MBN USA

July 31, 2021

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MBDA’s Tribal Colleges and Universities white paper now available

Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) offer higher educational opportunities for American Indian students and are unique in that they combine cultural relevance with their degree outcomes. TCUs offer associate’s, bachelor’s and master’s degrees as well as vocational programs and certificates.

This paper considers the role of TCUs and, in particular, the role of TCU curriculum in business development and entrepreneurship in tribal areas. We utilize existing data on TCU curriculum and tribal area characteristics and consider whether and to what extent entrepreneurship on reservations varies according to TCU curriculum in entrepreneurship courses and hands-on learning. We find TCUs with courses in business and entrepreneurship are associated with higher levels of self-employment, median earnings, and education on their respective reservations compared with other remote tribal reservations.

This paper was developed for the MBDA’s Office of Policy Analysis and Development, under a contract with the MacroDyn Group. The information and analysis presented have been approved for public release by MBDA.

 To read the study, visit TCU White Paper.pdf (mbda.gov).