For more information contact UAS Information Officer Kevin Myers at 796-6530 or by email.

Current Release

Archived Releases

October 27, 2004
UAS, KTOO and First National Bank Alaska Team for Education

The The University of Alaska Southeast, KTOO-TV and First National Bank Alaska are joining forces to encourage Alaska's students to finish high school and to attend college. "Most of the well-paying jobs in Alaska require at least some college or post-secondary training," said UAS Chancellor John Pugh. "With a generous donation from First National, our staff can now visit with hundreds of students throughout Southeast to tell them about opportunities to succeed in college."

A very small percentage of Alaska high school graduates move on to college, creating a challenge for the Alaskan workforce,” Pugh said.

To help more high school students understand the services and opportunities available to help them succeed in college, First National Bank Alaska is joining with UAS to bring information about financial aid and scholarships to high school students in every village in Southeast over the next three years. The staff will help explain the financial aid and scholarship options available to students. "First National's gift will help us encourage students to focus on high school graduation and to start thinking about college as an option," Pugh said.

Part of the First National Bank Alaska grant funded a three-part television series called The Alaska College Track, which was co-produced by UAS and KTOO. The series is simulcast on Alaska One and ARCS Sundays Nov. 7, 14 and 21 at 5 PM following the PBS-produced The College Track that airs at 4 PM. On KAKM Anchorage, Alaska College Track is broadcast at 3:26 PM following the national series that airs at 2:30 p.m.

Both shows take a look at the national educational system 50-years after the landmark Brown versus the Board of Education decision that outlawed separate but equal schools and explores America's commitment to equal access to higher education through the stories of students struggling to become the first in their families to attend college.

While the PBS-produced segments focus on the Lower 48, The Alaska College Track segments tell the stories of rural Southeast Alaskans transitioning between high school and the rest of their lives. KTOO Producer Katie Bausler interviewed high school and college students, teachers and administrators, Native Elders and parents to paint a picture of the secondary educational landscape in places such as Craig, Klawock, Yakutat, and Hydaburg. The show highlights the challenges and the successes in those communities. 

"In Native students, we found a strong cultural link to educational success wherever we went," said Bausler. "Students highly involved in their Alaska Native culture through dance, carving or Tlingit language seem more likely to get on and stay on the college track."

"The UAS staff has created an interactive CD and informational packets called the Trail Guide that they will leave in the villages," said UAS Dean of Students Paul Kraft. "The Trail Guide is a tool that helps high school students walk through potential career tracks by answering a series of questions about their hobbies, interests and strengths. This is going to open a lot of eyes to options that I think many students didn’t know were out there."

"It is part of our strategic focus to build partnerships that strengthen the economic and social wellbeing of the communities that make-up Southeast," said Chancellor Pugh. "I think this partnership is a very good example of three organizations doing what they do best, to make a positive impact in the community."

Contacts:
Kevin Myers UAS 796-6530
Lyn Whitley FNBA 777-3423
Katie Bausler KTOO 463-6460

-30-

News Release Home / Archive Home / Back to 2004 archives