News from the United Tribes Technical College.

American Indian students attending the nation’s tribal colleges and universities will converge on Bismarck, Noth Dakota, this month for their annual student conference.

The American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) Student Conference is set for April 16-19 at the Bismarck Civic Center. It attracts 1,200 students, faculty and administrators involved in American Indian higher education.

The gathering features a series of friendly competitions that test the level of student accomplishments in the range of learning offered at the nation’s three-dozen tribal colleges, located in 14 states primarily in the western part of the nation.

Keynote speakers include Jodi Gillette, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs; Hattie Kaufmann, National TV News Correspondent; Kathleen Merrigan, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, and actor Val Kilmer, who will make a special presentation as the author/raconteur Mark Twain. Kilmer’s Twain presentation is set for 8 p.m. Sunday, April 17 in the Bismarck Civic Center Arena.

The conference is headquartered at the Bismarck Civic Center Exhibit Hall, where the majority of the student competitions will take place.

A welcoming powwow is scheduled for the exhibit hall beginning at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 16. Archery competition will take place at the Nishu Bowmen Complex on Riverwood Drive. Volleyball will be played at the World War Memorial Building. Some other events are scheduled for the United Tribes Technical College campus.

The gathering also includes two days of professional development workshops starting Sunday, April 17 with a session about cultural strengthening as a core component in suicide prevention. Other topics include native health, student retention, transfer to four-year colleges, and career planning. Workshops will take place at the University of Mary’s Butler Center for Lifelong Learning, located near the Civic Center at 505 South 7th Street.

Conference details, including a daily schedule, lodging, and vendor information are posted at aihec.sittingbull.edu.

The event is hosted and planned by the member colleges of the North Dakota Association of Tribal Colleges: Cankdeska Cikana (Little Hoop) Community College; Fort Berthold Community College; Sisseton Wahpeton College; Sitting Bull College; Turtle Mountain Community College; and United Tribes Technical College.