Al Kuslikis
American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC)
The American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) will leverage its existing network of Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) and Indigenous-focused programs to help the Alliance and its partners 1) strengthened the transitions of Native American students from TCUs and two-year to four-year colleges and graduate programs; and 2) recruit pre-college Indigenous students interested in pursuing FEWS degree programs at the college level.
Diné College (DC) has partnered with The University of Arizona, since 2017 to develop a solar-powered water and greenhouse unit to address FEW challenges on the Navajo Nation. The project provides training for graduate students and tribal college students, and is funded through a five-year National Science Foundation Research Training grant entitled “Indigenous Food, Energy, and Water Security and Sovereignty (Indige-FEWSS).” Diné College STEM faculty involved in the Indige-FEWSS project include: Dr. Kevin Webster, Assistant Professor in Geology; Benita Litson, Director of the Land Grant Office; Perry Charley, Director of the Diné Environmental Institute; Neilroy Singer, Research Assistant; and Don Robinson, Associate Professor, STEM School Faculty. DC faculty are committed to participating in the Native FEWS Alliance network by attending the Alliance annual meeting at AISES, attending Alliance training workshops, involving our TCU students and connecting them with FEWS opportunities, and participating in the discussion to develop FEWS placed based learning modules. There are many synergies for DC within this Alliance. For example, Diné College participates in the All Nations Alliance for Minority Participation (ANAMP) program operated by Salish Kootenai College. Dr. Robinson is the Liaison for this program at DC.
University of Montana, Salish Kootenai College, Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College, Sitting Bull College – Willow Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (Willow AGEP) is a collaborative effort to develop, implement, and study a model to advance Native American STEM faculty.
Native FEWS Alliance TCU Working Group
The American Indian Higher Education has convened a working group of Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCU) faculty who are addressing (or are planning to address) FEWS (Food, Energy, Water Systems) issues in Native communities through education, research, community outreach and career development programs. This group will collaborate to identify common priorities, discuss ideas for collaboration, and develop projects to meet both common goals and their respective institutional and community goals. Priority goals for the group include partnerships with Native FEWS Alliance members – aligning and collaborating across Alliance pathways, and pursuing cross-pathway funding to support initiatives that leverage and build upon Alliance member resources.
Aaniiih Nakoda College
www.ancollege.edu
Water Center
Scott Friskics : sfriskics@ancollege.edu
Michael Kinsey: makinsey@ancollege.edu
James Sweirc: jswierc@ancollege.edu
College of Menominee Nation
www.menominee.edu
Sustainable Development Institute
Tom Kenote: tkenote@menominee.edu
Diné College
www.dinecollege.edu
Water is Life Center
Michael Lerma: mlerma@dinecollege.edu
Barbara Klein: bklein@dinecollege.edu
Neilroy Singer: nsinger@dinecollege.edu
Navajo Technical University
www.navajotech.edu
Navajo Tech Engineering
Peter Romine: promine@navajotech.edu
Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College
www.nhsc.edu
Upper Missouri River Basin Project/TCU Consortium
Ruth Sweetgrass-She Kills: rhall@nhsc.edu
Oglala Lakota College
www.olc.edu
Math, Science and Technology
Jim Sanovia: jsanovia@olc.edu
United Tribes Technical College
www.uttc.edu
Intertribal Food, Energy, and Water Research and Resource Center
Gurjot Dhaliwal: gdhaliwal@uttc.edu
University of Arizona/Tohono O’odham Community College/San Carlos Apache College
Benjamin Richmond: richmond@pharmacy.arizona.edu
Alex Benavides: abenavides@pharmacy.arizona.edu