For the first time, the leader of a tribal college has been honored with a U. S. Agency for International Development (USAID) George Washington Carver Agricultural Excellence Award. Dr. S. Verna Fowler, president of the College of Menominee Nation, was honored for her work connecting Indigenous people in the United States to those in Latin America to improve the quality of life through sustainable forestry and agriculture based on Indigenous perspectives. This was accomplished through the Center for First Americans Forestlands, a partnership project of the college and the U.S. Forest Service.

Nebraska Indian Community College President Michael “Mike O.” Oltrogge received his Ph.D. in Leadership for Higher Education in March 2010 from Capella University. His dissertation was a history and case study at a selected tribal college. Located in Minneapolis, Capella University is primarily a for profit, online institution.