Tribal College Movement Podcast

Author, educator and long-time humanitarian Christine Reidhead is teaming up with Tribal College and Universities leader and educator Tom Davis for an ongoing podcast series. The series will discuss the journey, development and growth of the Tribal College Movement. The podcast will be aired once a month for twelve consecutive months on The Tribal College Journal Online, and will also be available for you to listen to on christinereidhead.com. A great way to gain some insight into the creation and growth of Tribal Colleges in America, discussions will range from the very beginnings of the program with first-hand accounts of what it was like, to the challenges faced, as well as highlighting certain individuals who were key to the development of the Tribal College Movement.

The Tribal College Movement began in the 1960’s when Navajo Community College, now called DinÊ College, was founded in Arizona. Tribal colleges are higher education establishments which are built on or near Indian reservations. These schools cater to Native American students as well as non-Native American students.

Traditional educational studies are offered in addition to technical and vocational courses. The colleges are completely controlled and operated by Native American tribes and receive funding from federal grants. Native American history and culture make up part of the curriculum as a way to ensure that traditions and ancestry are passed on to new generations.

Christine discusses the changes that the movement went through with Tom as he shares his insights into his over fifty-year involvement with TCU. Starting in episode one, Tom recants his beginnings with the movement. He tells listeners about the difficulties that he faced in getting started- the lower pay, less stability in job security due to low budgets, conflicting educational philosophies, high dropout rates and low student attendance. He talks about the work that was done to build a relationship with the Native American communities and show them that this educational system is not a tool of assimilation, but rather a way to lift up the Native American people.

Other topics include the struggles faced in building the structure that is now used in TCU schools, and securing government funding and assistance. Other struggles included improving the overall communities in which these colleges were being built, as they were often in some of the poorest towns in the country, and faced obstacles such as a lack of access to running water. But for as many struggles and challenges that Tom and other founders of the Tribal College Movement were met with, he also shares stories of the accomplishments and rewarding anecdotes from his time working with students and families in Native American Communities.

The series ends with Tom summing up his experiences as a whole, and discussing the positive outcomes that the movement has had on Native American education and communities. Throughout the podcast, Tom shares poems that he has written about his experience and about other influential members of the TCU movement, as a way to pay homage to them and their accomplishments. His insights truly are from the front lines of Native American higher education, so the information and memories that he shares with listeners are coming directly from the source.

Each installment of The Tribal College Movement Podcast is roughly thirty to forty minutes in length, making it extremely convenient to listen to an entire episode in one sitting, while commuting, working out or just sitting down to take notes. If you are interested in learning more about the thirty-two accredited tribal colleges and universities presently operating in the United States and stretching from coast to coast, Christine and Tom’s podcast is an excellent place to start. Christine leads the conversation, pulling valuable information from Tom, and provides the perfect framework for his storytelling. Listen to all twelve podcasts now on Christine’s website, or listen to them one at a time as a monthly series on The Tribal College Journal Online- the website dedicated to the publication for American Indian Higher Education. Either way, the experience will be educational, enjoyable and insightful,

and you may find yourself wanting to get involved with The Tribal College Movement once you have finished listening.

To find out more about the Tribal College Movement and Christine’s involvement and humanitarian work, visit christinereidhead.com.