121 Oronoco Street • Alexandria, VA 22314 • 703.838.0400 • FAX: 703.838.0388

Carrie L. Billy January 4, 2011 President & CEO

Carrie L. Billy MEMBERSHIP: President & CEO ALASKA Ilisagvik College American Indian Higher Education Consortium 121 Oronoco Street ARIZONA Diné College Alexandria, VA 22314 Tohono O’odham Community College

KANSAS Dear Carrie, Haskell Indian Nations University

MICHIGAN On behalf of the presidents of this nation’s 36 Tribal Colleges and Universities, I am writing to Bay Mills Community College Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College express our support for the American Indian Higher Education Consortium’s (AIHEC) proposed Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College initiative to conduct research on the implementation of AIHEC’s Indigenous Evaluation

MINNESOTA Framework. We understand that this new phase of the Indigenous Evaluation Framework would Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College be funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation under the Promoting Research and Leech Lake Tribal College White Earth Tribal and Community College Innovation in Methodologies for Evaluation program. We fully support this effort to study and expand the use of one of the most important tool American Indian people have for ensuring Blackfeet Community College program accountability within our STEM and other education and research programs. Fort Belknap College Fort Peck Community College By improving the effectiveness of our STEM programs through culturally and community relevant evaluation, we will help encourage more young American Indians on the STEM career path, which is of critical national importance given the current and projected shortages in U.S.-based

NEBRASKA STEM professionals. By scaling up the use of the Framework, AIHEC’s efforts will make a real Little Priest Tribal College difference in the number of American Indians pursuing careers in science and technology areas. Nebraska Indian Community College

NEW MEXICO Institute of American Indian Arts We are particularly pleased that AIHEC’s proposed project will provide important and much Navajo Technical College needed “train the trainer” opportunities for Native people. As you know, there is a tremendous Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute shortage of trained American Indian evaluators in this country. To be accountable to our NORTH DAKOTA funders, our communities, and our students, we need to take better advantage of tools such as Cankdeska Cikana Community College Fort Berthold Community College the Indigenous Evaluation Framework. Turtle Mountain Community College United Tribes Technical College We look forward to working with AIHEC staff, Joan LaFrance, Richard Nichols and our other

OKLAHOMA partners to move this important initiative forward. College of the Muscogee Nation Nation College Sincerely, Sisseton Wahpeton College

WASHINGTON David Yarlott, Jr., Ed.D.

WISCONSIN Chair, Board of Directors College of Menominee Nation President, Little Big Horn College Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College

WYOMING Representing the TCU presidents, which compose the AIHEC Board of Directors: Wind River Tribal College

ALBERTA, CANADA Michael Parish, President Bay Mills Community College Red Crow Community College

American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) is the collective spirit and voice of Tribal Colleges and Universities.

121 Oronoco Street • Alexandria, VA 22314 • 703.838.0400 • FAX: 703.838.0388

Ron Bloomquist, Acting President Blackfeet Community College Carrie L. Billy President & CEO Cynthia Lindquist-Mala, President Cankdeska Cikana Community College

Richard Littlebear, President Chief Dull Knife College MEMBERSHIP: Verna Fowler, President College of Menominee Nation ALASKA Ilisagvik College Marie Etsitty, Interim President Diné College

ARIZONA Larry Anderson, President Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College Diné College Tohono O’odham Community College Carole Falcon-Chandler, President Fort Belknap College

KANSAS Russell Mason, President Fort Berthold Community College Haskell Indian Nations University James Shanley, President Fort Peck Community College MICHIGAN Bay Mills Community College Chris Redman, Acting President Haskell Indian Nations University Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College Robert Martin, President Institute of American Indian Arts

MINNESOTA Debra Parrish, President Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College Leech Lake Tribal College Danielle Hornett, President Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa C.C. White Earth Tribal and Community College Ginny Carney, President Leech Lake Tribal College MONTANA Blackfeet Community College Paul Robertson, President Little Priest Tribal College Chief Dull Knife College Fort Belknap College Elmer Guy, President Navajo Technical College Fort Peck Community College Little Big Horn College Michael Oltrogge, President Nebraska Indian Community College Salish Kootenai College Stone Child College Cheryl Crazy Bull, President Northwest Indian College

NEBRASKA Thomas Shortbull, President Oglala Lakota College Little Priest Tribal College Nebraska Indian Community College Betty Redleaf, President Saginaw Community College

NEW MEXICO Luana Ross, President Salish Kootenai College Institute of American Indian Arts Navajo Technical College Lionel Bordeaux, President Sinte Gleska University Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute Diana Canku, President Sisseton Wahpeton Community College NORTH DAKOTA Cankdeska Cikana Community College Laurel Vermillion, President Sitting Bull College Fort Berthold Community College Sitting Bull College Sherry Allison, President Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute Turtle Mountain Community College United Tribes Technical College Melody Henry, President Stone Child College

OKLAHOMA Jane LaTané, Interim President Tohono O'odham Community College College of the Muscogee Nation James Davis, President Turtle Mountain Community College

SOUTH DAKOTA David Gipp, President United Tribes Technical College Oglala Lakota College Sinte Gleska University Wannetta Bennet, President White Earth Tribal and Community College Sisseton Wahpeton College Robert Bible, President College of the Muscogee Nation WASHINGTON Northwest Indian College Consuela Lopez, President Comanche Nation College

WISCONSIN Marlin Spoonhunter, President Wind River Tribal College College of Menominee Nation Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College

WYOMING Wind River Tribal College

ALBERTA, CANADA Red Crow Community College

American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) is the collective spirit and voice of Tribal Colleges and Universities.