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The Sallie Mae Fund helps launch Tribal Leaders Institute

Courses to foster tribal leadership in Rocky Mountain Region

RESTON, Va., Feb. 18, 2005—The Sallie Mae Fund, a charitable organization sponsored by Sallie Mae, today announced that it is funding the development of a tribal leaders institute offered through the University of Montana's O'Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West.

The Fund's grant will support a one-year pilot initiative to develop a program that fosters leadership skills among Native American tribal leaders in the Northern Rockies and High Plains regions. Local tribal leaders will be engaged in the development of the curriculum to ensure that the program responds effectively to their joint goals.

"The Sallie Mae Fund applauds the higher education institutions in the Rocky Mountain region for responding to the educational needs of their communities," said Susan Corsini, vice chair of The Sallie Mae Fund. "We hope that the success of this program will spur other locally-based education enrichment initiatives throughout the Northwest and countrywide."

The academic offerings developed through this pilot program will be coordinated with tribally controlled community colleges and the University's School of Native American Studies.

The Sallie Mae Fund, a charitable organization sponsored by Sallie Mae, achieves its mission—to increase access to a post-secondary education for America's students—by supporting programs and initiatives that help open doors to higher education, prepare families for their investment, and bridge the gap when no one else can. For more information visit www.salliemaefund.org.