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Tribal Colleges and Universities Program
The Quality Education for Minorities (QEM) Network has received a grant from the National Science Foundation in support of leadership development in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) at the Nation’s Tribal Colleges. QEM’s project is designed to further the goals of the Foundation’s Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP). While the project’s proposed activities focus on Tribal Colleges due to the particular challenges they face, all institutions eligible for TCUP will be invited to participate in project activities. QEM’s STEM Leadership Development Project emphasizes faculty professional development as a mechanism for building institutional capacity. Consequently, the project provides a range of activities tailored to meet the needs of Tribal Colleges while emphasizing strategies that might be incorporated in TCUP proposals submitted by Tribal Colleges and participating Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian institutions. Listed below are recent TCUP-focused workshops. In 2006, QEM received support for the QEM/TCUP Leadership Development Institute Workshop Series, designed to support and encourage broader participation by Native American and Alaska Native faculty and staff in efforts to enhance STEM education at their home institutions. The Institute consisted of three sessions: Session I – a five-day Institute on August 21-25, 2006; Session II – a two-day follow-up workshop on February 2-3, 2007; and Session III – a five-day Institute on August 6-10, 2007.
Other leadership development activities conducted include a Biology/Mathematics Faculty Workshop and aPlanning Grant Proposal Development Workshopheld in Minneapolis, MN. Annual Workshops focusing on curriculum, infrastructure, and/or faculty professional development are offered to prospective TCUP applicants, while Project Management Institutes provide support to current multi-year grant recipients related to project implementation. Professional development activities for Tribal College faculty and a workshop series for faculty who teach mathematics at tribal colleges with TCUP awards are designed to stimulate faculty growth and expand STEM teaching capacity. Materials to be produced include a “Best Practices” manual and a monograph on scholarly productivity. Collectively, these activities are designed to provide an intensive level of support for Tribal Colleges and Universities that is consistent with the goals of the TCUP program. INTERNSHIPS:
The QEM TCUP Project also provides summer internships for
students enrolled at TCUP institutions the opportunity to become
familiar with science and science education policies and how they
affect the education of American Indians and other Native Americans;
and to learn about health disparities disproportionately affecting
American Indians and other minority groups. During the internship,
students who are pursuing a science- or engineering-related degree
at a tribal college or university will have an opportunity to interact
with program officers at NSF and other federal agencies who are
involved in making science and education policies; visit a range
of offices, museums, and other sites in the Washington, DC area;
strengthen their communications and leadership skills; receive
training on developing and conducting community outreach projects;
and develop a peer network that includes students from across the
country who are serving as summer interns in other QEM programs. It is anticipated that the annual
workshops, project implementation institutes, internships, and
professional development activities will benefit participants well
beyond the life of the grant through resource development and the
enhancement of STEM faculty and students. Since the TCUP grants
address substantive educational areas such as faculty development,
curriculum enhancement, and undergraduate training and research
experiences, this project has the potential for considerable impact
on STEM educational experiences for Native American students nationwide.
An External
Advisory Committee of distinguished educational leaders,
including leaders of T-CUP-eligible institutions, provides advice
and overall guidance during the Project’s implementation. The
most recent TCUP Advisory Committee meeting took place Saturday,
December 1, 2007, at Southwest
Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI) in
Albuquerque, NM. For more information,
please contact Shirley McBay (smmcbay1@qem.org) or
Althea Burns (aburns@qem.org) or
via telephone at 202-659-1818. |
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