FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION (FHWA)

TRIBAL COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES (TCUs) PROGRAM
FY 2002 ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT

Executive Summary

The report outlines strategies that the agency has implemented to increase the participation of TCUs in federally sponsored programs. The goals and measurable objectives the FHWA sought to achieve during FY 2002 were to: (1) increase the number of highway research, development and technology contracts, grants and cooperative agreements awarded to Minority Institutions of Higher Education (MIHEs); (2) increase the number of TCU students pursuing transportation careers by participating in career education and developmental programs such as the Dwight David Eisenhower Fellowship Program; (3) maintain and expand the number of TCUs sponsoring a Summer Transportation Institute (STI); and (4) establish a partnership in every State or Territory where a TCU is located.

The following is a summary of FHWA=s Annual Performance for FY 2002 regarding its accomplishments to increase the capacity of TCUs to benefit from federally sponsored programs:

1. Competitive Assistance Program (CAP) - The FHWA continues to use the CAP to assist in awarding grants and cooperative agreements to MIHEs only. The colleges and universities compete among themselves for grants and cooperative agreements that are relevant to one or more of FHWA's five strategic goals. In FY 2002, TCUs were not able to take advantage of the CAP due in part to mostly being a 2 year school and having limited research and technology capabilities.
2. Tribal Technical Assistance Program - The purpose of the TTAP is to relate the latest technology and information on tribal roads and bridges, tourism and recreation, and related economic development to tribal transportation and planning personnel. TTAP provides technology transfer through training workshops, a quarterly newsletter, and the operation of free publication and videotape training libraries. In FY 2002, the United Tribes Technical College was awarded funds to continue administering a TTAP to provide the transfer of technology and technical assistance to American Indian Tribal governments.
3. Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship Program (DDETFP) - Tribal Colleges Fellowships (TCF) are a component of the DDETFP, which identifies transportation-related activities and provide student and faculty with Eisenhower fellowship opportunities at Tribal Colleges. They also serve as a feeder for other Eisenhower fellowships. The FHWA awarded two Eisenhower Fellowships at the Lac Courte Orielles Ojibwa Community College.
4. Summer Transportation Internship Program for Diverse Groups (STIPDG) - The STIPDG did not have any Native American participants or applications during the previous two years of the program. In FY 2002, there were applications from seven Native American students and all where from different universities and one-TCU. The FHWA was put in touch with some of the students from other programs designed to assist Native American students in search of summer employment or internships. Four students were referred to us from such sources. Offers were made to 3 of those referrals, and the 4^th student was given strong consideration for employment. Of all the offers (4) made to Native American students from all sources, only two male students accepted; 2 female students declined.
5. Summer Transportation Institute - This 4 to 5-week program is designed to encourage and motivate youth to pursue transportation careers. The students actively participate in a series of academic and practical experiences. Since its inception more than 4,300 STI participants, the Greenville Chapter of the National Urban League, and 41 host sites in 23 States, have participated in the program. In FY 2002, the NSTI had 40 institutions serve as host sites of those 40 sites 4 were TCUs, College of Menominee Nation, Fond Du Lac Tribal and Community College, Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute, and White Earth Tribal and Community College.
6. Partnership Agreements - Partnerships are used to facilitate the award of contract, grants and cooperative agreements to TCUs. Additional, it is through these agreements that TCUs are provided with technical assistance, curriculum development, and the exchange of staff and resources. To date, the FHWA has established partnerships with three TCUs, two that are Federally recognized Tribal Colleges (Lac Courte Orielles Ojibwa Community College in 1995, and Salish Kootenai College in 1999), and one State recognized Tribal University (University of North Carolina @Pembrooke in 1998). In FY 2002, no partnership agreements were established with TCUs.
7. On-the-Job Training Supportive Services (OJT/SS) - The provisions of 23 U.S.C. 140(6) provide annual funding for OJT/SS projects with innovative approaches and nationwide implications to support employment opportunities for people moving from welfare to work, women, and minorities in fields of highway construction and transportation technology. The FHWA has expanded its efforts to provide MIHEs with information about opportunities to partner with State Departments of Transportation to provide innovative OJT/SS programs. All TCUs have been encouraged to develop proposals to assist minorities and women in developing job readiness skills and support systems which facilitate acceptance and retention in highway construction trades or related technology fields.
   
   In FY 2002, Salish Kootenai College was awarded OJT/SS funds in the amount of $100,000 to continue its Heavy Equipment in Highway Construction Training Program. The training program is designed to provide Native Americans students with the necessary skills and knowledge to obtain employment as entry-level heavy equipment operators and truck drivers.

FY 2002 Annual Performance Awards:

In FY 2001, $226,079 was awarded to TCUs in all categories. In FY 2002, $229,500 was awarded to TCUs in all categories, resulting in an increase of $2,921 in awards to all TCUs for FY 2002 over awards in FY 2001.

D. FY 2002 Awards for TCUs by categories:

PART I - Summary of Awards to TCUs by Category: FY 2002

1. Federal Highway Administration
   AGENCY
2. Edward W. Morris, Jr. Associate Administrator for Civil Rights
   NAME/SIGNATURE OF REPRESENTATIVE TITLE
3. Total of Funds for All Institutions of Higher Education in FY 2001: $89,554,769