Deborah Cavett has joined the U.S. Department of Education as executive director of the White House Initiative on Tribal Colleges and Universities. In this role, Cavett will help to ensure that the nation's 35 Tribal Colleges and Universities are supported and have full access to federal higher education programs. Cavett will also serve as the primary contact for the President's Board of Advisors on Tribal Colleges and Universities as it recommends actions for all federal agencies to assist in strengthening the capacity of these institutions.

Most recently, Cavett was director of interagency initiatives at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), serving as the contact for the White House Initiatives on Tribal Colleges and Universities and Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Cavett was also a member of the USDA's policy committee with the American Indian Higher Education Consortium and has been involved with tribal college programs since the inception of the Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994. Cavett received her bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Northern Iowa.

In July 2002, President Bush created the White House Initiative on Tribal Colleges and Universities, as well as the President's Board of Advisors on Tribal Colleges and Universities. Tribal Colleges and Universities serve more than 30,000 full-time and part-time students and offer vocational certificate programs and associate, bachelor's and master's degrees. These institutions are often the only postsecondary institutions in some of America's poorest rural areas and serve a variety of students, including young adults, senior citizens, American Indians and non-American Indians. Tribal Colleges and Universities also provide crucial services to communities and add hope to areas that suffer high rates of poverty and unemployment.

The President's Board of Advisors on Tribal Colleges and Universities consists of 15 members who provide advice and recommendations on ways the federal government can help Tribal Colleges and Universities strengthen and expand their resources, programs, facilities and technology use. Board members include Tribal College presidents, educators, business leaders and public servants. The U.S. Department of Education coordinates the Office of the White House Initiative on Tribal Colleges and Universities and provides staff and support for the board of advisors.

More information about the White House Initiative on Tribal Colleges and Universities is available at http://www.ed.gov/about/inits/list/whtc/edlite-index.html.

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