American Indian Culture and Research Journal

The appearance of Native American or American Indian Studies programs in colleges and universities is a relatively recent phenomenon. The rapid rise in the number of Native American college students since 1968 has been accompanied by a proliferation of special programs, ranging from one or two course offerings to full-fledged academic departments aimed at teaching about Native American history, culture, and current affairs. In 1968, statistics compiled by the Office of Civil Rights of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, showed a total of 14,361 students enrolled in institutions of higher education who identified themselves as American Indians. By 1974 this number had risen to 32,757. During the same period, the total number of scholarship recipients through the Bureau of Indian Affairs had increased from 2,660 (FY 1968) to 13,895 (FY 1974). The statistics from the Department of Health, Education and Welfare must be viewed with some caution since they depend upon self-identification rather than objectively defined criteria. The increase between 1968 and 1974, however, is remarkable, even on the basis of self-identification.