American Indian College Fund Awards Four Tribal Co

Denver, Colo., Oct. 20, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Since 2004, the American Indian College Fund has awarded the Mellon Career Enhancement Fellowship to deserving tribal college and university (TCU) faculty who are in the final stages of their doctoral programs to complete the writing process of their dissertations.

The $40,000 fellowship allows faculty to reduce their teaching and administrative responsibilities, providing additional time needed to complete their dissertations and degrees. In return, fellows commit to remain as TCU faculty for two years after degree completion. The College Fund’s goal is to develop new leaders who are committed to furthering the tribal college movement and positioning the TCUs to offer advanced degrees, and increasing and retaining the number of credentialed faculty with terminal degrees at the 35 AIHEC-member TCUs nationwide.

Since the inception of the Mellon Career Enhancement Fellowship program, the College Fund has awarded 40 fellowships and 27 fellows have received their terminal degrees with the funding and support of the fellowship. 

A team of external reviewers screened 2017-18 applications. The following scholars were named as the American Indian College Fund 2017-18 Mellon Career Enhancement Fellows:

Colleen ”Co” Carew , Social Work Program Department Chair at Salish Kootenai College.  Co is pursuing a Ph.D. in Expressive Arts Therapy from Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  Her proposed dissertation title is “Cultivating a Sense of Place through Indigenous Arts.”

Chris Fried, Director of Teacher Education Department at Sitting Bull College.  Chris is pursuing a Ph.D. in the College of Education with an emphasis in School Improvement from the University of West Georgia.  His proposed title is “The Role of Mentoring and Induction Programs for New Teachers in Schools Serving Native American Students.”

Monte Randall , Dean of Academic Affairs and Instructor of Tribal Services, Native American Studies, Gaming and General Education courses at the College of Muscogee Nation. Monte is pursuing an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership in Higher Education Administration from Oral Roberts University.  His proposed dissertation title is “The Effect of a Life Skills Curriculum on the Problem Solving Abilities of Tribal College Students.”

Lexie Tom, Native Studies Department Chair at Northwest Indian College. Lexie is pursuing a Ph.D. in Indigenous Studies from the University of Alaska – Fairbanks.  Her proposed dissertation title is “An Indigenous Teacher Preparation Framework.”

In addition to the fellowship funding, fellows will participate in two retreats; receive monthly professional support from the College Fund; gather via video conference on a quarterly basis with cohort fellows; and build a network amongst cohort fellows, invited Native faculty mentors, guest speakers and advisory panel members for the program. 

About the American Indian College Fund

Founded in 1989, the American Indian College Fund has been the nation’s largest charity supporting Native higher education for more than 28 years. The College Fund believes “Education is the answer" and has provided $7.58 million dollars in scholarship support and 6,548 scholarships last year to American Indian students, with more than $100 million awarded since its inception. The College Fund also supports a variety of academic and support programs at the nation’s 35 accredited tribal colleges and universities, which are located on or near Indian reservations, ensuring students have the tools to graduate and succeed in their careers. The College Fund consistently receives top ratings from independent charity evaluators, and received a four-star rating from Charity Navigator and is one of the nation’s top 100 charities named to the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance. For more information about the American Indian College Fund, please visit www.collegefund.org .

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Dina Horwedel American Indian College Fund 303-430-5350 dhorwedel@collegefund.org