The University of Alaska: How Is It Doing? Item Type Report Authors Kassier, Theodore; Hill, Alexandra Publisher Institute of Social and Economic Research, University of Alaska Anchorage Download date 30/09/2021 15:50:40 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/11122/4428 The University of Alaska: How Is It Doing? By Theodore L. Kassier and Alexandra Hill May 2008 UA Research Summary No. 12 Institute of Social and Economic Research • University of Alaska Anchorage Recent reports on higher education in the U.S. say it’s in trouble— that hundreds of small, remote communities scattered across Alaska’s 375 mil- it’s too expensive, doesn’t offer enough need-based aid, isn’t educating lion acres. Most are far from roads and college campuses, and they typically people for today’s jobs, doesn’t demand enough of instructors or students, have limited Internet connections. That makes higher education less acces- and isn’t sufficiently accountable topolicymakers and taxpayers.1 sible for Alaskans who can’t afford to attend classes on campus or don’t have Is the University of Alaska (UA)—the state’s only public university adequate technology to take online distance-education courses. —offering a good, affordable education for Alaskans? This paper looks at Many of the state’s remote communities are Alaska Native villages. that question. It first presents the available data on various measures and Students from those communities face extra challenges if they enroll on then summarizes successes and continuing challenges for UA. It ends with a urban campuses, adjusting to life in much larger places and to cultural dif- discussion of how UA and the state are addressing higher-education issues ferences. They are often the first in their families to attend college. and what other steps they might consider. UA also has considerably more older and part-time students than the UA has made substantial progress on a number of goals in the past average university, although more students just out of high school have decade. For example, it’s attracting a growing share of Alaska’s college- been enrolling in recent years. Part-time students don’t all work toward bound freshmen, and it’s educating many more students for jobs in degrees—they may just want specific courses—and if they are earning high-demand areas like health care and technology. The school’s overall degrees it takes longer. There are no good current measures of how well UA retention and graduation rates are improving. retains these part-time students or how many do get degrees, compared But UA also faces many of the same issues as other public universities— with full-time students who come right out of high school. like sharp increases in tuition and Map 1. University of Alaska Major and Community Share of Students by Campus significant numbers of students a Campuses and Number of Students by Campus, Fall 2007 (32,166 total students ) who come out of high school 11% unable to read, write, or do math UAS 29% 60% at college-level. UAF UAA Geography and population also create special challenges for University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) UA. Most Alaskans live in or near Chukchi (Kotzebue) 206 Northwest (Nome) urban areas, but there are also Kotzebue Community campuses at Fairbanks Bristol Bay (Dillingham) Tanana Valley 3,194 Kuskokwim (Bethel) Figure 1. UA and Other Interior/Aleutians 441 Interior/Aleutians (Fairbanks) Rural College 2,149 Rural College (Fairbanks) U.S. Public Universitiesa 5,336 Tanana Valley (Fairbanks) 520 Fairbanks Students 24 or younger Nome University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) UA 48% Kenai Peninsula (Soldotna and Homer) Kodiak (Kodiak city) U.S. 64% Mat-Su (Palmer) Part-time students Prince William Sound Community College (Valdez) UA 62% 1,535 University of Alaska Southeast (UAS, Juneau) Palmer U.S. 43% 15,250 Sitka 301 Anchorage 1,224 Ketchikan Women students Bethel Valdez 1,100b UA 61% 2,599 KPC-Soldotna Juneau (UAS) U.S. 57% 500b Minorityy studentsb 676 KPC-Homer Dillingham 834 UA 27% Sitka Major campuses 480 U.S. 33% 540 Ketchikan Kodiak Community campuses aStudents at public 4-and 2-year Other Alaska communities schools. UA gures as of Fall 2007 Major Roads and nationwide 2005. a b Among students who reported Full- and part-time students. Some students enroll on more than one campus, so the sum of students by campus is larger than the unduplicated ethnicity. At UA in 2007, 7% of statewide count. Also, besides major and community campuses, UA also has a number of extension sites and centers. Students at such sites are included students didn’t report ethnicity. in the totals for the campuses they are aliated with. Sources: Digest of Education Statistics; bThe Kenai Peninsula community campus has locations in both Soldotna and Homer. UA Statewide Planning and Budget Oce Sources: UA Statewide Planning and Budget Development; UAA Institutional Planning, Research, and Assessment The University of Alaska reports annually to the state legislature on how Figure 2. Students Who Started High School in 2000 well it is responding to Alaskans’ educational needs and helping support the economy—as shown by graduation rates, degrees in high-demand job Alaska U.S. Average Didn’t graduate 33% 26% areas, and other measures. Here we use those performance measures and Graduated in 2004 67% 74% other data to look at quality, affordability, and other issues. CHANGES AT UA, 2000-2007 Didn’t start college Started college Didn’t start college Started college Alaska has a number of private colleges and universities, as well as 34% 33% 26% 46% career and technical schools. But UA is the only public university, and it is College in College in many times larger than any private school. It has open enrollment, accept- home state 20% home state 38% ing anyone who has graduated from high school. In 2007, enrollment was Source: Digest of Education Statistics 2006 about 32,000. It has three major campuses—Fairbanks, Anchorage, and ATTRA C TING AND KEE P ING ST U DENTS Juneau—as well as 13 community campuses and a number of extension How well UA attracts and retains students—especially full-time stu- sites and centers affiliated with the campuses (Map 1). dents working toward degrees—is one measure of the quality of educa- Table 1 shows recent changes at UA. Enrollment, including both full- tion the school is offering. But it also reflects how accessible and affordable and part-time students, was about 5% higher in 2007 than in 2000, but it’s UA is for Alaskans. been relatively flat in the past several years. Student credit hours were 16% • UA and the state’s private colleges and universities have been attracting higher in 2007 than in 2000, reflecting a combination of more full-time more of the high-school students who do go on to college. In 1996, 42% of students and bigger course loads among part-time students. Alaska’s college-bound freshmen enrolled in two- or four-year programs at Several factors, including inflation, pushed spending for instruction up UA and private colleges here. By 2004, that share was 60% and by 2006 an 77% from 2000 to 2007. UA also enrolled more students and offered more estimated 63% (Figure 3). That still falls short of the U.S. average of 81% of credit hours; developed and offered new degree programs, some of which freshmen attending college in their own states. But remember that in other required labs and other extra equipment or facilities; added nearly 350 new states, students can choose from more in-state colleges and universities. full-time faculty and relied proportionately less on part-time, temporary Figure 3. College-Bound Freshmen* faculty; and paid more for health care and retirement costs. Attending College in Their Home States PRE P ARATION FOR COLLEGE Alaska U.S. Average 1996 42% 81% Table 1. Change at University of Alaska, 2000-2007* 2004 60% 81% 2000 2007 Change, 2000-07 2006 63% Enrollment 30,480 32,166 +5% *Students who graduated from high school within the previous year and enrolled in institutions that grant either 2-year or 4-year degrees. Credit hours, fall semester 219,265 254,875 +16% Sources: Digest of Education Statistics for 1996 and 2004. 2006 Alaska Full-time faculty 979 1,320 +35% gure is an estimate of UA Statewide Planning and Budget Oce. +2% Part-time faculty 1,134 1,161 • The UA Scholars Program—an initiative started in 1999—is also Instructional expenditures $102 million $181 million +77% attracting more of Alaska’s top high-school students. It offers four-year * Fall semester Source: University of Alaska Statewide Planning and Budget Development scholarships to students graduating in the top 10% of their classes. Before A challenge for UA—and a problem for Alaska—is that so few high- the program started, about 14% of top high-school students enrolled at school students go on to college. As Figure 2 shows, a third of Alaska’s high- UA. In recent years that share has varied between 40% and 47%. school students don’t graduate, and another third graduate but don’t enroll • UA is retaining more of the degree-seeking freshmen it attracts. In 2007, in college. The remaining third graduate and enroll in college—but some UA retained nearly three-quarters of the students who started as freshmen enroll in colleges outside Alaska. So in the end, only one-fifth of Alaska’s the year before (Figure 4). That was close to the U.S. average for retaining high-school students enroll in colleges and universities in Alaska.