Goal: Educational Quality

Expand and Enhance Program Offerings

In an effort to increase retention and attract new students, bachelor degree programs have expanded and now include liberal arts, English, social science, mathematics, biology, marine biology, and environmental science. Each program emphasizes experiential learning and mentoring relationships with faculty to take advantage of favorable student to faculty ratio and the campus’ unique location. In addition, UAS will:

• Continue to develop viable baccalaureate majors in preparation of graduate study, with attention to the needs of Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) candidates.
• Develop additional appropriate baccalaureate minors.
• Further develop an Outdoor Leadership program, which incorporates the liberal arts with outdoor recreational experiences.
• Enhance AA and Bachelor of Liberal Arts (BLA) distance-delivered program offerings.
• Develop meaningful assessment procedures for all undergraduate degrees.
• Determine the feasibility of developing advanced degrees in areas of faculty strength and student interest.
• Establish an ongoing faculty leadership role in the preservation of Southeast Alaska indigenous languages through instructional programs and linguistic research.

Extend current natural resources-based degrees

UAS focuses on Environmental Science and Marine Biology as its flagship programs in the natural sciences. Both of these programs attract students interested in careers in natural resource management, scientific research, and outdoor education. UAS students develop practical skills as well as textbook knowledge in a curriculum that integrates traditional lectures and laboratory courses with field research experiences in glaciology, hydrology, geology, chemistry, and marine biology. UAS will:

• Continue to strengthen the marine biology, and environmental science programs.
• Develop masters degrees in science areas that take advantage of the unique environment and experience at UAS.

Develop an increased capacity for natural resource research

The research and environmental monitoring services that UAS provides to public resource agencies and the private sector aim to assist these clients and create professional growth opportunities for faculty and students. To increase these opportunities, UAS will:

• Expand on undergraduate research in environmental/marine science.
• Encourage faculty research through increased access to facilities and grant support.

Provide scientific leadership concerning the natural resources of Southeast Alaska

Balancing the needs for economic diversification and development with the need to manage the environmental effects of industrial and recreational activity in Southeast Alaska requires the acquisition and dissemination of sound scientific information. To provide leadership in this area, UAS will:

• Expand scientific collaboration with other research universities and agencies.
• Provide scientific consultation for government industry, and non-profit agencies.
• Host scientific conferences and meetings.

Provide teacher education programs locally and to additional populations and communities in Alaska

Alaskan teachers need to be prepared for effective and culturally relevant teaching in both urban and rural settings. Traditional-aged students benefit from undergraduate paths to quality teacher certification. Students with bachelor’s degrees and strong content background need graduate programs focused on teaching. Place-bound students need distance-delivery options. Prospective teachers from groups under-represented in the teaching force need focused opportunities to prepare to teach. All UAS programs prepare teachers who are informed, reflective, and responsive. To address these concerns, UAS will:

• Provide initial teacher preparation through a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education, a Master of Arts in Elementary Education, and a Master of Arts in Secondary Education.
• Provide initial preparation programs for paraprofessional and child care providers through an AAS degree in Early Childhood Education.
• Extend instructive programs to additional sites in the region and state, including rural sites.
• Recruit, enroll, and support increasing numbers of Alaska Native students in teacher education programs.
• Achieve and maintain national recognition for all teacher education programs.

Serve as the state leader for advanced graduate programs increasing educator’s skills in the high-needs areas of educational technology, early childhood education and reading, special education and mathematics

Many Alaskan teachers seek to integrate technology into their classrooms and provide appropriate instruction for young children. UAS will:

• Serve the needs of Alaska’s practicing educators by offering quality graduate programs in educational technology, early childhood education, reading, special education and mathematics.
• Achieve national recognition for UAS distance-delivered graduate programs serving high needs areas.

Increase special education expertise in the region and the state

The shortage of special education teachers impacts all districts in the state and has severe implications for the educational achievement of special needs students. To help meet this need, UAS will:

• Provide a special education opportunity for Bachelor of Arts in elementary education candidates.
• Provide an effective and accessible special education undergraduate endorsement program to practicing teachers.
• Cooperate in the statewide delivery of an early childhood education AAS degree and continue its focus on special needs students.

Assist current practitioners to make progress toward their own professional development goals and to respond to the demands of state and national mandates

Design and deliver professional development programs that respond to state and national mandates and standards. UAS will:

• Provide professional development and special topics courses to strengthen paraprofessionals, teachers, and administrators throughout Alaska.
• Provide current teachers opportunities to obtain endorsements and graduate degrees in high-need areas.
• Provide teachers opportunities to achieve Alaska certification and recertification through in-service professional development.

Increase student access

To meet the demands for business, public administration, and information systems programs, UAS will:

• Increase awareness of programs through increased faculty participation in marketing and recruitment activities.
• Develop and maintain tech-prep agreements with Alaskan high schools, providing advanced and motivated high school students the opportunity to get a head start on acquiring college credit.

Provide business administration under-graduate programs to additional audiences

Advances in technology as well as the expansion of sophisticated telecommunications to additional areas of the state provide a window of opportunity. UAS will develop web-based and content-rich degree programs:

• Continue to develop Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degrees in Business Administration, Information Systems, and in Paralegal Studies with attention to course sequence.
• Expand small business management offerings as electives for the AAS degrees.
• Develop a health management curriculum for the Bachelor’s of Business Administration (BBA).
• Enrich business and information systems program offerings with e-commerce content.

Provide continuing education to government, public organizations, and private industry

Alaskans rely on the university system to provide advanced education and professional development in an accessible manner. Through cooperation within its sister campuses, UAS will:

• Continue to offer one-year certificates and the two-year AAS degree in current computer applications.
• Provide professional development opportunities to government, public organizations, and private industry.

Provide practice-oriented, Alaska relevant, Master’s Degree programs in Public Administration (MPA) and Business Administration (MBA)

The MBA and MPA programs serve Alaska by developing effective and efficient managers and administrators. UAS graduates are characterized by intellectual excellence and high ethical standards. To meet the needs of the Alaskan professional workforce, UAS will:

• Enrich the graduate degree curriculum with specialties in key disciplines such as finance.
• Continue to develop distance delivery instructional systems to reach more Alaskans.
• Increase participation of full-time faculty in the instructional delivery of graduate degrees.
• Provide support services to faculty and students for continued program quality.

Develop and deliver high-demand training and education programs in information technology

The need for technology skills are universal. To assure graduates are skilled in technology, UAS will:

• Support UAS competencies in computer literacy and information resources with a new general education course offering.
• Assist other disciplines to embed technology competencies into degree content to strengthen the liberal arts education base.
• Match student technology competency outcomes with employer technology skill requirements, such as CISCO networking and A+, for nationally recognized certification.
• Build lasting partnerships with Alaskan technology employers through active advisory councils.

Provide nursing education on all three campuses

There is a well documented need for nurses in all health care institutions in the region as a result of high turnover and the aging nurse population in addition to the increased interest in nursing education in all Southeast communities, indicate that UAS should provide regular access to nursing training. To meet this demand, UAS will:

• Expand Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) training on all three campuses, including distance delivery beyond Juneau, Ketchikan, and Sitka.
• Provide the UAA Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) program offerings on an “as needed” offering based on community needs in Juneau, Ketchikan, and Sitka.
• Continue to prepare highly-qualified students to successfully participate in the UAA Associate Nursing program now scheduled for regular offerings to Juneau, Ketchikan, and Sitka.
• Advise and prepare transfer students for entry into the UAA and other university Bachelor Degree in Nursing (BSN) programs.
• Promote and support students in Southeast who are pursuing the distance-delivered UAA BSN completion program as part of a career ladder approach for the professional development of our regional nursing workforce.
• Collaborate with the UAA School of Nursing, Recruiting and Retaining Alaska Natives in Nursing Program (RRANN) to provide regional outreach and academic support programs for the recruitment and retention of Alaska Native students into nursing careers.

Provide training in selected allied health occupations on an as-needed basis

Allied health occupations experience periodic shortages in the region. Employment opportunities for these occupations are more limited and the demand for training more sporadic than the nursing profession. In addition, training programs for these professionals often require specialized accreditation. For these reasons, UAS does not seek to develop its own programs in these areas. Rather, to meet this need regionally, UAS will:

• Cooperate with UAA, UAF, and other institutions for distance delivery of Allied Health training opportunities in our region.
• Work closely with the public school system to develop career pathways in health occupations to encourage young people into these careers.

Provide training in health systems support

A recent survey of health care providers identified a significant and continuing need for persons trained in medical records and health information management. To meet this need, UAS will:

• Increase statewide enrollments in the distance-delivered Health Information Management Certificate and Associate of Applied Sciences degree.
• Identify health management and administration training opportunities in partnership with industry.
• Collaborate with the UAS Business department in developing their health management emphasis for the Bachelor in Business Administration.

Provide programs in behavioral health

Many Alaskan communities and health agencies experience shortages in persons trained in substance abuse and mental health, although these are among the most pressing health issues in the state. To assist in providing a trained workforce in this area, UAS will:

• Cooperate with the other MAUs in developing on-campus and distance-delivered certificate and degree programs in behavioral health.
• Develop a certificate program for behavioral health technicians.
• Continue the distance delivered Bachelors of Social Work Program from UAF.
• Prepare social science students for graduate studies in social work and psychology.

Provide leadership for regional maritime workforce development

The geography of Southeast Alaska mandates a heavy reliance on marine transportation. UAS campuses have a unique niche in training for this industry and have developed and maintained partnerships with industry including Alaska Marine Highway System and Alaska Shipyard. Building on this base, UAS will:

• Strengthen and expand the U.S. Coast Guard certified marine deck operations training program at Ketchikan, including curriculum for an Able Bodied Seaman to Mate program.
• Provide for structural steel and aluminum welding programs for marine applications at Ketchikan and Sitka.
• Develop a Shipyard Production Workers Apprenticeship Program at Ketchikan.
• Provide AAS and related certificates for marine engine room training and the U.S. Coast Guard documented Oilers program at Juneau.

Support workforce development process for key Southeast Alaska industries

Economic development in Southeast Alaska is resource based: timber, fisheries, minerals, water, and tourism. Development of our regional industries depends on the availability of a quality workforce. The changing economy of Southeast Alaska challenges UAS to predict what training and education programs will be needed in the future. To assist regional industries by assuring that our training programs remain relevant and contribute to the economic growth of our region, UAS will:

• Provide certificate and associate degree programs in high demand job categories including: transportation and power generation (automotive technology, diesel technology and marine operations), construction technology (building science, drafting.)
• Provide certificate and associate degree programs in natural resources (fisheries technology, forestry technology, and mining.)

Maintain program flexibility to ensure responsiveness to the educational needs of students and employers in our region

• In partnerships with industry, develop employee skills through training and continuing education, (both credit and non credit) to ensure an adequate and well-trained workforce.
• Develop alternative schedules -- including compressed semesters, all-day instruction -- that accommodate the needs of vocational-technical students and industry requirements.
• Develop faculty and staff capacity to serve as informed, community resources for individuals and industries.

Expand natural resource technology training

Natural resource technicians are employed throughout the state and region to collect air, water, biologic, and geologic data for private industry and governmental agencies. The wood products industry seeks technical assistance as it moves to value-added processing and light manufacturing.To meet these expanding needs for natural resource technicians, UAS will:

• Continue to distance deliver the AAS degree in Environmental Technology from Sitka.
• Deliver an AAS in Fisheries Technology from Ketchikan in partnership with regional industry.
• Develop and deliver a Geographical Information System (GIS) technician certificate program at Ketchikan.

Facilitate continuing education programs

Facilitate continuing education programs which meet local needs for workforce development and upgrade opportunities

• Develop and deliver ongoing industry certification training programs to meet local, state, and federal workforce requirements.
• Facilitate certified public manager program/courses for public and non-profit agency employees.
• Form partnerships with appropriate agencies to respond to new industry development by providing start-up training.
• Foster academic achievement and career development for secondary students through tech prep initiatives.
• Develop partnership with secondary schools to strengthen math and science achievement and foster career development in high demand occupations.
• Foster academic education and vocational training for the health care industry through partnerships with appropriate agencies.