Chronological History.

1941	Robert Bennett receives his law degree from Southwestern University.
1948	Will Rogers, Jr. convinces John Rainer to become involved in national Indian affairs.
1950	John Rainer is elected director of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI).
1956	John Rainer is elected chair of the All-Indian Pueblo Council. There he unsuccessfully seeks support for Indian suffrage.
1966	Robert Bennett is named commissioner of Indian Affairs by President Johnson and implements an innovative open communication policy within the BIA and with Congress. Robert Bennett presents his plans for BIA reorganization to BIA area directors in Santa Fe NM. Two hundred representatives of sixty-two tribes meet about Indian education issues after being refused admission to the BIA conference.
1967	The BIA reports 13 American Indian graduate students in the entire nation.
1969	John Rainer is named to direct the New Mexico Commission of Indian Affairs. Robert Bennett asks John Rainer to meet regarding national Indian issues. Robert Bennett resigns as BIA commissioner and becomes Native consultant on board projects for the Donner Foundation. Bennett and Rainer establish the National Indian Scholarship Program at the University of New Mexico on August 15.
1970	Bennett becomes director of UNM’s American Indian Law Center. The American Indian Graduate Scholarship Program Committee, John Rainer presiding, holds its first meeting October 10. Members are Ada Deer, Overton James, David Warren, Leah Manning, Charles Trimble, Joe Sando, and Francis McKinley. Members vote to set up an independent office and apply for tax exempt status, and name Robert Bennett general director. On November 14, John Rainer announces a $15,000 transfer from the Donner Foundation to provide direct scholarship assistance. The Donner grant leads to the development of the contract with the BIA. Donald A. McCabe, UNM graduate student in Business Administration (and future president of Southwest Indian Polytechnic Institute) is awarded $1200.
1971	Robert Bennett, David Warren and Joe Sando sign the articles of incorporation under New Mexico law, and the program title is changed to American Indian Scholarships, Inc.
1974	AIGC moves to Taos; the office is in a garage on John Rainer’s property.
1975	The director of the UC Berkeley Master’s in Public Health Program requests assistance in meeting student needs and offers to work with AIGC to seek funding.
1976	To evaluate program effectiveness and collect information for future proposals, a questionnaire is sent to all past recipients.
1977	Sales of Indians of Today, a book donated by the Donner Foundation, net almost $8,000.
1980	In October, John Rainer, after conferring with the board, declines an appointment to the board of trustees of his alma mater, Bacone College, in order to devote adequate time to his work with AIGC. The AIGC board votes to handle an endowment from the Peet Foundation to support Indian medical students. AIGC receives $186,000 from the Administration of Native Americans for a Human Resource Mobilization Project to find sources of funding and document and classify alumni for a job referral service.
1981	The Reagan administration reduces funding for all levels of Indian higher education from $282 million to $169 million. AIGC board votes to approve additional applications but has to notify the awardees that funding will be delayed due to the drastic reduction of BIA contract funds. In October, John Rainer speaks at a luncheon-reception held in New York to recruit funds for AIGC. In Taos, the Nicolai Fechin Institute holds an art show and sale to benefit AIGC. AIGC signs a subcontract with Funke & Associates to implement a portion of the Administration for Native Americans grant.
1982	An AIGC survey indicates that it is providing financial assistance to fewer than one fifth of all the Indians in the United States attending graduate school. For academic year 19981-82, due to financial constraints, AIGC provided assistance to only 158 of the estimated 1000 Indian graduate students in the nation. AIGC provides an average award of $3700; the estimated minimum post-graduate annual cost is $5000. Eighty of the current AIGC recipients are women. Frank L. Oberly, CPA, of Oklahoma City is retained to establish a new set of books, train AIGC bookkeeper Michael Kipepassah, set up a property control system, and conduct an audit. AIGC plans a buffalo barbecue in honor of both the opening of the World College in Las Vegas and Prince Charles, who will attend. The National Indian Lutheran Board donates $10,000 as seed money to generate more funds. Exxon, Texaco, Arco & Syntex also contribute. $35,000 is generated in response to proposals submitted by Dr. Dean Chavers.
1983	The AIGC contract will be put out to bid, a drastic change from past years during which AIGC contracted with the BIA on a sole source basis. The bid was later canceled. John Rainer participates in a Senate Budget Committee field hearing on science and math education in Albuquerque and later testifies before the Senate and House Appropriations Subcommittees on Interior Affairs, urging funding for Indian higher education. The House of Representatives approves the recommendation of a $978,000 BIA contract. John Rainer recommends budgeting for an office manager so the director can concentrate on fundraising. He retires effective December 31. Board member Alice Bathke suggests having special equipment such as a computer put on the budget as a line item.
1984	New director Lorraine Edmo presents proposed policy statements regarding applicant grievance procedures, a three-year maximum eligibility for funding, and applicants seeking second and third Master’s degrees. Board member Joe Sando proposes AIGC begin producing an annual report, and Director Edmo states her intention to do so. AIGC decides to relocate to Albuquerque by June 1 but maintain the Taos office through June 30. Staff rent a truck and accomplish the move to 335 Jefferson SE. AIGC obtains two corporate credit cards for use by the director and financial officer, with a yearly report on usage to be presented to the board. The accounting system is changed from hand posting to “one-write” method. Board liability insurance is contemplated.
1985	AIGC and the American Indian Law Center oppose BIA plans to consolidate the two graduate programs under one contract. The BIA approves $1,000 for AIGC to prepare an annual report. The 1985-1986 BIA contract is for $958,000, which includes $15,000 for a new computer system, a WANG Multi-User PC. The Coors Company will support promotion luncheons in Colorado, Oklahoma, and California. It printed the BIA-mandated AIGC brochure free of charge. An Inspector General’s audit questions AIGC’s accuracy on statistical and student data reporting and its promotion of BIA priority fields of study: health, business, education, natural resources and engineering. For fiscal years 1984 & 1985, 66% of awards were for priority areas. AIGC moves to 5106 Grand NE and starts a newsletter, the American Indian Graduate Record. Staff members present financial aid workshops at the NIEA annual meeting. Yale and the First Nations Financial Project initiate a master’s in public and private management for Indian students or professionals working in reservation economic development, financial management or tribal government.
1986	A bequest of $35,000 is received from the estate of Samuel Freeman. AIGC adds a part time development officer on a trial basis to raise funds in the private sector. Program administrative costs are at 15.7%, well below the national nonprofit average. Because the BIA’s two Indian graduate programs are consolidated and AIGC is awarded the contract, administration of the Indian law scholarship program is transferred from the American Indian Law Center to AIGC. Law is added as a BIA priority area of study. AIGC seeks a contract revision to provide students the cost of professional exams.
1987	Although $1.6 million was awarded in fellowships, AIGC was unable to provide another $500,000 requested. Students in priority area studies have increased to 87%, largely due to absorbing the law program. Upon AIGC’s recommendation, the BIA adds social work as a health-related priority field, eliminates the ¼ blood requirement, and limits eligibility to students attending U.S. colleges. AIGC moves to its current address on Montgomery. AIGC prevails in a lawsuit brought by a man who was denied funding because he was not a member of a federally-recognized tribe.
1988	152 women and 140 men receive funding; fields of study numbers are: law 103, health 83, education 63, business 32, engineering 7, natural resources 1, fine arts 1, religious studies 2. The board defines AIGC’s mission: “[Dedication] to financially assisting Indian graduate students in studies at the master’s and doctoral level … by trying to raise the funds to enable [them] to attend graduate school and then encourage them to return to their tribe, their community or a public or private agency providing service to American Indian people.” The board establishes three primary goals: expand fundraising, especially in private sector; redefine AIGC as a multi-service instead of only a scholarship organization; enter into cooperative efforts with other Indian groups and tribal scholarship offices. AIGC will administer a law scholarship established in memory of Thomas W. Echohawk, who died in a vehicle accident at age thirty. He was a brother of board member Lucille Echohawk; they are descendents of the famed Pawnee scout Echo Hawk.
1989	The organization name is formally changed to American Indian Graduate Center to reflect its expansion to become a national center dealing with expanded services and activities and to better identify AIGC as working exclusively in graduate and professional education. There is a baby boom (3) among AIGC staff. Four hundred people attend two days of twentieth anniversary events including a symposium on Indian graduate education, corporate table sponsorship, and a benefit art auction and dinner/dance. John Rainer and Robert Bennett are honored, and JoAnn Chase, Dorothy Fire Cloud, and John Haupt receive the first fellowship awards from the Thomas W. Echohawk Memorial Scholarship. AIGC starts a degree completion survey of recipients, commencing with the past five years but ultimately to include all past fellows.
1990	AIGC receives a $65,000 grant from the Department of Energy for a tracking project to develop a national database of all Indian college students to use in identifying potential graduate students, making internship and employment opportunities available, and identifying and documenting the needs of Indian students. AIGC begins a comprehensive development program with funding from the Educational Foundation of America. Federal revenues decline 3% while private fund revenues increase 31%. Featured in the “Graduate Opportunities” section of the Spring 1990 American Indian Graduate Record is a new American Indian Teacher Training Program at Oklahoma City University which will accept ten Indian participants per year for three years and lead to an M.A. in teaching with emphasis on gifted and talented education. AIGC’s investments are earning 9.55%.
1991	AIGC receives 763 applications—the largest number ever—and awards 427 (237 women & 190 men) fellowships for 1991-92. The American Indian Graduate Program at UC Berkeley celebrates its twentieth anniversary. Director Lorraine Edmo attends; she is on its board. 400–500 students have been entered into the tracking project database; the goal is 1500 by July, 1992. The Indian Nations At Risk Task Force identifies failure of schools to educate large numbers of Indian students as one of four reasons why Indian nations are at risk as a people.
1992	AIGC is the host and sponsoring organization for the 1992 NIEA annual conference in Albuquerque. Private source scholarships administered by AIGC and their restrictions are: Gerald D. Peet Foundation Endowment - medical students Educational Foundation of America – health Tom W. Echohawk Memorial Scholarship – law Council of Energy Resources Tribes – engineering and science Blue Spruce Memorial Scholarship – Pueblo medical students, especially for obstetrics and gynecology National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development – business Paul J. Bernal Law Scholarship – Pueblo law students with priority to Taos Elizabeth Furber Trust – women majoring in arts and humanities
1993	AIGC is awarded a three-year renewal contract to continue administration of the BIA’s Special Higher Education Program. The Year 1 award is $2,218,750. Expense allocation for 1993 FY is: 90% fellowship grants, 5% administrative overhead, and 5% direct student services. AIGC publishes the eighty-page American Indian College Student Tracking Project “Report on the 1992-1993 Academic Year,” giving information on 1536 Indian students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees. The report emphasizes the need for cooperation and participation from the federal scholarship programs, i.e., BIA, IHS, and Department of Education; tribal and Indian organization scholarship programs; university Indian program offices; private minority scholarship programs. AIGC former director Lorraine Edmo becomes NIEA executive director. To facilitate the application process and save resources and staff time, AIGC eliminates requirements that applicants provide two recommendation letters, programs of study, signed check receipts, LSAT from law applicants, and financial aid certification forms. Due to the rapid rise in the number of applications, the maximum/average awards decline from $10,000/$4,438 for 1990-91 to $6,000/$3,568 for 1993-94. AICG begins restricting its awards to a set number of students.
1994	The inaugural New Mexico Indian Golf Scholarship Tournament raises $6,000, but market instability causes a $58,000 decrease in the market value of AIGC’s investments. AIGC adopts a participatory management policy placing major responsibility for programmatic functions under the planning, decision-making authority, and action of the employees. A new accounting package is purchased to expand report production and facilitate audits. AIGC celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary. The board approves a $10 application processing fee.
1995	AIGC sends a survey to all federally recognized tribes to identify their future employment needs. The top ten professions reported as needed are (in order): business manager, lawyer, accountant, natural resource manager, doctor, teacher, counselor, financial analyst, engineer, computer technician. Additional survey information received gave estimates that 89% of tribal members earned $20,000 or less and 3% had a college degree. An advisory council composed of community leaders, bankers, ad agency personnel, and local Indian community leaders is formed, with the primary focus to assist AIGC in finding a broader perspective to its mission. The Second Annual New Mexico Indian Golf Scholarship Tournament nets $8,000.00. At a pretournament luncheon, UNM president Richard Peck presents Mateo Romero (Cochiti) and Rosemary Maestas (San Juan) with scholarships from 1994 tournament proceeds.
1996	Due to budget cuts, only continuing students are funded for 1995-1996. Study areas with the most numbers are law and health, with 161 and 160 respectively of the 538 recipients; followed by 59 in education and 49 in business.
1997	A new four-year BIA contract begins.
1998	AIGC initiates its Web page. 147 women and 117 men are awarded fellowships.
1999	The AIGC board creates an investment committee and updates computer software and hardware to be Y2K compliant. A recognition banquet marks our 30th anniversary. There is excellent response to the Alumni Profile Questionnaire.
2000	Norbert Hill becomes executive director and Molly Tovar chief operating officer of AIGC. AIGC assumes administration of the Gates Millennium Scholar Program for American Indians/Alaska Natives, resulting in doubling of AIGC staff and office space. American Indian Graduate Center Scholars is formed to manage the program.
2001	The world loses a visionary when John Rainer passes away on September 22. The inaugural meeting of the Council of 100 is held in September. The Council is composed of distinguished leaders, scholars, and traditionals who will assist AIGC in mentoring, evaluation of application essays, and student leadership training. AIGC begins publication of The American Indian Graduate Magazine.
2002	Native Americans everywhere are saddened to learn of the death of Robert Bennett on July 11. Ten business administration graduate students receive fellowships funded by the National Indian Gaming Association.
2003	Dr. George Blue Spruce, the first full blood Pueblo American Indian dentist, presents a check to AIGC to establish a scholarship for American Indian dental students. Two students receive the first John Ranier Memorial Fellowships.
2004	The American Indian Graduate Center receives funding from Accenture, LLP to administer the Accenture American Indian Scholarship Program. AIGC leases additional office space on the first floor of its building. This will provide access to guests who find the stairs challenging, a separate conference area, and expanded in-house storage as well as more efficient use of the second floor main office space.
2005	The American Indian Graduate Center receives funding from Wells Fargo to administer the Wells Fargo American Indian Scholarships Bureau of Indian Education expands contract to add the Loan For Service forgiveness program.
2006	AIGC hosts "Walking in Two Worlds" national conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
2007	Sam Deloria becomes the Director of the American Indian Graduate Center. AIGCS receives the highest number of on-line nominee submissions nationally among other Gates Millennium partners.