Postsecondary Education. INAR/NACIE Joint Issues Sessions. National Indian Education Association (NIEA) Annual Conference (22nd, San Diego, California, October 16, 1990).

This report summarizes two joint sessions held by the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force and the National Advisory Council on Indian Education to hear testimony on issues in Native American postsecondary education. Issues and problems are: (1) recruiting Native students and helping them choose a college; (2) difficulties Native students face at college, such as racism, lack of support, unfamiliar or uncomfortable social situations, and insufficient academic preparation; (3) inadequate student financial aid and funding for tribal colleges, and problems of Indian identification related to eligibility for financial aid; (4) the need to expand the tribal college system and develop cooperative agreements with four-year institutions; and (5) the need to shift programmatic emphasis at tribal colleges to multicultural education, integration of Native studies throughout the curriculum, and traditional Native values and concepts, and to develop instructional materials that address these areas. Office of Indian Education fellowships are discussed, with suggestions that recipients be placed under some obligation to the Indian people. Recommendations are suggested to aid the adjustment and retention of Native college students and to increase and prioritize funding available for student financial aid. (SV)