States that tribal colleges are not Ivory Towers standing above and beyond their communities. American Indians have higher rates of poverty, unemployment, sickness, mortality than others in the United States. Tribal colleges must provide health services, childcare and other community services as well as education to meet the needs of their…

Previews the issue's articles on distance education, stating that tribal colleges are committed to increasing access to education. Cautions against proceeding rashly into new technology, but also denotes the danger in delaying technology implementation, because only those colleges that adapt and provide such services will survive. (VWC)

Describes the historical and present-day agricultural practices of Native Americans and the common misconception that Indians were primarily nomadic. Highlights recent efforts in reservation schools to teach traditional Indian agricultural methods. Indicates that with the tribal colleges' land grant status came a new impetus to explore the…

Describes the benefits found by five tribal colleges, in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan, that collaborated to achieve a more culturally aware accreditation assessment. Contends that colleges must have measurable objectives and outcomes and that they should use data to encourage student success. (VWC)

"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)

Examines reasons why, in spite of high rates of poverty, drug use, and mortality, some Native American students thrive--a survival mechanism that scholars have named cultural resilience. Reports that the Family Education Model, developed at tribal colleges, aims to include families in campus events and reduce negative impacts of family…

Describes the mission of land-based tribal colleges and universities to create educational math and science models, overcome obstacles in teaching, and keep native tribal students focused on their sense of place and culture. Asserts that faculty strive to make science important to students and encourage them to dream of positively influencing…

Describes the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) efforts to develop a comprehensive five-year plan that will change the way all HHS agencies deal with tribal colleges. Summarizes the conference held in Phoenix in January 1998 that brought tribal college presidents and departmental officials together to find common ground for developing…

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…

Assesses economic development on American Indian reservations focusing on the work of the Coalition for Indian Development, the failure of past economic policies and development efforts, and roles to be played by tribal governments, the federal government, and tribal colleges. (DMM)

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…

Reports that tribal colleges face annual deficits since Congress fails to provide the support authorized by the Tribally Controlled Community College Assistance Act. Discusses the use of endowments as a means of covering those deficits, covering investment philosophies and policies, investment manager selection, and investment monitoring. (MAB)

Summarizes Dine College's (New Mexico) leading role in researching diabetes and other Navajo health problems, and its employment of students to help conduct research. States that because of an intimate understanding of their people, students can research topics that outside researchers would not or could not choose. (VWC)