The American Indian Higher Education Consortium has announced its support of the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, which will provide tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) with increased resources and equity.
The legislation is comprised of provisions from the Cultivating Resources, Opportunity, Prosperity and Sustainability for Indian County (CROPS) Act, introduced by Senate Indian Affairs Committee chairman John Hoeven R-ND and vice chairman Tom Udall D-NM.
Carrie Billy“This legislation will now allow TCUs to compete for grant funds similar to all designated land-grant institutions under the Smith Lever 3(d) programs, particularly the Children, Youth, and Families at Risk (CYFAR) and Federally Recognized Tribes Extension programs, and updates the 1994 land-grant list to include Red Lake Nation College,” said Carrie Billy, president and CEO of AIHEC.
In addition, another important provision that will benefit tribal students is updating the McIntire-Stennis Cooperative Forestry Research program that will give TCUs that offer undergraduate degrees in forestry to participate in grant opportunities and student support services.
