the White House included a woman and a man of African American heritage. U.S. Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama both campaigned intensely to claim the Democratic nomination. While this may strike many Americans as historic, for some students attending tribal colleges, the election is still just that, the…

This column relates the story of Dylan Olson, a struggling business student at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College (Cloquet, Minnesota). During construction of a new gas and convenience store on the Fond du Lac Reservation, Olson recognized an opportunity, applied for the manager's position, and was hired. Olson's experience illustrates the…