About TCUP
The Tribal College movement began over 40 years ago in the 1960s, when tribal leaders called for the American higher education system to become more responsive to the needs of Native Americans, realizing that only through "local, culturally based, and holistic methods could many American Indians succeed in higher education."
Since then, these efforts have grown significantly in scope and ambition. On October 19, 1996, President Bill Clinton signed Executive Order (EO) 13021 on Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCU), which was intended to ensure that the nation's Tribal Colleges and Universities are more fully recognized and have complete access to federal programs benefiting other higher education institutions. To help guide implementation of EO 13021, the Office of the White House Initiative on Tribal Colleges and Universities (WHITCU) was formed.
In an effort to implement EO 13021, WHITCU established the Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP), which became one of the programs administered by the National Science Foundation's Division of Human Resource Development. TCUP grants awards to Tribal Colleges and Universities, Alaskan Native-serving institutions, and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, to enhance the quality of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) instructional and outreach programs, with an emphasis on the leveraged use of information technologies.
The unique historical experiences and the social, economic, and health issues prevalent in Native American communities have led to low rates of graduation and an even lower rate in STEM areas. As such, it is all the more apparent that TCUs need access to all available educational resources. Working to address these conditions, TCUP projects underscore the important relationship between the scientific community, sovereign Indian tribes, TCUs, and the federal government.
TCUP's initial cohort included 9 single-year standard grants and 8 multi-year Cooperative Agreements, which are having a significant impact on TCUs and Native-serving institutions. Serving over 100 tribes nationally and sponsoring initiatives in campuses in 10 states, TCUP awardees are changing the way in which these educators and administrators bring science and technology to their constituents. The program has grown to offer 26 planning grants, 32, multi-year (Phase I) awards, 4 multi-year (Phase II) awards, 5 special awards, total number of awards, reaching 43 different institutions.
To learn more, contact NSF staff.
