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.…

Reports on the creation of a public health degree at Dine College in Shiprock, New Mexico, the first degree of its kind at a "tribal college". Review of the work of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium and the Centers for Disease Control, who developed the degree with the goal of increasing the number of American Indians in…

"Never forget where you came from" is the unspoken mandate guiding Sinte Gleska University (SGU) in South Dakota. SGU and other tribal colleges help students and communities relate to the land and American Indian cultural traditions by training natural resource managers, planting gardens, building sustainable models and raising buffalo.…

Reports on the history of the tribal college movement and the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC). In 1973 there were six tribal colleges, today there are 33. The American Indian College Fund was formed in 1989 to raise money for scholarships, and in 2001, the fund distributed nearly $4.1 million in college scholarships. (NB)

Describes the W.K. Kellogg Foundation's initiative to improve Indian education, strengthen institutions, and mobilize resources by donating funds to tribal schools. (YKH)

Presents an interview with Gail Bruce and Anne Ediger, who, in the early 1990s, conceived the idea of building cultural centers on 30 tribal college campuses. States that they imagined the centers would simply serve as repositories for Indian artifacts; however, after years of fund-raising efforts and program obstacles, the buildings transformed…

Discusses the diversity and intimacy of tribal colleges. States that tribal colleges serve a population that is by and large poor, female (65%), and first-time college students. Stresses the fact that tribal colleges come to know their students as individuals rather than statistics. (NB)

Describes efforts to utilize advances in telecommunications technology to provide distance education for tribal colleges that reflects tribal cultures. Indicates that planners have decided to establish uplinks at the colleges, instead of merely downlinks from remote sites, and that satellite technology will be utilized to reach as many…

Describes the role of tribally controlled colleges in increasing the number of American Indian physicians working as a part of the Indian Health Service. Discusses health problems in the Indian community. Reviews the benefits and difficulties of Indian doctors working in their own communities. (MAB)

Discusses the efforts of tribally controlled colleges to integrate traditional American Indian healing techniques with Western medical practices, indicating that the colleges often find themselves acting as liaisons between the two approaches. Describes approaches of the colleges' medical programs to promote understanding of Indian patients and…