American Indian and Alaska Native and Chinese Ethnic Minority Higher Education: Evolution, Characteristics, and Challenges: Evolution, Characteristics, and Challenges

To better understand American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) and Chinese Ethnic Minority (CEM) higher education, it is necessary to go through their histories and policies because they are relevant to the formation and development of Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) in the United States and Ethnic Minority-Serving Institutions (EMSIs) in China. This chapter reviews the literature in three primary sections, first by examining the history of AIAN higher education since the colonial era and the policies of CEM higher education from 1949. Next is an overview of the characteristics of AIAN and CEM higher education to provide the foundational contexts in which TCUs and EMSIs currently operate. Finally, this chapter summarizes the common challenges faced by TCUs and EMSIs.