Tribal colleges empower Native students with an affordable, culturally relevant education - but need

Tribal colleges empower Native students with an affordable, culturally relevant education – but need more funding

by Susan C. Faircloth
Professor & Director, Colorado State University


As an American Indian and first-generation college graduate, I know how difficult it can be to successfully navigate higher education.

For me, going to college meant leaving my family, my community, my tribe and all that I knew. Few people on my campus looked or sounded like me. I struggled financially. I was scared, alone and far from home. Many times, I thought of leaving.

But what if I had been given the opportunity to remain in my community and experience a culturally relevant education that reflected Native values, beliefs and ways of doing and being?

As a former director of policy analysis and research at the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, a national organization that advocates for Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), I saw firsthand the lasting impacts these colleges make on the educational, cultural, physical and economic well-being of tribes and their citizens.

Read more: https://theconversation.com/tribal-colleges-empower-native-students-with-an-affordable-culturally-relevant-education-but-need-more-funding-160578