Page 17 - 2022 November Report

Resilience
Entrepreneurship Scholarship representatives’ annual meeting report (3)
INDIVIDUAL ENDOWENT PROGRAMS SHARING
American Indian College Fund
The College Fund administers 2 portfolios of scholarships. Applicants for the Full Circle portfolio are selected by the College Fund, and all have unique criteria. About 1,300 students receive Full Circle Scholarships. The TCU portfolio has 150 programs, including JSF’s 2 endowed scholarships. In this portfolio, TCUs oversee the disbursements of funds. Last year 3,500 students received a minimum of $1,500 per academic year.
College of Menominee Nation
CMN is getting up to speed with the administration of the scholarship endowment. There were 20 awards made (10 in the fall, 9 in the spring and 1 in the summer). One issue: Some of the students were having to decline because of problems involving the timing of when the awards are issued. The school is working with Financial Aid to resolve this.
Heritage University
It has been a challenge getting enough students to apply. The school recently hired a Native recruiter, and there is an effort underway to double the number of Native students on campus. This fall 17% of the incoming class was Native, which is a large percentage for Heritage. The university is also working on tracking its graduates, many of which have chosen to stay in the area.
Northern Arizona University
NAU also is in the situation of needing to get students to apply. One way they’re hoping to do this is by streamlining the internal application process so that students only have to complete 1 form.
Oglala Lakota College
OLC has both a new president and a new Financial Aid Director. Last year 13 scholarships were awarded. This year 8 students received scholarships: 6 returning students and 2 new. Like other schools, OLC wants to do a better job of tracking graduates.
Salish Kootenai College
SKC typically awards scholarships to between 15 and 20 students per year. Requiring students in the personal finance class to apply using an online application process has helped to boost the number of applicants. There is a need for more wraparound supports. About 20% of their students have gone on to master’s programs. JSF’s request for graduate data has helped SKC to prioritize graduate tracking. Another focus has been integrating experiential learning into all classes. The school’s online scholarship application process operates through the SKC Foundation.
Turtle Mountain Community College
TMCC has had a change in administration. The college is working on removing obstacles for students to apply for the scholarship. Last year $29,000 was awarded to 13 students. A small business certificate program has started. Several students have started their own businesses or are now working for tribal entities.
United Tribes Technical College
The representative who came was a substitute for someone else. He works for Financial Aid and said he’s learning a great deal by being at the meeting.
15