California State University San Bernardino and the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians (SMBMI) hosted the March 22 Native American/Indigenous Education Summit, which addressed challenges faced by American Indian and Indigenous students in post-secondary education. This inaugural event at Cal State’s Santos Manuel Student Union Center was presented by the California Indian Nations College and Kumeyaay Community College, and sponsored by SMBMI, Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians and Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians.
Research shows American Indian youth represent less than one percent of students in higher learning, with only 22 percent of 18-24 year-old Indigenous students enrolled in college compared with 40 percent of the overall U.S. population. Event panelists—including Assembly member James Ramos; Kumeyaay Community College Director Stanley Rodriguez; California Department of Education State Superintendent of Public Education Tony Thurmond; Naomi Miguel, executive director of the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Native Americans and Strengthening Tribal Colleges and Universities—discussed the issue of equitable access to higher education for Native students, inclusivity in curriculum and college preparedness.
