Tribal College Communities

Features

• Barrow’s Living Room: How a Tribal College Library Connects Communities Across the Arctic

  Erin Hollingsworth

  More than just storerooms of information, tribal college libraries are gathering spaces that bring people together. The Tuzzy Consortium Library in Barrow, Alaska offers programs and services that build community at Iḷisaġvik College and beyond.

• Lighting the Way: Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College Serves as a Beacon Light for Tribal Members

  Sherrole Benton

  Following the ravages of colonization and territorial loss, the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community has striven to develop an institution that serves as a gathering place and as a bastion of culture and language—a role which their tribal college has fulfilled for students and community members alike.

• Engaging Life: TCUs and their Role Building Community

  Cheryl Crazy Bull

  The tribal college founders sought to establish institutions rooted in place, extending beyond academic and workforce education. They dreamed of colleges and universities that served as centers of tribal and community life. In this feature article, the president and CEO of the American Indian College Fund recounts some of the ways that TCUs engage with their communities.

Editor's Essay

• The Unquantifiable Value of Tribal Colleges

  Bradley Shreve

  In November of last year, Sarah Butrymowicz of The Hechinger Report penned an article entitled, “Tribal colleges give poor return on more than $100 million a year in federal money,” in which she argues that tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) have “abysmal success rates.” Butrymowicz based her assertions on a particular dataset which The Hechinger Report selectively analyzed using specific measures.

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Talking Circle

• Oshki Bimaadiziiwin: Restoring Balance through Education

  Patricia Hemming and Patrick Shields

  Connecting with the community often means reaching out to the most marginalized individuals. Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College has done just that in developing a new program that paves a road to redemption for Native inmates in Wisconsin’s state prisons.

Resource Guide

• 27-1 Fall 2015 “Tribal College Communities” Resource Guide

  Cheryl Crazy Bull

  Editor’s Note: Below is a brief guide to accessible resources, which researchers may use as a starting point for further inquiry on tribal college communities.

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