We hope you find this information useful and encourage you to share it with others on your campus. If you would like to review previous items, please click the "Weekly Update Archive" link above.  
ADVOCACY
This week gave the education community more information on what the White House might have in store for education and domestic policy this year. On Monday, federal agencies were given a top-level overview of the President's forthcoming spending plan for FY 2018. The news was not good for most agencies:  as has been widely reported, in two weeks, President Donald J. Trump intends to present Congress with a "skinny" budget request that will include a proposal to increase defense spending by $54 billion.  That bump will be accompanied by decreases in spending at other federal agencies by the same amount. That is not good news for the communities, agencies and programs that annually fight for their portion of domestic discretionary funding.  
 
The debate and math that goes into developing that plan is difficult every year; if appropriators decide to follow the President's plan, that process will only be even more painful. Of course, that "if" is a sizable one. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) has pronounced the President's plan "dead on arrival"-and that's before he's even seen the details.
 
After Monday's budget news, the White House hosted representatives of Historically Black Colleges and Universities who watched President Trump sign an executive order that said their institutions would be "an absolute priority" for the Administration. (AIHEC is working on a similar executive order for Tribal Colleges, which we are asking the president to sign this summer.) Tuesday evening, of course, brought President Trump's first address before Congress. Much has been written about his remarks. As for the speech's education sections, the President, like many of his predecessors, said "education is the civil rights issue of our time," and encouraged support for K-12 school choice options. Interestingly, there was no mention of higher education in the President's remarks. Neither was there mention of American Indians or Alaska Natives.
 
On Capitol Hill, Republican leaders are trying to resolve FY 2017 spending and avoid another continuing resolution (CR) or a shutdown. (The current CR expires April 28th.) New House Appropriations Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ) is optimistically saying that the outstanding federal spending bills will be combined and debated on the House floor before the end of next month. There's no clear process or plan for making that happen, although he is reportedly talking to the Senate about the concept. House Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) seems to back the plan, telling the press this week, "It seems to be much more likely that you're going to have effectively a mini-omnibus or a domestic omnibus of some sort." These plans seem to go against the common belief that FY 2017 spending will ultimately be resolved via a year-long continuing resolution. So, for now, they remain plans, and that is good for us.

Rise with Standing Rock Native Nations March:  On March 10, Standing Rock and Native Nations will lead the Rise with Standing Rock Native Nations March in Washington, DC to demand respect for tribal rights, stop marginalization of tribal interests, and demonstrate that the Standing Rock movement is a global phenomenon. (More information: http://standwithstandingrock.net/march/ ) AIHEC would like to coordinate the TCU contingent. AIHEC has signs, banners, etc. We will designate a central meeting place to pick up signs and march together. TCU Presidents: Please inform Katherine Page (kpage@aihec.org) if you will be sending any students to the march in DC and , if so, who they are and their contact information so that we may coordinate our efforts. Thank you!
TCU SPOTLIGHT
Did you read about Red Lake Nation College and Diné College this week?  Indian Country Media Network helped highlight a new, exciting partnership in Minnesota and important research being conducted in Arizona. 

Red Lake Nation College and Bemidji State University have collaborated to offer a Criminal Justice and Society course offered by Bemidji State University through teleconferencing on the RLNC campus.  Read more about this budding partnership here. 
 
Diné College will received EPA funds to study the impact of abandoned uranium mines in a watershed in northeastern Arizona.  Diné College students will gain hands on experience studying contamination left by the abandoned uranium mines on the Navajo Nation.  Read more here.
MEETINGS
AIHEC Board of Directors Meeting Registration:
2017 AIHEC Spring Board of Directors Meeting: The 2017 AIHEC Spring Board of Directors Meeting will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn in Rapid City, SD on March 16-18, 2017. On Thursday, March 16, the Research Committee will meet for a half day from 1:00 pm-5:00 pm, and the Executive Committee will meet beginning at 5:30 pm.  All other committees will meet Friday, March 17. The AIHEC BoD meeting will convene from 8:30 am-5:00 pm on Saturday, March 18. 

Please note: it is very important to register ALL participants for this meeting using the registration link. Each TCU may bring up to TWO participants without incurring a registration fee. The AIHEC Board of Directors approved a motion at the 2016 fall meeting to implement a registration fee for each additional participant beyond two per TCU. There is a registration fee of $150/participant for non-TCU participants and for the third (and each additional) participant from the same TCU. TCUs registering additional participants will receive an electronic invoice upon registration.

The 2017 AIHEC Student Conference will begin on Sunday, March 19.  The traditional Parade of Flags and Opening Ceremony will be on Monday, March 20 at 8:40 am. We urge all presidents to attend the Student Conference! To register for the conference, click here. Registering for the AIHEC Board meeting or the Student Conference does not register you for both events.  You must register separately.

To reserve your hotel room: If you have not already reserved lodging, please contact the Hilton Garden Inn immediately, as the negotiated room block rate ($110/night) cannot be guaranteed after February 25. Federal government rates are available for the federally chartered colleges. To reserve a room, call 605-791-9000 or click here. Ask for the Hilton Garden Inn/AIHEC Board Meeting for negotiated room rate. This year, the AIHEC Board Meeting and the AIHEC Student Conference are located in two separate hotels. The Best Western Ramkota, the host hotel for the 2017 AIHEC Student Conference, is booked for the state basketball tournament, which Rapid City is hosting at the same time as the AIHEC Spring BoD meeting. The Hilton Garden Inn is located nearby. 

BOARDMAX Training:  In preparation for the upcoming Spring Board of Directors meeting, two BoardMax training sessions have been scheduled. BoardMax is the online portal used to offer AIHEC members easy and convenient access to board and committee materials. The training is strongly recommended for new Presidents and anyone else who would like a refresher on BoardMax functions. The final training will be held on March 6, 2017 at 3:00pm EST.  If you are not available for either session and/or have specific BoardMax questions, please contact Erica Newland at enewland@aihec.org. Thank you!
 
JOIN Webinar Meeting: Call 303-248-0285; Enter 3775500
To Join the Webinar Portion go to: www.readytalk.com; Participant Code Enter 3775500

Other Meetings of Interest: 
Educate, Motivate, Innovate Workshop at the National Environmental Justice Conference and Training Program: March 8-10, 2017 in Washington, DC. The Educate, Motivate and Innovate (EMI) Climate Justice Initiative is seeking abstracts on student projects that address resiliency, adaptation, and mitigation. Students should emphasize the relationships between climate change and the following: public health, cultural and traditional practices, economic development, and environmental justice communities. The EMI Committee will use these abstracts to select students to participate in the EMI Workshop at the National Environmental Justice Conference and Training Program.

LAW SCHOOL ADMISSIONS CONFERENCE: Northwestern School of Law in Chicago, IL., is hosting a law school admissions conference on Saturday, March 11, 2017 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Last year, a few Native students attended, and they are hoping to triple their numbers this year. The Pathway to the Legal Profession Conference will give prospective law school applicants a comprehensive overview of the law school application process and advice on how to successfully navigate it from applicant to law student. Current law students from diverse, non-traditional backgrounds, including first generation students and students with limited financial means, want to help attendees from similar backgrounds journey from law school applicant, to law school student, to lawyer. The all-day conference includes a workshop on mastering the LSAT; law school admissions presentation; mock law class taught by a real law school professor; student panels; and mentorship opportunities. The conference will be held at: Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, 375 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60611. Please RSVP here by March 6, 2017.

2017 AIHEC National Basketball Tournament at Oglala Lakota College, March 15-19, 2017.  Oglala Lakota College (OLC) invites all AIHEC men's and women's basketball teams to participate in the 2017 AIHEC National Basketball Tournament (ANBT). OLC is pleased to announce that the tournament will be held in Rapid City, South Dakota, from March 15-19, 2017. The ABNT pool play will be hosted at the South Dakota School of Mines in downtown Rapid City and the bracket play and championship will be held at Douglas High School in Box Elder, South Dakota. Host hotels are located off interstate 90 with convenient locations to eat nearby. The registration packet for the 2017 ABNT can be found here. Please feel free to contact Mary Tobacco, the Athletic Director at OLC at mtobacco@olc.edu if you have any questions, concerns or need additional information.
2017 AISES Leadership Summit: AISES' Leadership Summit is aimed at providing Native higher education students and AISES professionals with in-depth professional development workshops and networking opportunities. The Leadership Summit also fosters the matching of STEM professionals with STEM students for mentoring. The 2017 AISES Leadership Summit will be held April 27-29, 2017 in Chandler, Arizona. For additional information and registration, please visit the AISES Leadership Summit website.

2017 Annual Vine Deloria, Jr. Indigenous Studies Symposium:  The 12th Annual Vine Deloria , Jr. Indigenous Studies Symposium will be May 19-21, 2017, at Northwest Indian College's Lummi campus in Bellingham, WA. This year the symposium will acknowledge efforts at Vine's home, The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, by re-visiting work in his book co-authored with David E. Wilkins, The Legal Universe: Observations on the Foundations of American Law (2011).  Vine's final chapter is the theme for this year's conference The Natural World and The Law.  See more information here and the Call for Papers.

Community Development Society (CDS)/National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals (NACDEP) annual conference: 1994 land-grant colleagues and FALCON members, please consider attending the 2017 Community Development Society (CDS)/National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals (NACDEP) annual conference in Big Sky, MT, on June 11-14, 2017. 
 
The conference has training, networking and informational sessions focused on community and economic development.  Much of our work in tribal communities, whether it be in natural resources, wellness or youth development, fits under the umbrella of community development practice. 
 
To encourage 1994 participation, this year FALCON is offering scholarships to cover the registration costs and a one-year complementary membership in NACDEP.  If you are interesting in a scholarship, please contact Dr. John Phillips at jphillips@aihec.org (do not register for the conference until you have contacted Dr. Phillips). Additional information here.

2017 Second World Indigenous Nations Games, July 2-9, 2017: The United States of America have been invited to organize a team to participate in the Second World Indigenous Nations Games (II WING). Similar to the first World Indigenous Peoples Games in Brazil in 2015, the AIHEC Athletic Commission will organize a team of at least 40 Tribal College students and 10 TCU chaperones to attend.  The games will be conducted over an eight-day period from July 2-9, with a travel day on each end, totaling 10 days of travel for the TCU participants.  The II WING will be held in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.  It will be hosted by the Enoch Cree Nation and the University of Alberta (Edmonton). The hosts will provide lodging and meals for up to 50 participants from each country, including the United States.  Participants will be housed at the University of Alberta Campus, in double occupancy rooms, and meals will be provided by the University of Alberta cafeteria. You will find the II WING AIHEC Application here.  Applications are due no later than March 10, 2017. Please contact Alex Grandon (Agrandon@aihec.org) at AIHEC Athletics with any questions.

2017 Native Youth Community Adaptation and Leadership Congress: The 2017 Native Youth Community Adaptation and Leadership Congress (NYCALC) is a week-long student environmental conference for approximately 100 Native American, Alaskan Native, and Pacific Islander high school students interested in environmental issues, natural resource conservation, community leadership, and public service. The conference aims to achieve a broad representation of Native communities across the country, so student enrollment from each community is competitive and may be limited (to approximately 3-5 students per community). 

WHO: Native American, Alaskan Native, and Pacific Islander 10-12th Grade High School Students (in small community groups of approximately 3-5) Accepted students will travel with one adult chaperone from their community to and from the event. 

WHAT: Native Youth Community Adaptation and Leadership Congress 

WHEN: July 9-15, 2017

WHERE: National Conservation Training Center (NCTC), Shepherdstown, West Virginia 

COST: None (All student travel to the Congress, lodging, and food costs at NCTC will be paid for by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and other federal agency partners.

The application deadline is Friday, April 7, 2017.  If you have any questions about the program or the application process, please contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via e-mail at nctc_deo_programs@fws.gov or by phone at 304-876-7772 or 304-876-7388.
 
SAVE THE DATE:
  • June 19-22, 2017:  4th Annual AIHEC Behavioral Health Institute at Haskell Indian Nations University. The targeted audience for this annual event include all those TCU faculty and staff in the behavioral health fields specifically those teaching, doing research, and implementing successful intervention practices. The Institute is funded by the AIHEC NARCH Project and will be able to pay for 20 faculty/staff to attend from the TCUs. Registration and travel scholarship applications will be announced soon. For more information, please contact Dr. Deborah His Horse is Thunder, AIHEC NARCH Project Director (dhishorseisthunder@aihec.org or 701.527.3913).
  • July 23-28, 2017: SKC TCU Summer Meeting. This is the former Financial Aid and Registrars Training and the annual AIHEC CAO meeting. Plans are to include those who are responsible for data collection and reporting for TCUs as well. Join us for this meeting on the campus of Salish Kootenai College in beautiful western Montana.
  • September 18-20, 2017:  Indian Health Service's 2017 National Native Health Research Training Initiative to be held n Denver, Colorado. 
  • October 19-21, 2017:  2017 SACNAS Conference to be held in Salt Lake City, Nevada.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Does your tribal college have bachelor's or master's degree programs? Tell the world about them in the fall issue of Tribal College Journal. Over the past ten years, tribal colleges and universities have developed, articulated, and launched an array of fully accredited bachelor's and master's degree programs. No longer are TCUs merely feeder colleges for larger state or private institutions of higher education. What are some of the programs that have been developed and how do they serve the needs of tribal communities and students? How have TCUs evolved to handle more intensive programs and degree offerings? How can TCUs retain their role as community colleges with open enrollment polices, while also moving forward as multi-degree granting institutions? How does this evolution further enhance the self-determination and sovereignty of North America's First Nations? Please send items to editor@tribalcollegejournal.org.
  • Deadline for feature story suggestions: February 28, 2017
  • Features deadline: April 14, 2017
  • On Campus news shorts deadline: April 28, 2017
AIHEC AIMS 2016: Final revisions to AIHEC AIMS 2016 reports were due in January. Thirty-five TCUs have completely finished with 2016 reporting. Stone Child College has not submitted a complete initial report (due December 1). All TCUs are required to submit the annual AIHEC AIMS report as their membership report in order to remain a Member-In-Good-Standing.

Linton-Poodry SACNAS Leadership Institute (LPSLI)--Accepting Applications:  The Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) is currently accepting applications for the Linton-Poodry SACNAS Leadership Institute (LPSLI), and exciting professional development opportunity. Named in honor of SACNAS founders Dr. Marigold Linton (Cahuilla-Cupeño) and Dr. Clifton Poodry (Seneca), this leadership training program is geared specifically toward emerging underrepresented minority scientists at the postdoctoral, early career, and mid-career levels. Alumni have called LPSLI and its resulting community-building a "transformational" experience. Applications are being accepted now through March 20, 2017.  You can find additional information on the LPSLI program here: http://sacnas.org/events/leadership, the LPSI Informational Flyer and the two videos About LPSLI and Why Apply for LPSI?  If you have any additional questions, please contact Rolando Madrid at rolando@sacnas.org.

The Department of Energy (DOE) and Office of Environmental Management (EM) are offering summer internships to current undergraduate and graduate students attending a Minority Serving Institution. Eligible candidates must be enrolled in a STEM discipline.
 
Requirements: Be a US citizen; Be working toward a degree in STEM (Science, technology, engineering, or mathematics); Have a minimum undergraduate or graduate GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
 
When & Where: Summer start dates vary between May 15 & June 5, and are 10 weeks in duration. Research internships available at all six national labs
     o   Argonne National Laboratory (Illinois)
     o   Idaho National Laboratory (Idaho)
     o   Los Alamos National Laboratory (New Mexico)
     o   Oak Ridge National Laboratory (Tennessee)
     o   Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (Washington)
     o   Savannah River National Laboratory (South Carolina)
 
Application Deadline: March 20, 2017
 
Compensation: Selected candidates will be compensated by either a stipend or salary, and may include one round trip domestic travel to and from the host laboratory. Stipends and salaries will be commensurate with cost of living at the location of the host laboratory. Housing information will be provided to interns prior to arrival at the host laboratory, and will vary from lab to lab. For additional details and full list of internships and eligibility, see here.

Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (RISE) Program (R25):  RISE (R25) is a developmental program that seeks to increase the capacity of students underrepresented in the biomedical sciences to complete Ph.D. degrees in these fields. The program provides grants to institutions with a commitment and history of developing students from populations underrepresented in biomedical sciences as defined by the National Science Foundation. By supporting institutions with well-integrated developmental activities designed to strengthen students' academic preparation, research training and professional skills, the RISE Program aims to help reduce the existing gap in completion of Ph.D. degrees between underrepresented and non-underrepresented students. Applicant institutions must award the baccalaureate, master's or doctoral degree in biomedical science fields.

An institution may apply for and hold only one RISE grant and may not be currently receiving support from the Initiative for Maximizing Student Development Program. The total requested project period for these awards may not exceed 5 years. Awards are renewable. While there are no budgetary caps for this award, all requested costs must be reasonable, well documented, and fully justified and commensurate with the scope of the proposed program. For additional information about RISE awards, see the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, July 8, 2016 (PAR-16-361), visit the Training, Workforce Development, and Diversity Web site or call Dr. Luis Cubano at 301-594-3900 or Dr. Anissa J. Brown at 301-827-7311.
 
The University of Washington Schools of Medicine, Dentistry and Public Health are hosting the Summer Health Professions Education Program (SHPEP).  The application deadline is March 1 and is fast approaching. This program, formerly known as SMDEP, is a free 6 week residential program for underrepresented and disadvantaged freshman and sophomore college students interested in health professions and the program is now open to DACA students.  In addition to room and board, students are provided a $600 stipend, and travel is paid for up to $500.
  
Please share this opportunity with your students, faculty and instructors, advisors, multicultural education and diversity centers, TRIO, MECHA, CAMP, appropriate student groups (including pre health groups), and anyone who is a champion of enrichment programs for URM students. This is a national program with 13 sites. Additional information and application instructions can be found here.
AIHEC is offering 6-8 TCUs and tribal communities an exciting opportunity to host a Climate Resilience 
VISTA VOLUNTEER (Volunteers in Service to America) through the AIHEC-Tribal 3-year Climate VISTA Program. 
VISTAs can help provide up to 3-year capacity building for community-driven projects that address local climate resilience and sustainability at no cost to the TCU (unless the college would like to provide a small stipend or housing subsidy). VISTAs work on many projects, including community outreach, K-12 STEM partnerships, planning, grant writing, environmental workforce training strategies, building partnerships, community surveys, business strategy development and more. VISTAs work full-time for 1 year (rotation of 3 VISTAs for this project), are college-educated, receive a monthly stipend and modest education award at the end of their service. TCUs need to develop a 3-year work plan, supervise the VISTA, and help find, but not pay for, housing. Contact Dr. John Phillips at jphillips@aihec.org for additional information, and check out our Announcement Brochure. Reach out ASAP -- these 6-8 VISTAs will be snapped up by other TCUs and tribal communities quickly!
 
Join the OCTAE Community of Practice for TCUs and/or other MSI Community Colleges! 
Are you looking to connect with other TCUs and community colleges, access support and resources for serving your student populations, and learn more about federal programs and funding opportunities, particularly in Career, Technical, and Adult Education? If so, join the virtual TCU Community of Practice group (CoPs) or the Minority-Serving Community Colleges group. Over the next year, AIHEC is pleased to work with the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE), U.S. Department of Education to sponsor technical assistance for the CoPs through the LINCS Community website. LINCS groups will participate in expert- and peer- led events, such as webinars and facilitated discussions, designed to address topics of interest for TCU and other MSI community colleges. To participate, create a LINCS account and join the TCU and/or Minority-Serving Community Colleges group. For more information or assistance, please contact lrasmussen@rti.org.  Let's make sure that TCUs are represented and that we have a voice in the community!
  
Behavioral Health Professional Development Opportunity: AIHEC is inviting applications from TCU faculty and staff in the field of behavioral health as part of our effort to develop and support TCU behavioral health research and education programs. Funding is available to attend conferences and workshops, or to help with expenses associated with a behavioral health graduate program.  It is also possible to receive funding to bring in a trainer to put on a behavioral health workshop for interested faculty and staff (and community members).  The deadline to be considered in the next pool of applicants is March 15, 2017, although applications will continue to be accepted after that date until available funding is allocated. You can access the application HERE. Please contact Erica Newland at enewland@aihec.org if you have any questions about this opportunity.  
  
IMPORTANT GRANTS ANNOUNCEMENT:  AIHEC publishes a separate GRANT OPPORTUNITY weekly newsletter.  To add a member of your Development team to the grants update email, please send email addresses to Kay Heatley at kheatley@aihec.org.
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This newsletter is for information purpose only for the members of American Indian Higher Education Consortium.