For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
July 3, 2002
Executive Order Tribal Colleges and Universities
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and
the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as
follows:
Section 1. Policy. There is a unique relationship between the
United States and Indian tribes, and a special relationship between the
United States and Alaska Native entities. It is the policy of the
Federal Government that this Nation's commitment to educational
excellence and opportunity must extend as well to the tribal colleges
and universities (tribal colleges) that serve Indian tribes and Alaska
Native entities. The President's Board of Advisors on Tribal Colleges
and Universities (the "Board") and the White House Initiative on Tribal
Colleges and Universities (WHITCU) established by this order shall
ensure that this national policy regarding tribal colleges is carried
out with direct accountability at the highest levels of the Federal
Government.
Tribal colleges are both integral and essential to their
communities. Often they are the only postsecondary institutions within
some of our Nation's poorest rural areas. They fulfill a vital role:
in maintaining and preserving irreplaceable languages and cultural
traditions; in offering a high-quality college education to younger
students; and in providing job training and other career-building
programs to adults and senior citizens. Tribal colleges provide
crucial services in communities that continue to suffer high rates of
unemployment and the resulting social and economic distress.
The Federal Government's commitment to tribal colleges is
reaffirmed and the private sector can and should contribute to the
colleges' educational and cultural missions.
Finally, postsecondary institutions can play a vital role in
promoting excellence in early childhood, elementary, and secondary
education. The Federal Government will therefore work to implement the
innovations and reforms of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Public
Law 107-110) in partnership with tribal colleges and their American
Indian and Alaska Native communities.
Sec. 2. Definition of Tribal Colleges and Universities. Tribal
colleges are those institutions cited in section 532 of the Equity in
Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 301 note), any
other institution that qualifies for funding under the Tribally
Controlled Community College Assistance Act of 1978 (25 U.S.C. 1801 et
seq.), and Diné College, authorized in the Navajo Community College
Assistance Act of 1978, Public Law 95-471, title II (25 U.S.C. 640a
note).
Sec. 3. Board of Advisors. (a) Establishment. There shall be
established in the Department of Education a Presidential advisory
committee entitled the President's Board of Advisors on Tribal Colleges
and Universities (the "Board").
(b) Membership. The Board shall consist of not more than 15
members who shall be appointed by the President, one of whom shall be
designated by the President as Chair. The Board shall include
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.
(c) Functions. The Board shall provide advice regarding the
progress made by Federal agencies toward fulfilling the purposes and
objectives of this order. The Board also shall provide recommendations
to the President, through the Secretary of Education (Secretary), on
ways the Federal Government can help tribal colleges:
(1) use long-term development, endowment building, and planning to
strengthen institutional viability;
(2) improve financial management and security, obtain
private-sector funding support, and expand and complement Federal
education initiatives;
(3) develop institutional capacity through the use of new and
emerging technologies offered by both the Federal and private sectors;
(4) enhance physical infrastructure to facilitate more efficient
operation and effective recruitment and retention of students and
faculty; and
(5) help implement the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and meet
other high standards of educational achievement.
(d) Meetings. The Board shall meet at least annually, at the
request of the Secretary, to provide advice and consultation on tribal
colleges and relevant Federal and private-sector activities, and to
transmit reports and present recommendations.
Sec. 4. White House Initiative on Tribal Colleges and
Universities. There shall be established in the Department of
Education, Office of the Secretary, the White House Initiative on
Tribal Colleges and Universities (WHITCU). The WHITCU shall:
(a) provide the staff support for the Board;
(b) assist the Secretary in the role of liaison between the
executive
branch and tribal colleges; and
(c) serve the Secretary in carrying out the Secretary's
responsibilities under this order.
Sec. 5. Department and Agency Participation. Each participating
executive department and agency (agency), as determined by the
Secretary, shall appoint a senior official who is a full-time officer
of the Federal Government and who is responsible for management or
program administration. The official shall report directly to the
agency head, or to the agency head's designee, on agency activity under
this order and serve as liaison to the WHITCU. To the extent permitted
by law and regulation, each agency shall provide appropriate
information as requested by the WHITCU staff pursuant to this order.
Sec. 6. Three-Year Federal Plan.
(a) Content. Each agency identified by the Secretary shall
develop and implement a Three-Year Plan of the agency's efforts to
fulfill the purposes of this order. These Three-Year Plans shall
include annual performance indicators and appropriate measurable
objectives for the agency. Among other relevant issues, the plans
shall address how the agency intends to increase the capacity of tribal
colleges to compete effectively for any available grants, contracts,
cooperative agreements, and any other Federal resources, and to
encourage tribal colleges to participate in Federal programs. The
plans also may emphasize access to high-quality educational
opportunities for economically disadvantaged Indian students,
consistent with requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001;
the preservation and revitalization of tribal languages and cultural
traditions; and innovative approaches to better link tribal colleges
with early childhood, elementary, and secondary education programs.
The agency's performance indicators and objectives should be clearly
reflected in the agency's annual budget submission to the Office of
Management and Budget. To facilitate the attainment of these
performance indicators and objectives, the head of each agency
identified by the Secretary, shall provide, as appropriate, technical
assistance and information to tribal colleges regarding the program
activities of the agency and the preparation of applications or
proposals for grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements.
(b)Submission. Each agency shall submit its Three-Year Plan to
the WHITCU. In consultation with the Board, the WHITCU shall then
review these Three-Year Plans and develop an inte-grated Three-Year
Plan for Assistance to Tribal Colleges, which the Secretary shall
review and submit to the President. Agencies may revise their
Three-Year Plans within the three-year period.
(c) Annual Performance Reports. Each agency shall submit to the
WHITCU an Annual Performance Report that measures the agency's
performance against the objectives set forth in its Three-Year Plan.
In consultation with the Board, the WHITCU shall review and combine
Annual Performance Reports into one annual report, which shall be
submitted to the Secretary for review, in consultation with the Office
of Management and Budget.
Sec. 7. Private Sector. In cooperation with the Board, the WHITCU
shall encourage the private sector to assist tribal colleges through
increased use of such strategies as:
(a) matching funds to support increased endowments;
(b) developing expertise and more effective ways to manage
finances, improve information systems, build facilities, and improve
course offerings; and
(c) increasing resources for and training of faculty.
Sec. 8. Termination. The Board shall terminate 2 years after the
date of this order unless the Board is renewed by the President prior
to the end of that 2-year period.
Sec. 9. Administration. (a) Compensation. Members of the Board
shall serve without compensation, but shall be allowed travel expenses,
including per diem in lieu of subsistence, as authorized by law for
persons serving intermittently in Government service (5 U.S.C.
5701-5707).
(b) Funding. The Board and the WHITCU shall be funded by the
Department of Education.
(c) Administrative Support. The Department of Education shall
provide appropriate administrative services and staff support for the
Board and the WHITCU. With the consent of the Department of Education,
other agencies participating in the WHITCU shall provide administrative
support (including detailees) to the WHITCU consistent with statutory
authority. The Board and the WHITCU each shall have a staff and shall
be supported at appropriate levels commensurate with that of similar
White House Initiative Offices.
(d) General Provisions. Insofar as the Federal Advisory Committee
Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. App.) (the "Act"), may apply to the
administration of any portion of this order, any functions of the
President under the Act, except that of reporting to the Congress,
shall be performed by the Secretary of Education in accordance with the
guidelines issued by the Administrator of General Services.
Sec. 10. Revocation. Executive Order 13021 of October 19, 1996,
as amended, is revoked.
GEORGE W. BUSH
THE WHITE HOUSE,
July 3, 2002.
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