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- By Neely Bardwell
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), recently identified as the nation’s most diverse university for undergraduates, is hosting leaders from tribal colleges and universities from across the nation at the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) annual summer meeting of the Board of Directors. The meeting will take place July 13-15th.
Presidents from all 35 Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) make up the Board of Directors for the AIHEC. This is the group's first formal gathering in Las Vegas.
“We are honored to share our campus with the AIHEC for its summer meeting,” said UNLV President Keith E. Whitfield in a statement. “For 50 years, the AIHEC and its member institutions have been dedicated to lifting up sovereign nations through education. This meeting celebrates their inspiring legacy and provides the opportunity to explore potential partnerships that could both advance tribal education and also strengthen our support for UNLV’s Native students, staff, and faculty.”
One of the goals of UNLV has been to increase the support and resources for underserved student groups, including Native students. To continue to improve the resources for Native students, the AIHEC is providing the TCU Presidents and leaders of UNLV a chance to discuss shared interests in research and potential future collaborative projects.
“It is imperative we work with the nation’s tribes to refine the goals, scope and format of our Tribal Education Initiative to make sure the university is addressing the unique educational needs of tribal communities,” said Stowe Shoemaker, Harrah College of Hospitality Dean in a statement.
AIHEC is also hosting an annual student affairs meeting July 24 at Salish Kootenai College, Pablo, Montana, where Shoemaker will be meeting with TCU representatives to talk about recruitment, curriculum development and enrollment.
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