History
TCUs, also known as tribally controlled colleges and universities (TCCUs), are institutions of higher education formally controlled, sanctioned, or chartered by the governing body of a Native American tribe or tribes where Native American culture, language, and tradition are fostered. After nearly 400 years of non-tribal control over tribal education at the elementary, secondary, and postsecondary levels, tribal leaders began a political movement known as self-determination in the 1960s. Dine College, founded in 1968 by the Navajo Nation, was the first TCU, leading to the establishment of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) in 1972. AIHEC established the American Indian College Fund in 1989 and was successful in working with congress to authorize land-grant status for all TCUs in 1994.
