The American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) was established in 1972, in order to represent the interests of the newly developed tribal colleges, which are controlled and operated by American Indian nations. One of the most significant achievements of AIHEC was to work with the United States Congress to authorize in 1994 land-grant status to 29 tribal colleges, achieved in October 1994 under the Elementary and Secondary Education Reauthorization Act.