Leander ‘Russ’ McDonald
Indigenous Data Sovereignty (IDS) affirms the right of Indigenous Peoples to govern the collection, ownership, and application of their data. Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), chartered by tribal nations, serve over 26,000 Native students and 60,000 community members annually, positioning them at the intersection of IDS theory and practice. TCUs are not only centers for higher education but also hubs for cultural transmission and Native Nation-Building. Their unique responsibilities for data gathering, reporting, and analysis require approaches that honor sovereignty and community priorities. This roundtable will present a case study from the Tribal College and University Institutional Research Collaborative (TCU-IRC), which translated the CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance into an applied framework for institutional research within TCUs. Through an inclusive and reciprocal process, the IRC developed an IDS Framework tailored to tribal college contexts, featuring five guiding principles and a self-assessment tool. These resources aim to ensure that institutional data practices are ethical, culturally grounded, and beneficial to Native students and communities. By centering TCUs in the governance and use of their own data, this project redistributes power and authority back to tribal institutions, reinforcing their missions and sovereignty. Session participants will learn about the framework, the self-assessment tool, and the collaborative process that brought IDS theory into practice for Indigenous higher education.