Last week the Strategic Direction team conducted a listening session with members of the University of Alaska Foundation Board of Trustees. Here are some of the comments that came out of that listening session:

For the last two or three years UAF has run an intensive month long summer program called the SMART Academy. This program actually recruits middle school kids that, but for this program (combining athletics with math and reading), could find themselves having trouble transitioning from middle school to high school. It is such a critical time for these students, and this kind of program is making a difference.

There is a proposal in the President’s budget plan for joint industry research funding that would target the state’s heavy oil resources. Alaska has a tremendous pool of engineering and technical specialists, and the University should be the where this vital research is centered. 

The importance of focusing on early education at mile zero of the education pipeline is critical to having college ready students enroll and succeed in our University system. Right now the numbers of students who enroll in the system and require remedial classes in order to get on track are too high.   

The Coalition of Student Leaders will take part in an internal stakeholder listening session Friday, March 16, at 10 am. The session will be conducted via teleconference and will include members of the coalition.

UAF Kuskokwim community leaders will be in Bethel on Monday, March 19. Part of their daylong strategic planning meetings will be a Strategic Direction listening session. The session will take place at 12 pm on the campus in Bethel.

The Strategic Direction team will be on the UAA Kodiak College campus March 22. Staff will meet at 10 a.m. Faculty is scheduled to meet at 2 p.m. Students will begin their meeting at 3 p.m. All meetings will be held on the campus. 

It’s easy to take our survey. All you have to do is click here , and be a part of “Shaping Alaska’s Future 2017”!

For a printable pdf of this newsletter, click here.