Features More Than Words, A Way of Life By Laura Paskus From the Arctic Circle to the Great Plains, tribal colleges and universities are launching a vast array of new programs to revitalize and preserve Native languages. Ojibwemotaadidaa: Preparing a New Generation of Fluent Speakers By Persia Erdrich Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College’s (more)

All across Indian Country, tribal college students and faculty members are conducting scientific research on their homelands, studying species and foods important to Native people, and seeking solutions to environmental and public health problems, practicing the “science of place.”

With the publication of this issue, Tribal College Journal begins a year of celebrating the 40th anniversary of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC). It is an important time to pay respect to all of those who have led the way to this moment in history.

Features The Art of Storytelling By Barbara Ellen Sorensen At many tribal colleges, storytelling is an integral part of the curricula. Students learn from elders—and also learn to craft their own narratives. Stories for the Stage By Ryan Winn At the College of Menominee Nation, playwriting students learn to write their own stories, then perform (more)

Within this issue, TCJ’s writers examine the collaboration between federal agencies and tribal colleges, and explore the colleges’ larger economic impact. Students also relate their own experiences of funding their educations.

Technology has changed the ways in which we work and live, even how we communicate with one another. The articles in this issue reinforce the importance of technology as a tool to preserve, restore, and protect culture. Students at tribal colleges nationwide are engaged in scientific research that benefits their homelands; restores their Native languages; and connects them in new ways with their elders, families, and tribal communities.

Within this issue of TCJ, writers share stories of how various tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) are addressing climate change with research, sustainability efforts, environmental health and science classes, and renewable energy. While most TCUs are involved in some way, this issue covers work by Haskell Indian Nations University, the Institute of American Indian Arts, Sitting Bull College, Salish Kootenai College, Aaniiih Nakoda College, the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute, Tohono O’odham Community College, White Earth Tribal and Community College, and Nebraska Indian Community College.

Writing about racism within this issue of Tribal College Journal, all of our writers share intensely personal stories. They do so not to give power to the pain and ugliness of racism but rather to take brave steps toward healing.

Recruitment and retention of Native students is a daunting topic that tribal colleges and universities are approaching with numerous strategies including drawing on tradition, culture, and language, using hands-on engagement and personalizing support. The summer issue of Tribal College Journal features a handful of these efforts.

In this issue of Tribal College Journal, writers share stories of the foods that can heal and sustain the body, mind, and soul. They also show how many tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) are helping Native communities overcome challenges including obesity, diabetes, and drug or alcohol addiction while also restoring local food systems and nurturing local economies.