Tribal Colleges Fight To Retain Federal Funding
Unaffected by federal cuts, HBCUs and HSIs rally on behalf of tribal colleges. 
By Charles Dervarics

It may not receive the attention of Pell Grants or other financial aid issues, but one little-known provision of President Bush’s 2008 education budget is causing concern in many education circles —
a proposed 20 percent cut in the U.S. Department of Education’s tribal college program.

As a one-line item in a massive education budget, the $23.6 million initiative may get little visibility. But advocates warn that the plan to cut the initiative by $5 million will harm students and staff at the 31 eligible tribally controlled colleges and universities.

These colleges enroll large numbers of low-income students in remote locations generally underserved by higher education. Students also attend classes on decentralized campuses, created building by building with ongoing facility needs.

“These are definitely developing institutions,” says Meg Goetz, director of congressional relations at the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, or AIHEC, an organization for tribal colleges based in Alexandria, Va. Many of the colleges are relatively new to the nation’s higher education landscape, with the oldest institution less than 40 years old.

In addition, the tribal college community says it has received little information about why the Bush administration has singled it out for a reduction.

“We don’t know why the tribal college program was cut, and cut substantially,” says Goetz. The program is funded under Title III of the Higher Education Act, a section that provides aid to developing institutions and also supports historically Black colleges and universities.

Responding to a request from Diverse to discuss the funding cut, an Education Department spokesman referred to budget documents noting that Title III programs earned an unfavorable evaluation for “results not demonstrated.” This was largely due to “insufficient data” to evaluate program effectiveness against new performance targets, the department spokesman said.