McNeil also serves as chairman of the College Fund's board of trustees. Previously, Packard Foundation grants to individual tribal colleges greatly expanded science, math and technology programs, according to instructors. Besides increasing the number of graduates in these areas, Packard grants have supported laboratory facilities, research efforts and student scholarships. Unemployment in the areas that tribal colleges serve can reach 80 percent. While 9 out of 10 Indian students who leave reservations for public colleges fail to graduate, tribal colleges are reversing this trend.
Tribal colleges credit their mix of fully-accredited academics and Native culture.
These colleges are accredited by the same agencies that govern public and private colleges. In the rural areas where tribal colleges operate, tribal governments have few resources and Indian casinos are not successful. This record-breaking distribution directly supported more than 5,000 students. The College Fund also supported endowments and public awareness, as well as college programs in Native cultural preservation and teacher training. Fully operating since 1989, the College Fund counts more than 200 corporations and foundations and 90,000 individual Americans among its supporters.