Many tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) have a strong focus on career and technical education (CTE), offering students a plethora of opportunities to develop skillsets that prepare them for the workforce. In today's job market, there is a dearth of skilled laborers such as hospitality workers, construction managers, dental hygienists,…

Indigenous peoples have rich ways of knowing that have been passed down for generations. Specifically, mathematical ways of knowing are embedded within a nation's and community's language, culture, and place. This article describes how Turtle Mountain Community College now teaches three courses on Ojibwe mathematics which were designed and…

After serving more than 20 years as president of Aaniiih Nakoda College (ANC) in Montana, President Carole Falcon-Chandler leaves behind a long list of accomplishments, a legacy of compassionate and visionary leadership. This article examines President Falcon-Chandler's life and contributions to the college and that of her successor, Dr. Sean…

The history of American Indian education has been one of colonialism and cultural erasure. From the first missionary educators who first came to the Indigenous nations of the Americas well into the twentieth century, Native children have been subjected to physical, mental and emotional abuse. This paper examines one program's efforts at reclaiming…

In this case, readers will learn how the University of New Mexico educational leadership program intentionally created a doctoral cohort that is Indigenous based and focused that included Indigenous and tribal community narrative and feedback in its development. The NALE doctoral cohort program included these same communities as sites for…

This chapter explains how and why Tribal College and University (TCU) enrollment positively influences Native American student persistence in mainstream four-year institutions. It also explores existing partnerships between TCUs and mainstream four-year institutions that could help to improve the transfer process, and overall, Native American…

The American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) is helping to facilitate tribal colleges' role as a link between Native communities and national and global scientific resources. AIHEC's STEM initiatives are in the early stages of what is a long-term effort to respond to the rapid acceleration of emerging challenges and opportunities that…

A chemical engineering degree offers the possibility of a variety of career paths including food and beverage industry. However, chemical engineering students are rarely exposed to food processing examples during their education. Therefore, a new elective food processing course was developed and offered for the first time in the department of…

This chapter provides background on Tribal Colleges and Universities, an exploration of three frameworks that capture the important role of "family" in the success of American Indian students, and recommendations for helping institutions think differently about their structures and processes.

American Indian Higher Education (AIHEC) Student Congress president Chris Sindone (Pawnee of Oklahoma) was headed down a rough road, until Haskell Indian Nations University helped turn his life around. This profile describes Sindone's path to Haskell, highlights his successes and influences, as well as his plans for the future.

The story of Deganawidah-Quetzalcoatl (D-Q) University is rooted firmly in the land and peoples of California, but also in other Native nations and nationals who have recently relocated. There are many versions of where and how D-Q began. D-Q's articles of incorporation, which were based on the "brief proposal" of June and August 1970,…

According to the American Council on Education, only 30% of all college and university presidents are women, and only 5% are women of color. However, 43% of presidents at tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) are women, and 100% of those women presidents are Native. Tribal colleges have always led the nation in appointing women presidents. But…

Traditionally, care for the environment has always played a role in the Dakota-Lakota way of life, which includes taking care of the air. As a tribal college originally chartered by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, Sitting Bull College (SBC) takes seriously its role as an institution guided by Lakota-Dakota culture, values, and language. These…

"Dikos Nitsaaígíí-19" or COVID-19 has threatened the lives of people of color and Indigenous communities at a higher rate. Across the Navajo reservation, these emergencies have motivated Diné communities to step up and help their people as quickly as possible by distributing care packages to families; providing computers, laptops, free…

What does it mean to be a good citizen? In some ways, the answer is simple: participate in government (vote), pay your taxes, don't break the law, and contribute to the economic well-being of the United States. But there is more. The definition of being a good citizen is bound up in society's core cultural values and how those values are practiced…