In partnership with the New Mexico Community Foundation, the Pueblo of Jemez is creating an education endowment to ensure that any pueblo member who wants to go to college can.
The endowment, named the Jemez Pueblo Foundation Fund, will be a permanent pool of money that will be managed by the NMCF, a press release issued yesterday by the pueblo stated.
The goal is for the pueblo to raise $50,000 in one year. The NMCF, with support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, will match half of what the pueblo raises at $25,000 if the pueblo reaches its goal by Aug. 20, 2011.
The endowment is being kicked off today with a fundraising drive at the Walatowa Visitors Center. The pueblo plans to create a tribal employee giving program as well as solicit area businesses to raise money. The Jemez Health Board and Health Department will kick off the drive with a $25,000 initial investment toward the fund.
“Every year approximately six college-bound students are denied funding because we do not have enough money for all of them,” Pueblo of Jemez Governor Joshua Madalena said in the release. “However, education is a priority, and this endowment will open new doors and provide some great opportunities for our people. It will also help support some of our innovative educational programs.”
The Jemez Pueblo, a non-gaming tribe, will become the second tribe in New Mexico and the 16th in the nation to establish an endowment, according to a report on Native American philanthropy by the First Nations Development Institute.
For information about the Jemez Pueblo Foundation Fund or to make a donation, go to www.nmcf.org/POJEF.
Showing posts with label college. Show all posts
Showing posts with label college. Show all posts
Friday, August 20, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Prairie Band Potawatomi Brings Higher Ed to Its Reservation
Through an agreement with Friends University, members and employees of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation can now obtain a college degree without leaving the reservation.
Beginning this fall, tribal members can enroll in a Bachelor of Business Administration in Business Management degree completion program; and in spring 2011, they will be able to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Management and Leadership (OML) and a Master of Business Administration (MBA).
Classes for these on-site programs will be taught at the PBPN’s Government Center in Mayetta, Kan., meeting once per week. Depending on the program, degree-completion and graduate coursework can be completed within 13 months to 24 months.
Other degree programs are offered online and at the university’s Topeka Education Center.
Founded in 1898, Friends University is an independent, Christian-based liberal arts institution with an enrollment of about 3,000. Its main campus is in Wichita but it has offered programs for adult students in Topeka since 1993.
The tribe has around 5,000 members, though not all live on the reservation. Over the last three years, it has funded the college education of, on average, 120 members per semester.
Kristen Aitkens, the tribe’s director of education, believes the partnership with Friends will mean more members who live on the reservation will pursue a higher education.
“We are trying to provide another outlet for those students who choose to live and work on the reservation,” she said.
The tribe is the first in Kansas to partner with a university to provide an on-reservation classroom.
Tribes interested in a similar arrangement with one of their local colleges, be prepared to invest resources in selecting the right school. Aitkens said her department considered proposals from more than one university. She also underscored the importance of communications and looking at things that can’t be seen on paper, like how a university representative treats tribal members.
“We were fortunate that Friends University took a great interest in our community and are very open with the education department and utilize our input to best meet the needs of the people. Friends University is truly invested in this partnership and is taking their part very seriously,” Aitkens said.
Beginning this fall, tribal members can enroll in a Bachelor of Business Administration in Business Management degree completion program; and in spring 2011, they will be able to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Management and Leadership (OML) and a Master of Business Administration (MBA).
Classes for these on-site programs will be taught at the PBPN’s Government Center in Mayetta, Kan., meeting once per week. Depending on the program, degree-completion and graduate coursework can be completed within 13 months to 24 months.
Other degree programs are offered online and at the university’s Topeka Education Center.
Founded in 1898, Friends University is an independent, Christian-based liberal arts institution with an enrollment of about 3,000. Its main campus is in Wichita but it has offered programs for adult students in Topeka since 1993.
The tribe has around 5,000 members, though not all live on the reservation. Over the last three years, it has funded the college education of, on average, 120 members per semester.
Kristen Aitkens, the tribe’s director of education, believes the partnership with Friends will mean more members who live on the reservation will pursue a higher education.
“We are trying to provide another outlet for those students who choose to live and work on the reservation,” she said.
The tribe is the first in Kansas to partner with a university to provide an on-reservation classroom.
Tribes interested in a similar arrangement with one of their local colleges, be prepared to invest resources in selecting the right school. Aitkens said her department considered proposals from more than one university. She also underscored the importance of communications and looking at things that can’t be seen on paper, like how a university representative treats tribal members.
“We were fortunate that Friends University took a great interest in our community and are very open with the education department and utilize our input to best meet the needs of the people. Friends University is truly invested in this partnership and is taking their part very seriously,” Aitkens said.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Obama Gives Portion of Peace Prize to Indian College Fund
It’s been a great first quarter for the American Indian College Fund. First came the announcement in February that the late actress Bea Arthur left the organization $100,000. Last week, the Fund announced via press release that President Obama is donating $125,000 from the $1.4 million Nobel Peace Prize that he was awarded.
The Fund is among nine charitable organizations getting a piece of Obama’s Nobel Prize. The others are: Fisher House, which provides housing for families of patients receiving medical care at major military and VA medical centers; the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund, which raises money for long-term relief efforts in Haiti after its earthquake; College Summit, which partners with elementary and middle schools and school districts to increase college enrollment and student preparation; the Posse Foundation, a scholarship organization which identifies public high school students with academic and leadership potential who may be overlooked by traditional college selection processes; the United Negro College Fund, which helps 60,000 students yearly to attend college through scholarship and internship programs; the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, the nation's leading Hispanic scholarship organization; the Appalachian Leadership and Education Foundation, which supports and enables young Appalachians to pursue higher education though scholarship and leadership curriculum; AfriCare, which supports health and HIV/AIDS, food security and agriculture, and water resource development projects in 25 countries; and the Central Asia Institute, which promotes and supports community-based education and literacy, especially for girls, in remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The president stated in the release, "These organizations do extraordinary work in the United States and abroad helping students, veterans and countless others in need. I'm proud to support their work."
The Fund is among nine charitable organizations getting a piece of Obama’s Nobel Prize. The others are: Fisher House, which provides housing for families of patients receiving medical care at major military and VA medical centers; the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund, which raises money for long-term relief efforts in Haiti after its earthquake; College Summit, which partners with elementary and middle schools and school districts to increase college enrollment and student preparation; the Posse Foundation, a scholarship organization which identifies public high school students with academic and leadership potential who may be overlooked by traditional college selection processes; the United Negro College Fund, which helps 60,000 students yearly to attend college through scholarship and internship programs; the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, the nation's leading Hispanic scholarship organization; the Appalachian Leadership and Education Foundation, which supports and enables young Appalachians to pursue higher education though scholarship and leadership curriculum; AfriCare, which supports health and HIV/AIDS, food security and agriculture, and water resource development projects in 25 countries; and the Central Asia Institute, which promotes and supports community-based education and literacy, especially for girls, in remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The president stated in the release, "These organizations do extraordinary work in the United States and abroad helping students, veterans and countless others in need. I'm proud to support their work."
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Actress Leaves Indian College Fund $100,000
The late actress Bea Arthur left $100,000 to the American Indian College Fund for the Bea Arthur Scholarship Fund, according to a press release issued by the Fund.
Arthur, who died last April at the age of 86, may be known best for her roles as Maude in the television show Maude and Dorothy in Golden Girls, but she is also pretty famous for her generosity toward those in need.
"She believed that education was the key to empowering people to have faith in themselves and to overcome the hardships and injustices in their lives," said her son, Matthew Saks.
The Fund will match Arthur’s estate gift up to $100,000 for all new donations.
"Thanks to Bea Arthur and her vision, American Indians across America will have the opportunity to earn a college education, giving them, their families, and their communities hope for a better future," said Richard B. Williams, the Fund’s president and CEO.
Supporters can give by mail, donate online at www.collegefund.org or call 1-800-776-386 from 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. (MST).
Arthur, who died last April at the age of 86, may be known best for her roles as Maude in the television show Maude and Dorothy in Golden Girls, but she is also pretty famous for her generosity toward those in need.
"She believed that education was the key to empowering people to have faith in themselves and to overcome the hardships and injustices in their lives," said her son, Matthew Saks.
The Fund will match Arthur’s estate gift up to $100,000 for all new donations.
"Thanks to Bea Arthur and her vision, American Indians across America will have the opportunity to earn a college education, giving them, their families, and their communities hope for a better future," said Richard B. Williams, the Fund’s president and CEO.
Supporters can give by mail, donate online at www.collegefund.org or call 1-800-776-386 from 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. (MST).
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Scholars Program Prepares Cherokee Students for College
The Cherokee Nation has teamed up with the Oklahoma Scholars Program to help Cherokee students prepare for their future, the tribe announced in a press release.
The Oklahoma Scholars Program is a high-impact, low-cost program that starts with placing business leaders into eighth grade classrooms to share with students the benefits of completing the Scholars Program, such as college preparedness, special recognition for academic achievements and being a stronger candidates for financial aid and scholarships.
Students achieve the Oklahoma Scholar designation by completing the Scholars Course of Study, a specific sequence of academic courses in math, science, language arts and social studies.
The program is offered to all students but is especially aimed at students who might take the path of least resistance if not encouraged to do more. The Cherokee Scholars Program was designed to increase the percentage of Cherokee high school graduates prepared to enter college by encouraging them to take more demanding classes during high school, the release said.
To qualify, students must be a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, must have completed the Scholars Course of Study and have passed each course with a minimum of a 2.5 GPA.
The Oklahoma Scholars Program is a high-impact, low-cost program that starts with placing business leaders into eighth grade classrooms to share with students the benefits of completing the Scholars Program, such as college preparedness, special recognition for academic achievements and being a stronger candidates for financial aid and scholarships.
Students achieve the Oklahoma Scholar designation by completing the Scholars Course of Study, a specific sequence of academic courses in math, science, language arts and social studies.
The program is offered to all students but is especially aimed at students who might take the path of least resistance if not encouraged to do more. The Cherokee Scholars Program was designed to increase the percentage of Cherokee high school graduates prepared to enter college by encouraging them to take more demanding classes during high school, the release said.
To qualify, students must be a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, must have completed the Scholars Course of Study and have passed each course with a minimum of a 2.5 GPA.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)