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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR W. K. Martinez

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2/18/2007

HB 854

SHORT TITLE Indian Graduate Center Demographic Research

SB

ANALYST McOlash

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

$65.0 Non-Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Indian Affairs Department (IAD)

Higher Education Department (HED)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 854 appropriates $65,000 from the General Fund to the Higher Education Department

for expenditure in FY 2008 to conduct thorough research on the current demographics of New

Mexico alumni of the American Indian Graduate Center (AIGC) to determine how the Center’s

graduate fellowship program has impacted the welfare of Indian communities and the state

overall.

The research will track educational credentials pursued and attained, employment data,

leadership positions, honors, awards, and involvement in the Indian communities.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $65,000 contained in this bill is a non-recurring expense to the General

Fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY 2008 shall revert to

the General Fund.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

In 1969, important government positions related to Indian concerns were being filled by non-

Indians who possessed the graduate education necessary to meet the job qualifications. Robert L.

House Bill 854 – Page

Bennett (Oneida) was Commissioner of Indian Affairs for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) at

the time. He and John C. Rainer, Sr. (Taos Pueblo) realized that there was a lack of American

Indians with professional degrees. Knowing that Indian people need financial assistance to

complete their graduate work, they established American Indian Scholarships (AIS). In 1971,

AIS incorporated in the state of New Mexico as a non-profit organization

In 1989, American Indian Scholarships, Inc. changed its name to become the American Indian

Graduate Center (AIGC). It is still the only national non-profit organization dedicated to aiding

Indian graduate students in all fields of study.

In 2004-2005, AIGC awarded fellowships and scholarships as follows:

1.

AIGC - Fellowships for 381 students from 38 states and 105 tribes

2.

AIGC – Gates Millennium Scholarship Program – Scholarships for

564 students from 41 states

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

The Higher Education Department would be the administrator for these funds and, presumably,

would conduct the research. Additional staffing might be required to support additional data

collection and analysis for this request

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

As a non-profit organization, AIGC prides itself on maintaining a very low administrative cost.

In fact 90% of all contributions go directly to student services towards meeting the goal of

improving the cultural and economic well-being of American Indians and Native Alaskans,

individually and tribally, through graduate education

American Indian Graduate Center – 2005 Annual Report

2004 - 2005 REVENUES

Private Contributions

$ 940,488

Federal Funding

$ 1,243,172

Gates Millennium Scholars $ 6,399,764

TOTAL $ 8,583,424

2004 - 2005 EXPENDITURES

Private Scholarships

$ 433,991

Recruitment/Selection

$ 502,650

Management

$ 307,460

Graduate Fellowships

$ 1,805,146

Undergraduate Scholarships $ 4,798,762

TOTAL $ 7,848,009

BM/mt