ND academic: Tribal colleges need to keep ‘healing’ as part of offerings

Tribal colleges and universities in the U.S. face an uncertain future as budget clouds swirl.

A North Dakota higher-ed official is part of a new research summary which showed to keep these campuses on the right track, their ability to confront historical trauma has to be highlighted. The American Indian College Fund this month issued its eighth volume of a journal promoting the academic work of tribal faculty.

Cynthia Lindquist, director of tribal initiatives and collaboration for the University of North Dakota, co-authored a section in the latest version. At a time when the Trump administration proposes steep cuts to their funding, she feels the public is still largely unaware of tribal colleges and universities and how unique they are.

“TCUs are very, very good at helping students to better understand who they are as Indigenous people and the place of that within the broader context of the world, government systems and that they can thrive,” Lindquist explained.

Lindquist pointed out the schools are neutral and offer classes on in-demand careers, while allowing Native students to learn about their culture. She argued healing instruction, stemming from the lingering effects of colonization, should be part of it. Some other scholars are skeptical, saying it perpetuates harmful narratives.

She believes a holistic, individualized approach can restore trust, helping students succeed. And Lindquist, who previously served as the longtime president of Cankdeska Cikana Community College, said when Native students succeed, there is opportunity to build broader support for tribal colleges and universities. She pointed out the campuses are chronically under-resourced institutions but still find ways to connect with students who face higher-education barriers themselves.

“The tribal colleges, because of who they are and what they do, they’re very, very good and adept,” Lindquist observed. “But the funding for tribal colleges is all federal funding, and most of the TCUs do not have endowments.”

The Department of the Interior is asking Congress to cut the Bureau of Indian Education’s budget by nearly 83%. It argued there is funding to improve the functionality of the campuses but officials like Lindquist want the public to see the balancing act tribal colleges and universities perform, and keeping a learning space which recognizes historical trauma gives Native students a pathway to a better future they might not always find on a mainstream campus.