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 on the Hill: 

The headlines were all about "Russia," healthcare policy and Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch. Between the closed door meetings, partisan sniping, tweeting, hallway press conferences, sprints to the White House with news on "wiretapping" and presidential threats, reporters had much drama to cover. Not much of it affected education directly.
 
Education did come into play during the Senate hearings that hosted Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch. He answered questions about one of his rulings regarding access to education. In 2008, the nominee wrote an opinion for a federal appeals ruling against the family of an autistic child who sought an educational experience for their child that produced more than the minimal progress required by law. Inspired timing had him answering questions on this point just as the current Supreme Court issued their own unanimous decision that ran counter to that ruling. He expressed regret, noting that he was beholden to precedent, saying, "If anyone is suggesting that I like a result where an autistic child happens to lose, that's a heartbreaking accusation to me. Heartbreaking."
 
Education didn't win many headlines this week, but that doesn't mean there wasn't anything to report. Early in the week, in the wake of the postponement of Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos's appearance before the House Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education (LHHS-ED) Appropriations, the White House announced that no cabinet leaders would be made available to Congress for questioning on President Donald Trump's FY 2018 "skinny budget". By week's end, after her third school visit (this time to a Washington, DC-area school), it was reported that Secretary DeVos will answer questions in early May. That timing is peculiar, since the detailed budget isn't expected until later in that month. She will surely face tough questions from Members on both sides of the aisle when she does appear.
 
In the meantime, advocates continue to visit with Hill offices to discuss both FY 2017 and FY 2018 spending. Regarding the former, the rumors are plentiful and fluid, but staff is reportedly meeting to hammer out an FY 2017 LHHS-ED spending plan that would be included in a large FY 2017 spending bill that combines outstanding bills with the White House's supplemental request for military and border security spending. In an "only in Washington" moment, the would-be spending measure has been dubbed a "supp-nibus." The work to get the bill done is substantial, and there is already talk that another continuing resolution will be needed before the end of April to make time for getting it done. The math is difficult for those working on LHHS-ED, given that Members want to do some cutting without erasing the proposed increases for the National Institutes of Health. That puts education spending in the crosshairs.
 
The House Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development convened a hearing, "Improving Federal Student Aid to Better Meet the Needs of Students." It was the subcommittee's first hearing of the year and the first of what is expected to be several hearings in advance of the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA).
 
The hearing did not break any new ground, but it was useful in highlighting the priorities of Subcommittee members. Year-round Pell is one apparent area of consensus, along with several differences largely along party lines. It is clear Republicans are looking to roll back the federal government's role, while Democrats seek to maintain existing programs and funding.

But, back to one of the headline-winners. The scheduled vote on healthcare legislation to repeal and replace Obamacare Friday afternoon did not happen.  House Republican leaders pulled legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act from consideration on the House floor--a major defeat for President Trump. 
TCU SPOTLIGHT
Great things are happening way up in Barrow, AK.  Read more about Iḷisaġvik College's construction plans, polar bears and President Pearl Brower in Indian Country Today's article New Facilities and Polar Bears at Iḷisaġvik College. 

As highlighted in this article, 16 of the 37 TCUs presidents are women, a notable recognition as March celebrates Women's History Month.  Thank you to our women leaders for setting strong and inspiring examples of leadership within your TCU communities.  
MEETINGS
2017 AIHEC Summer Executive Branch and Board Meeting: The 2017 Executive Branch and Board Meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn Capitol in Washington, D.C. on June 26-28, 2017.  Please make your hotel reservations as soon as possible by calling the Holiday Inn Capitol at 877.572.6951.  Please use the group code, A16 when booking your reservation.  Additional details on registration and the schedule of events will be shared shortly.  

2017 AIHEC Fall Board Meeting: The 2017 Fall Board Meeting will be held at the Hilton Grand Vacations at Tuscany Village on October 4-6, 2017.  You can make your hotel reservations now using the online link. Please use the group code AI1017 for the AIHEC block.  Additional details on registration and the schedule of events will be shared shortly.  
 
Other Meetings of Interest: 

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 [email protected] (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 The application due date has been extended. Please contact Al Kuslikis ([email protected]) 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 [email protected] 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 ([email protected] 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.
  • August 2-13, 2017: TCU Presidents Convening, co-hosted by STRADA & ETS in Princeton, NJ. 
  • August 23-27, 2017:  National Extension and Research Administrative Officers' Conference in San Antonio, TX. Additional Information. 
  • 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
Tribal College Journal is still accepting featurettes on bachelor's and master's degree programs at TCUs, but if you would like your school highlighted in the fall issue, please send your submission ASAP to [email protected], as space is limited and filling up quickly! Brief overview of the issue: 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?

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, 2016). All TCUs are required to submit the annual AIHEC AIMS report as their membership report in order to remain a Member-In-Good-Standing.

NIH BRAD Training:  NIH hosts a two-week training each year on the structure of NIH and the myriad of opportunities available to higher education institutions. AIHEC has funding for two to three participants from the TCUs to participate. This year's trainings is scheduled from May 15 to May 26, 2017 in Bethesda, MD. Last year the structure of the trainings was as follows:
 
WEEK 1:  NIH Structure and Program Operations; Submission and Review of Applications; NIH Peer Review Process
Objectives:   At the end of Week 1, the participants should understand the following:
*  NIH structure and grants operations
*  Policies, processes, and procedures for preparing and successfully submitting applications
*  NIH Peer Review process, policies, and practices
*  Scope of online resources for potential applicants
 
WEEK 2:  Establishing Offices of Sponsored Programs; Grants Management Issues; Strategic Leadership in Sponsored Programs
Objectives:   At the end of Week 2, the participants should understand the following:
*  Best practices in establishing an Office of Sponsored Programs/Projects
*  Leadership issues related to developing capacity in research administration
*  Scope of and rationale for the various reporting requirements, including annual progress reports
*  NIH Grants Policy Statement and how to access the document
 
AIHEC must submit the names of 2-3 TCU participants by March 27, 2017.  If you are interested, please contact Deborah His Horse Is Thunder at [email protected].  

The TVR Institute at NWIC: A New Training Program for Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation program staff.  Funded by a five-year capacity-building grant from the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) in the U.S. Department of Education in 2015, the Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation (TVR) Institute operates through a partnership between Northwest Indian College (NWIC) and Western Washington University (WWU), both located in Bellingham, Washington. The TVR Institute has developed seven courses intended to provide a structured and culturally-relevant program of training in foundational  VR knowledge and skills to current and potential TVR staff.  Courses are three credits and can be taken for college credit or CEU. Classes are offered quarterly and are delivered primarily online. Please visit www.nwic.edu/tvr-institute for more information on the classes and the class schedules.

Mental Health First Aid Corps:  Harness the Power of AmeriCorps to Address Mental Health Challenges in Your Community.  The Mental Health First Aid Corps is accepting applications from agencies interested in hosting a full-time AmeriCorps member for the 2017.program year. Application deadline: March 31, 2017; Notice of Acceptance: April 14, 2017.  Announcement/Application. 

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 [email protected] 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!
  
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 April 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 [email protected] 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 [email protected].
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This newsletter is for information purpose only for the members of American Indian Higher Education Consortium.