It was pomp and circumstance for the Class of 2005 at two of the most well-known tribal colleges.

More than 170 students graduated from Haskell Indian Nations University in Kansas. Included were sisters Alta and Alicia Malchoff, who dedicated their degrees to their late mother, Linda Norman, who died of cancer in February 2003.

A much smaller class of 36 graduated from the Institute of American Indian Arts in New Mexico but the ceremony was just as grand. Thirteen students received bachelor's degrees, the most since the school began offering a four-year program in 2001.

Haskell and IAIA are two of the 34 tribal colleges in the United States.

Get the Story:
Sister grads honor late mother (The Lawrence Journal-World 5/15)
IAIA Commencement: Beaded leather vests, moccasins, eagle feathers and degrees (The Santa Fe New Mexican 5/15)
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Relevant Links:
Haskell Indian Nations University - http://www.haskell.edu
Institute of American Indian Arts - http://www.iaiancad.org

Related Stories:
Haskell University gets ready for commencement (5/11)