It's wonderful to have visions again, and it's wonderful to have ways of addressing those visions, those dreams, and making them into reality. Tribal colleges were the dreams of Indian leaders more than 40 years ago. They were established to provide a nurturing atmosphere on the reservation that Indian students weren't receiving when they left go to state and private schools. The physical plants at most of the tribal colleges are more like a nightmare, a rag tag assortment of decrepit buildings and old trailers. Dorm rooms are scarce or non-existent.
Athletic facilities are often nothing more than a basketball hoop.
The faculty, who have mainly been educated at non-tribal colleges, are paid far less than their colleagues at other schools. Additional money comes from special government grants and from private organizations like the Kellogg and Lannan Foundations, both of which are major contributors to Sinte. Lionel Bordeaux is the president of Sinte Gleska. He says money is their biggest challenge. We need to keep the funding stream going.