Message from the Director
Celebrating 45 Years of AIGC by Sam Deloria, Director
T
his year, American Indian Graduate Center (AIGC) celebrates its 45th anniversary. Prior to the formation of what was originally called American Indian Scholarships (AIS), other than the law program at the American Indian Law Center, there was really no organized national program to help Indian and Native students attend graduate school. The great Sidney Yates, Congressman from Illinois and Chair of the Interior and Related Agencies Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee said, many times, that he feared that the federal government would not support graduate education for Indian and Native students were it not for the presence of AIS (AIGC). Since its inception, AIGC has awarded more than 16,600 scholarships totaling over $52 million to graduate students in all fields of study. From education and medicine to law and mathematics, AIGC students have spread throughout many fields, often opening the discipline up for succeeding generations —  bringing diversity, perspective and talent to campuses throughout the United States and around the world. In 1969, AIS was established for Indian people needing financial assistance to complete graduate work. In 1974, the Blue Spruce family established a scholarship for American Indian medical students. In 1980, AIGC received $186,000 from the Administration of Native Americans, for a Human Resource Mobilization Project to classify alumni for a job referral service. In 1983, the House of Representatives approved a recommendation, totaling $978,000, to fund the BIA scholarship contract. By 1988, AIGC approved funding for 292 men and women in the fields of law, health, education, business, engineering, religious studies, natural resources and fine arts. In 2000, AIGC Scholars was incorporated to administer the Gates Millennium Scholar Program (GMS) for American Indians/Alaska Natives, and with the creation of AIGC Scholars, Inc., staff and office space doubled. Four years later, AIGC entered into partnerships with Wells Fargo Bank and Accenture, sponsoring two corporate scholarship programs that have already
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The American Indian Graduate
Sam Deloria
Our history is not marked by dramatic change or sudden developments, rather a constant hunger to improve our American Indian and Alaska Native communities through education and leadership.
funded over 100 individuals. In 2009, AIGC hosted a 40th anniversary reception during the Gathering of Nations, to become an annual tradition. The gradual growth of AIGC has been made many possible through the support of federal programs, endowed gifts, tribal, corporate and foundation support and alumni and private donations. Collectively, this support generates the Power of Scholarship. This spirit of education, within the American Indian and Alaska Native community, has benefited thousands of students who have received scholarships and utilized the student services offered through AIGC.