American Indian College Fund to Celebrate 40 Years of Tribal Colleges and Honor Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

DALLAS, April 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Indian College Fund (the Fund) will host a special event in Dallas, Texas to celebrate 40 years of tribal colleges. The Fund will also honor the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma by repatriating $25,000 worth of historical artifacts it received from a private donor.

Business leaders, American Indian educators, and donors are invited to gather with the Fund on May 1, 2008 at the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas, Texas. The Fund and Fund board members, Steve Denson of the Edwin L. Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University and Chuck Hensley of Williams Financial Group, are co-hosting the event.

Denson said, "I'm excited both as a Chickasaw and as the diversity officer for the Cox School to participate in this event. By cooperating with and listening to tribal leadership, we better position ourselves as one of the top business schools in the nation to train and educate American Indian MBAs. Many graduates will return to their tribes to join in and create the next wave of tribal economic development to further the interests and welfare of their people."

"The Choctaw nation is honored to be the recipient of these valuable items from our past. Tribal history is very important to all generations, and having the opportunity to display these letters, telegrams, Bible and other items in our Capitol Museum is incredibly exciting," said Chief Gregory E. Pyle. "The Council, Choctaw People and I are very thankful that the American Indian College Fund has ensured the return of these artifacts to the great Choctaw nation."

The tribal college movement began in 1968 when the Navajo nation founded the first tribal college, Dine College, in Tsaile, Arizona in 1968. "We are delighted that our board members, Chuck Hensley and Steve Denson, have combined their efforts with Dallas area supporters to raise awareness of the tribal college movement and the nation's 32 tribal colleges and universities," said Richard B. Williams, Fund president and CEO. "Tribal colleges are transforming Indian Country through education, and we are grateful to Dine College. It pioneered the tribal college movement, which embodies self determination and preservation of culture as part of education, and we would not be here today without their leadership. As part of preserving culture and tradition, the Fund is delighted to honor the Choctaw nation of Oklahoma by returning historical documents and other national artifacts, which the Fund received as a gift from one of its supporters," Williams said.

All proceeds from the event will benefit scholarships for American Indian students.

About the American Indian College Fund

With its credo "Educating the Mind and Spirit," the Fund is the nation's largest provider of private scholarships for American Indian students, providing 5,000 scholarships annually for students seeking to better their lives and communities through education. For more information about American Indian College Fund please visit www.collegefund.org.

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Source: American Indian College Fund

CONTACT: Lucia Novara of American Indian College Fund, +1-303-430-5323,
lnovara@collegefund.org

Web Site: http://www.collegefund.org/

NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information about the event, please contact Lucia Novara at 303-426-8900, or lnovara@collegefund.org.

2008-04-10 17:40:27 0333532 PRNEWSWIRE