The Alaska State Legislature recently approved funding to enhance advising throughout the University of Alaska system. The issue of advising was present at every listening session conducted by the Strategic Direction team over the past six months. Advising is a very broad based, and important topic. A common discussion point during the Strategic Direction Initiative (SDI) listening sessions was: “How college ready are incoming freshmen”? Each UA campus has tools to help answer that question. But the reality is, a growing number of incoming freshmen require some developmental courses in order to get “college ready” and succeed in their higher education endeavors. 

Emphasis on this and other advising issues will be part of the upcoming SDI meeting on July 23 where the President, Chancellors, campus leadership including the Provosts, Vice Chancellors for Student Services and Administrative Services along with System Executives will begin the process of identifying options for addressing the inputs and ideas that came from the SDI listening sessions.

These concerns were shared during Strategic Direction Listening Sessions:

"We need to work on the issue of developmental education before the student enrolls in college, not when they arrive. Maybe there should be more emphasis on Acu-Placer assessments before a student enters their senior year of high school, not their freshman year of college."

"A significant percentage of high school students that enroll in college need some kind of developmental education… that puts them at a disadvantage. We need to work closer with pre K-12."  

"We need greater outreach for our rural high school students so they have access to advanced math and science education. Many don’t have those options right now, and they are tracking right into developmental classes when they come here."

Let us know what you would like to see in your University of Alaska and be a part of “Shaping Alaska’s Future 2017!”