Heritage University is a private institution situated in the heart of Yakama Nation lands in Toppenish, Washington that emphasizes multi-cultural education and serves to ensure access to quality higher education for those who have traditionally been underrepresented. It prepares STEM students for graduate and doctoral studies through a combination of rigorous academics and specialized research internships at partnering institutions.

Yakama people are enrolled in the federally recognized tribe, the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation. The Yakama Indian Reservation, along the Yakima River, covers an area of approximately 1.2 million acres. The nation is governed by the Yakama Tribal Council, which consists of representatives of 14 tribes.

The University of Idaho is the state’s only national research institution and home to 12,000 students from all 50 states, and International students from more than 76 countries. Our five campus centers and extension offices touch every community in Idaho. The University has earned the Carnegie Foundation classification for high research activity, attracting nearly $100 million in research grants and contracts each year. The university has a commitment to diversity, multiculturalism and community and actively engages in the recruitment and retention of a diverse student body that includes members of historically underrepresented groups.

Salish Kootenai College is a 4-year degree granting tribal college on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana, and is the only tribal college to offer bachelor’s degrees in several STEM fields. In its 35 years of existence, the mission of Salish Kootenai College has been to provide quality postsecondary educational opportunities for Native Americans locally and from throughout the United States. The college strives to provide opportunities for individual self-improvement, to promote and help maintain the cultures of the Confederated Tribes of the Flathead Indian Nation.

The Spokane Tribe of Indians and the Spokane Tribal Headquarters is now located in Wellpinit, Washington. Wellpinit is approximately 50 miles northwest of Spokane, Washington on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Today the Spokane Indian Reservation is 157,376 acres in size. As of January 2006, tribal membership includes 2441 people; we are strong and growing.

The Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission coordinates management policy and provides fisheries technical services for the Yakama, Warm Springs, Umatilla, and Nez Perce tribes.

CRITFC’s mission is “to ensure a unified voice in the overall management of the fishery resources, and as managers, to protect reserved treaty rights through the exercise of the inherent sovereign powers of the tribes.”

Over the past 35 years, the Yakama, Umatilla, Warm Springs, and Nez Perce tribes have worked together through CRITFC to achieve significant accomplishments and milestones that have protected tribal treaty fishing rights, salmon, and the watersheds where fish live.

Oregon State is an international public research university located in Corvallis, one of the safest, smartest, greenest small cities in the nation.

Founded in 1868, Oregon State is the state’s Land Grant university and is one of only two universities in the U.S. to have Sea Grant, Space Grant and Sun Grant designations as well.

With $336 million in external research funding in 2016, a second consecutive year of record-breaking growth, Oregon State accounts for more research funding than all of the state’s comprehensive public universities combined.

The University of Oregon is a comprehensive public research university committed to exceptional teaching, discovery, and service. We work at a human scale to generate big ideas. As a community of scholars, we help individuals question critically, think logically, reason effectively, communicate clearly, act creatively, and live ethically.

Washington State University provides world-class education to more than 26,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students from nearly 100 countries. WSU stands among 96 U.S. public and private universities with very high research activity, according to the classification from The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. WSU fosters interaction among scholars of diverse cultures and perspectives and holds a Memorandum of Understand to promote education with ten Native American tribes in the region.

Portland State University leads the way to an equitable and sustainable future through academic excellence, urban engagement, and expanding opportunity for all. As Oregon's most affordable public research university located in the heart of one of America's most dynamic cities, PSU's mission is to "let knowledge serve the city", reflecting its dedication to turning ideas into action — in Portland and around the world.

The University of Washington educates a diverse student body to become responsible global citizens and future leaders through a challenging learning environment informed by cutting-edge scholarship. Discovery is at the heart of the university - UW discovers timely solutions to the world’s most complex problems and enrich the lives of people throughout our community, the state of Washington, the nation and the world.

Western Washington University is a public comprehensive institution dedicated to serving the people of the state of Washington. Together our students, staff, and faculty are committed to making a positive impact in the state and the world with a shared focus on academic excellence and inclusive achievement.