Since the first AIHEC Student Conference in 1980, this annual event has grown from a few dozen participants to over 1,000 students, faculty, and staff coming together each spring to compete in academic, cultural, and artistic exercises; share stories, and best practices; participate in workshops and plenary sessions; and celebrate the Tribal College Movement. As participation has grown, the conference has also grown in complexity and organization. In 2010, the AIHEC Board of Directors, composed of the nation’s Tribal College and University (TCU) presidents, requested that AIHEC and TCU staff begin the process of formalizing and standardizing the conference, including competition rules, participation requirements, judging, cost, etc. In 2013, the Board established the AIHEC Student Conference Commission to oversee this process.