Tribal Colleges and Universities Building Stronger Communities

Supported by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, TCUs are providing much-needed higher education, research and Extension services to Tribal communities in the areas of natural resources, agriculture, health and wellness, and community development.  

TCUs provide an entry point for Tribal members and communities to the Land-grant System’s three-part mission of research, education and Extension. They are helping Tribal Nations be healthy, sustainable and prosperous, reflecting the rich history and culture of their people. 

NIFA Supported Tribal College and University Projects 

• Iḷisaġvik College in Alaska hosts summer camps for middle and high school students. Camps are held in the North Slope Borough villages and are free for students to attend. Camp offerings vary from year to year, but typical topics include Iñupiaq studies cultural camps, STEM and climate-related camps, allied health camps, driver education, and art and leadership camps. Iḷisaġvik College hosts both day camps and overnight camps where students stay at a college residence hall. Additionally, some camps can be taken for college credit.      
• In Wisconsin, Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe University Extension Farm promotes land stewardship and sustainable practices while providing agricultural and cultural education opportunities for students, local K-12 institutions and the community. At the farm, work has focused on Indigenous foods adapted to the area, such as Gete-Okosomin a heritage squash, Bear Island Corn and a variety of beans.  
• One of United Tribes Technical College’s (UTTC) newest projects, the Five Tribes Community Kitchen, is the renovation and revitalization of a culinary kitchen, located on the UTTC main campus. UTTC’s goal is to energize native food sovereignty and to support individuals interested in starting their own businesses and services. Certified by the North Dakota Department of Health, the facility is a fully operational commercial enterprise, capable of producing items sellable to grocery stores, food pantries and restaurants. Under this certification, individuals can make and sell finished food products and/or added-value items from food grown in the college’s gardens and crop fields. 
• The Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in New Mexico redesigned its Land-grant Programs Agriculture Extension department during COVID to better support hybrid educational outreach and interdisciplinary approaches integrating Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge with western sustainable agriculture science. IAIA also offers an Indigenous Youth Agriculture Program that includes a K-12 after-school gardening course, a Student Mentor-in-Training course for college students, and an Indigenous Youth Agriculture Guide-the-Mentor course for educators. Additionally, IAIA is conducting research to develop a Bee Atlas for Puebloan Tribal communities and nutritional values of pollens, honeys and culturally relevant foods.  
• The Nebraska Indian Community College provides workshop programming for youth and families, including leadership and work skill development. Additionally, it provides comprehensive healthy lifestyle education for all Tribal people and opportunities for the education and preservation of traditional cultural traditions and values of the tribes it serves. Female Entrepreneurship, Resume Writing, Connecting the Dots (a career simulation workshop done in conjunction with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension Department) and Umonhon Identity in Today’s World are just a sampling of the programs offered recently.