The American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) and the nation’s 37 Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCU) are embarking on an important new initiative to help plan and implement campus cyberinfrastructure improvements that will allow them to more effectively access and participate in the national STEM research and education infrastructure.
During the “Engaging Tribal Colleges and Universities with R&E Networking” session at the 2017 Global Summit, we will discuss the tribal colleges’ history and role in American Indian higher education, and the potential outcomes of bringing very rural and remote TCUs’ campus cyberinfrastructure to national higher education standards. Discussion will include specific strategies identified by this initiative, including establishing and sustaining a TCU community of ICT practice.
The session will explore more broadly strategies for addressing the challenge of greater inclusion in the national STEM research and education infrastructure on the part of TCUs and American Indian communities, with a strong focus on the importance of partnerships and collaborative work.
We will invite participants to work with us to craft a systemic approach to the exploration, dissemination and use of information and communication technologies that supports STEM research and education in small, under-resourced and rural institutions of higher education and the communities they serve.
We acknowledge the importance of partnerships with national organizations such as Internet2 and EDUCAUSE, as well as their community of higher education members, in achieving our common goals of diversity and inclusion—and invite you to join our discussion on Tuesday, April 25 at 3 p.m.