FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 30, 2006

CCTHITA President to be Appointed to
President’s Board of Advisors on Tribal Colleges and Universities

CCTHITA President Edward K. Thomas was one of four individuals that U.S. President George W. Bush announced November 29, 2006 that he intends to appoint to be a Member of the President's Board of Advisors on Tribal Colleges and Universities. Along with President Thomas, Verna Fowler, of Wisconsin; Joseph George Hiller, of Arizona; and Richard Dennis Stephens, of California were also named.

The membership of the Board consists of not more than 15 members appointed by the President, one of whom is designated by the President as Chair. The Board includes representatives of tribal colleges and may also include representatives of the higher, early childhood, elementary, and secondary education communities; tribal officials; health, business, and financial institutions; private foundations; and such other persons as the President deems appropriate.

The Board’s function is to provide advice regarding the progress made by Federal agencies toward fulfilling the purposes and objectives of the Executive Order on Tribal Colleges and Universities. The Board also provides recommendations to the President, through the Secretary of Education (Secretary), on ways the Federal Government can help tribal colleges:

1. (1) use long-term development, endowment building, and planning to strengthen institutional viability;
2. (2) improve financial management and security, obtain private-sector funding support, and expand and complement Federal education initiatives;
3. (3) develop institutional capacity through the use of new and emerging technologies offered by both the Federal and private sectors;
4. (4) enhance physical infrastructure to facilitate more efficient operation and effective recruitment and retention of students and faculty; and
5. (5) help implement the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and meet other high standards of educational achievement.