Staff Report
A UNM American Indian program staff member has been awarded a post-doctoral fellowship from the American Educational Research Association to study the influence of institutional education on American Indian communities.
Beginning this August, Tiffany Lee, who is of Navajo/Lakota descent, will engage in two to three years of research on "Educational influences on the development of Native American identity and communities," in collaboration with mentor Greg Cajete, associate professor of education at UNM and Native American Studies director.
"My goal with this fellowship is to conduct community-based research as a way to learn about identity issues among Native American young people," Lee said in a UNM press release. "In that effort, I hope to learn how educational programs can be successful in instilling our communities' values among this population."
The American Educational Research Association awards up to 12 fellowships each year to researchers who have obtained a higher degree in the past 10 years and who have either shown potential or demonstrated a capacity to perform educational research.
To be considered for the fellowship, nominees team with mentors who are established members of the education research community.
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Lee, who is program coordinator for both the TRIBES and American Indian programs at UNM, also coordinates educational programs on campus sponsored by the Council of Energy Resource Tribes.
She also teaches part time for UNM's Native-American Studies and is a research consultant for the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, one of the wealthiest philanthropic organizations in the United States, providing grants to nonprofit entities operating in three areas: conservation and science; children, families and communities; and population.
Lee earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from Pomona College in 1990, and both a master's degree and doctorate in sociology of education from Stanford in 1999.
"My hopes are that native communities can learn about the impact education programs have in developing native youth who are committed to serving their communities' interests," Lee said.
