In spring of 2024, Diné College students in the course College Composition II began the semester by reading "Making Kin with the Machines" (Lewis et al., 2018), an essay by four Indigenous scholars who suggest their understanding of kinship drawn from Hawaiian, Plains Cree, and Lakota epistemologies offers a productive model for…

Researchers have found that compared to the support offered at tribal colleges and universities (TCUs), American Indian students at predominantly White institutions (PWIs) face a lack of support (Bryan, 2019). TCUs create environments that foster students' sense of belonging and their sense of self (Shorty & Robinson Kurpius, 2021).…

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,…

The U.S. Department of Education has required educational collection and reporting. For postsecondary institutions, this requirement has evolved from the Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS), which was used from the 1960s to the 1980s, to the Integrated postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) (Aliyeva, Cody, & Low, 2018).…

Addressing food, energy, and water issues through a systems approach is essential for Native American communities, where climate change, natural disasters, and pandemics further strain access to these vital resources. Tribal communities experience a disproportionate impact from these global crises, which heightens and exposes existing…

The application of appropriate forms of Native science, culturally responsive education, and creative strategizing in the teaching and learning of science enhances the participation of Native American students. The fact that science is presented in most American schools entirely from the Western cultural perspective can create very real…

The Entrepreneurial Unity Internship (EUI) is a partnership between Haskell Indian Nations University and the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA). A pilot program created in 2020, gives young Native American entrepreneurs at Haskell first-hand knowledge and experience in creating a business. The goal has been to foster economic…

Nebraska Indian Community College (NICC), like many other tribal colleges, is redefining success through its students. How students view success differs immensely. Each individual has a different path, strengths, challenges, and goals for their future as well as that of their tribal community. NICC's campuses are located in Macy on the Omaha…

The partnership between Tohono O'odham Community College (TOCC) and the Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center (SWEHSC) at the University of Arizona (UA) has relied on principles that have produced a long-term relationship and full participation among the partners. Active listening, travelling to the community, longevity, understanding…

There are conflicting ideas about how to develop effective research partnerships between tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) and research institutions. Central to this conflict are considerations about who benefits when partnerships are developed and how to create collaborations that center on the needs of the Native communities they are…

American Indians account for roughly 2% of the United States population. Yet with only four Natives in the House of Representatives and no Native senators, representation in Congress is roughly half of what it would be if it was proportional to the overall Native population (Wang, 2010). Compounding the lack of government representation on a…

Cankdeska Cikana Community College (CCCC) is a tribally controlled institution of higher learning that always has its eye on cultural inclusion, whether in STEM or any other program. The mathematics program at CCCC is the underlying force that ties everything together. Each of the Associate of Science degree programs requires that students pass…

The STEM fields provide numerous life-changing opportunities for tribal college students. STEM fields also provide students with opportunities to engage research areas that serve tribal interests ranging from natural resource management and protection to renewable energy development to improving human health and safety to the use of technology for…

Research findings have shown that Native students succeed academically when culture is integrated into the school (Apthorp, 2014). However, most teachers working on reservations are non- Native and have limited knowledge of American Indian history (Martinez, 2013). Moreover, there is a gap in the literature about effective cultural integration…

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…