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American Indian College Fund and Advertising Partner Wieden+Kennedy Launch THINK INDIAN PSA Campaign

Denver – The American Indian College Fund, with the award-winning international advertising agency Wieden+Kennedy, is rolling out a new public service announcement campaign, titled THINK INDIAN. The campaign tells the story of how America's 32 accredited tribal colleges and American Indian students are combining traditional Native solutions with modern knowledge to solve contemporary problems.

Tribal colleges and universities preserve the uniquely American Indian way of thinking while celebrating Indian cultures and embracing the latest research and technology. Tribal colleges have become cultural oases where old wisdom and new ideas are fused. Many Native students encounter both their native language and the Internet for the first time at college.

The American Indian College Fund supports qualified American Indian scholars by providing financial support to encourage students to remain in college and complete a college degree and build a better future for themselves, their families, and their communities, while also providing support for the tribal colleges.

To create the campaign, the American Indian College Fund and Portland, Oregon-based advertising partner, Wieden+Kennedy, voted Adweek 's 2008 Global Agency of the Year and known for its signature work for Nike, Target, and Coca-Cola, traveled to Indian Country where they documented the stories of American Indian students studying at tribal colleges for a series of six advertisements.

Richard B. Williams, President and CEO of the American Indian College Fund, said, “This body of work not only reflects how American Indian cultural knowledge is being preserved by tribal colleges and used to solve modern-day problems for all people, but it also depicts the depth, beauty, and tenacity inherent in the American Indian students and community that we serve. ”

Wieden+Kennedy has created the Fund's advertising for the past 18 years. "These unique, under-funded institutions are the only places where convention and culture, tradition and modern, meet. We have much to learn from the indigenous people of this country," said David Kennedy, co-founder of Wieden+Kennedy. "It is an honor to tell their story."