"For 41 years the American Indian Graduate Center has made higher education more attainable for American Indians/Alaska Natives by providing scholarships and mentor programs – giving undergraduate and graduate students alike the opportunity to obtain college degrees or certifications and develop professionally. Since 1969, we have helped more than 15,000 AI/AN students obtain a post-secondary education with more than $44 million in scholarship awards.

As I reflect on the collective accomplishments of the students, donors, mentors and other people who have made the AIGC the success that it is, it is equally important to look at the road ahead of us, as Native Americans and advocates of educational advancement, and understand the unique challenges facing our students today.

As I analyze these challenges, I’m reminded of the children’s rhyme about two people sitting in a tree. “First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage.” Equate this rhyme to the educational process and you’ll see what I mean – first comes financing, then comes school, then comes the job in the workforce pool.

First comes financing. The cost of graduate education tuition and fees on average tripled from 1987 to 2009 according to the National Center on Educational Statistics. Per academic year, cost of tuition and fees alone for a public post-baccalaureate degree is over $8,000 and over $20,000 for a private institution. Professional degrees range from $15,000 for a public education through $55,000 for a private education."

Get the Story:
Sam Deloria: Advancing students, one scholarship at a time (Indian Country Today 11/12)