FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTVF) – A digital shift in postsecondary education during the COVID-19 pandemic is contributing to a new proposal to combine two University of Alaska campuses.
The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) has proposed an idea for its Interior Alaska Campus (IAC) to become a Community Technical College (CTC).
“We believe that combining CTC’s expertise with IAC’s relationships and knowledge of serving rural students will truly be in the best interest of students across the Inland region,” said UAF Rural, Community. , said Charlene, Vice-Chancellor for Indigenous Education. Stern said Tuesday.
CTC has more than 50 certificate and degree programs and studies ranging from aviation maintenance to nursing, and its main building is located on Barnett Street near the outer edge of downtown Fairbanks.
IAC serves dozens of rural communities across the state. There are five sub-regions: Tok, McGrath, Nenana, Yukon Flats and Yukon-Koyukuk, but the hub is located in the Harper Building on the UAF campus in Fairbanks.
IAC lists six academic programs on its website, including areas of study such as tribal governance and content creation.
Before the pandemic, Stern said, IACs were often the only higher education institutions in rural communities, doing so through on-site teaching and learning.
But as a cultural phenomenon, the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted many programs to computer screens, accelerated the evolution of online coursework, and changed the way some students prefer to take and complete courses. It changed the landscape of post-secondary education.
“What ended up happening with the pandemic was a lot of other providers moved things online, and students, in most cases, were able to enjoy that increased access and access to educational opportunities. You don’t necessarily have to go through some of these campuses anymore,” Stern said.
IAC enrollment decreased by about 25% from 2019 to 2020, from 349 to 264, according to a UAF fact sheet. The number of registrants has not recovered for several years since then, dropping to 255 in 2021, 259 in 2022, and 264 in 2023.
CTC’s student body in 2023 will be approximately 2,300 students, representing approximately 31% of UAF’s enrollment. CTC enrollment is also low compared to 2019 levels, but the decline is small at 9.5%.
Exactly which CTC programs the university will offer to the IAC community has not yet been determined. Although much of the expanded course and program offerings will be online, Stern said some in-person CTC course offerings will be delivered by traveling instructors in the remote communities that IAC currently serves. He added that it may be possible.
She said that while consolidating the campuses under the CTC banner may result in some savings, budget is not the main driver of the proposal.
“This move is consistent with our general approach and values of serving all regions across Alaska, considering the needs of different regions individually and seeking to meet those needs. ,” Stern said.
UAF says IAC students should not expect any disruption to their current academic programs based on this proposal. The university also said IAC staff will be transferred to CTC, but no job losses are expected.
The UA Board of Directors will take up the proposal at its Nov. 7 and Nov. 8 meetings in Fairbanks, but a UAF spokesperson said the agenda will not be made public until “later this week.”
If passed, the merger would become effective on July 1, 2025.
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