Proposal would join Interior Alaska Campus, CTC

Proposal would join Interior Alaska Campus, CTC

The University of Alaska Fairbanks is proposing to combine two of its Interior community campuses as part of a new effort to boost access to postsecondary education in rural Alaska.

The University of Alaska Board of Regents is scheduled to consider the plan at its November meeting. If approved by the board, the change would go into effect on July 1, 2025.

Under the proposal, the Interior Alaska Campus, which serves dozens of rural communities throughout Interior Alaska, will become part of the UAF Community and Technical College. CTC offers more than 50 degree and specialized training programs.

"This change is designed to increase educational opportunities in communities throughout Interior Alaska," said Charlene Stern, UAF's vice chancellor for rural, community and Native education. "It brings together the breadth of CTC's academic programs with the Interior Alaska Campus' expertise in serving rural students and communities. Ultimately, that will allow students throughout Interior Alaska more options for accessing educational programs that meet their personal and professional goals."

Students currently enrolled at the Interior Alaska Campus should expect little, if any, disruption to their academic program as a result of this change. Employees will transfer to CTC. No job losses are anticipated.

Stern said the goal of the proposed change is to help UAF to be even more responsive to the unique needs of employers and students in rural Alaska.

"Students today have so many more options than they did 10 years ago, especially with the growth of online and hybrid degree programs," she said. "This is an opportunity to explore new models that increase rural access to the full breadth of UAF programs that our students want and deserve."

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