- Details
- By Native News Online Staff
DENVER — The American Indian College Fund announced it selected five tribal colleges and universities to participate in a new 30-month program to increase the schools’ capacity to better recruit and work with students while also increasing their sustainability as higher education institutions in the process.
The AICF’s “Cultivating Native College Student Success Program” targets tribal colleges and universities (TCUs). TCUs work hard to provide affordable access to higher education for Native students, which also helps build sustainable tribal communities through education.
The American Indian College Fund hired Kelly LaChance (a citizen of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz and descendant from the Dakubetede of Southern Oregon and the Northern California and Southern Oregon Shasta Nation) to manage the program.
LaChance has devoted her education and career to American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) education with a focus on student success. Prior to joining the College Fund, she served as an Education Director and Education Specialist for two federally recognized tribes. She is currently completing a doctorate of education degree in educational methodology, policy, and leadership from the University of Oregon.
Five TCUs were chosen to participate in a program that represents a diverse group of institutions with different sizes, program scopes, and program stages to create a cohort for cross-institutional support and to develop a community of practice around strategic enrollment and staff implementation strategies.
The five TCUs selected include:
- Oglala Lakota College, Kyle, South Dakota
- United Tribes Technical College, Bismarck, North Dakota
- Stone Child College, Box Elder, Montana
- Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College, Hayward, Wisconsin
- Salish Kootenai College, Pablo, Montana
More Stories Like This
Native News Weekly (August 25, 2024): D.C. BriefsUS Presidents in Their Own Words Concerning American Indians
Native News Weekly (August 4, 2024): D.C. Briefs
Seattle Seahawks Tackle Preservation Projects at Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center for Annual Day of Service
Native News Weekly (June 15, 2025): D.C. Briefs
Help us tell the stories that could save Native languages and food traditions
At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.
The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.
Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We'll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.
This isn't corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It's "Warrior Journalism"—fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.
We need your help right now. While we've secured partial funding, we're still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward—funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.
Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it's $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don't disappear into silence.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.
Support independent Native journalism. Fund the stories that matter.
Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher
