Editorial: Tribal colleges deserve state support

Friday, April 27, 2007  

"It would be easy to miss this upbeat bill to emerge from the North Dakota Legislature. That's because the amount of money involved is small - only $700,000.

In addition, lawmakers authorized the spending on the session's second-to-last day, a time when other bills involving tens of millions of dollars also made it through.

But the bill still deserves attention because it's likely to do an outsized amount of good. That's because the recipients will be North Dakota's tribal colleges, and they've proven their ability to make a few dollars go a long, long way.

After years of asking, tribal college officials finally convinced lawmakers to help pay for the non-tribal members who attend tribal colleges, according a press release by United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck.

“When implemented, it will be the first time state tax dollars are appropriated specifically for students attending the state's five tribal colleges,” the press release continues."

Get the Story:
OUR OPINION : A vote of support for tribal colleges (The Grand Forks Herald 4/27)
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Relevant Links:
American Indian College Fund - http://collegefund.org
American Indian Higher Education Consortium - http://www.aihec.org
Tribal Colleges and Universities - http://www.ed.gov/about/inits/list/whtc/edlite-index.html

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