University of Alaska President Jim Johnsen in 2017. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

University of Alaska President Jim Johnsen in 2017. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

Opinion: University of Alaska is fully committed to the student experience

Graduates are prepared to lead the way to Alaska’s future.

  • By JIM JOHNSEN
  • Wednesday, May 8, 2019 12:55pm
  • Opinion

This time of year, many Alaskans are focused on Juneau. That makes sense given the important decisions being made in our capitol, including funding for education from preschool through to the University of Alaska. While we are concerned about the uncertainty around our budget, we are not uncertain about our commitment to those who really matter to all of us at the University of Alaska — our students.

That’s because this is the time of year when thousands of UA graduates will cross a stage, receive their diploma and move out into the world. We celebrate these impressive men and women and their achievements at every level — from occupational endorsements to doctorates — and I am proud of each and every one of them for their success.

Earning a workforce endorsement or college degree requires hard work and dedication, and it is the university’s job to make the student experience as valuable, rewarding and efficient as possible. We’re not always perfect, but we are committed to providing an exceptional experience for our students as they prepare for their chosen profession and for success in an increasingly competitive world.

[University of Alaska issues layoff notices to most HR employees]

To enable prospective students to explore the entire UA system for the program best suited to their interests, we’ve created an accessible website to open all the options available at UA. Through this new virtual gateway — myfuture.alaska.edu — prospective students can create a profile and explore programs at any or all of UA’s campuses. Regardless of whether a student is new to higher education or has attended before, myfuture.alaska.edu provides information on choosing a degree, transferring credits, navigating programs, finding financial support, and other resources to help them on their higher education journey.

Along the way, our students will find opportunities for real world experiences both inside and outside of the classroom that are unique to Alaska and made possible by our many partnerships with local employers.

In Anchorage, UAA students in our Data Science and Artificial Intelligence program will soon be able to participate in an academic partnership with one of our state’s premier financial management firms.

[Opinion: Support a strong University of Alaska]

In Fairbanks, UA partners with the mining industry — a major driver of the Alaskan economy.

In Kenai and Delta, our Mining and Petroleum Training Service (MAPTS) program has provided more than 100,000 Alaskans with training and development or new occupational skills. We’ve reduced tuition in more than 300 career and technical training courses to encourage more Alaskans to gain these skills.

These are just a few examples of our commitment to the state and its goal of 65 percent of working-age Alaskans having a postsecondary credential by the year 2025. And we are committed to doing so in innovative ways, including affordable, high quality on-line programs.

UA looks to the future with optimism and vision. So let me give you a sneak peek at what UA might look like in 2040. At alaska.edu/UA2040, we visualize that future. The interactive website demonstrates how UA puts its complete focus on meeting our students’ educational interests through innovative programs that meet needs and create opportunities for a strong future for Alaska.

UA is working hard to modernize, to be more user-friendly and accessible to students and employers. We’ve recently updating our administrative functions by consolidated four administrative human resources offices into one. A single HR office with key staff at each university will improve service and reduce costs.

Despite year after year of funding cuts from the state, the University of Alaska is strong. We are the state’s largest source of a skilled workforce, from nurses, accountants and engineers to educators and project managers. We lead the world in Arctic research and serve Alaskans all across the state in areas that are important in our daily lives.

Yes, the university has many challenges, including uncertainty about our state funding. But as Alaskans have done for literally thousands of years, we face our challenges with certainty in our commitment to provide our people the skills, the knowledge, and the drive to build the Alaska we all want.

So while we await decisions from Juneau, I ask that you join your university in celebrating our graduates with confidence that they are prepared to lead the way to Alaska’s future.


• Jim Johnsen is the president of the University of Alaska. My Turns and Letters to the Editor represent the view of the author, not the view of the Juneau Empire.


More in Opinion

Web
Have something to say?

Here’s how to add your voice to the conversation.

Dan Allard (right), a flood fighting expert for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, explains how Hesco barriers function at a table where miniature replicas of the three-foot square and four-foot high barriers are displayed during an open house Nov. 14 at Thunder Mountain Middle School to discuss flood prevention options in Juneau. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: Our comfort with spectacle became a crisis

If I owned a home in the valley that was damaged by… Continue reading

The site of the now-closed Tulsequah Chief mine. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
My Turn: Maybe the news is ‘No new news’ on Canada’s plans for Tulsequah Chief mine cleanup

In 2015, the British Columbia government committed to ending Tulsequah Chief’s pollution… Continue reading

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Letter: Voter fact left out of news

With all the post-election analysis, one fact has escaped much publicity. When… Continue reading

People living in areas affected by flooding from Suicide Basin pick up free sandbags on Oct. 20 at Thunder Mountain Middle School. (City and Borough of Juneau photo)
Opinion: Mired in bureaucracy, CBJ long-term flood fix advances at glacial pace

During meetings in Juneau last week, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)… Continue reading

The Alaska Psychiatric Institute in Anchorage. (Alaska Department of Family and Community Services photo)
My Turn: Rights for psychiatric patients must have state enforcement

Kim Kovol, commissioner of the state Department of Family and Community Services,… Continue reading

The Alaska Psychiatric Institute in Anchorage. (Alaska Department of Family and Community Services photo)
My Turn: Small wins make big impacts at Alaska Psychiatric Institute

The Alaska Psychiatric Institute (API), an 80-bed psychiatric hospital located in Anchorage… Continue reading

The settlement of Sermiligaaq in Greenland (Ray Swi-hymn / CC BY-SA 2.0)
My Turn: Making the Arctic great again

It was just over five years ago, in the summer of 2019,… Continue reading

Rosa Parks, whose civil rights legacy has recent been subject to revision in class curriculums. (Public domain photo from the National Archives and Records Administration Records)
My Turn: Proud to be ‘woke’

Wokeness: the quality of being alert to and concerned about social injustice… Continue reading

President Donald Trump and Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy pose for a photo aboard Air Force One during a stopover at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage in 2019. (Sheila Craighead / White House photo)
Opinion: Dunleavy has the prerequisite incompetence to work for Trump

On Tuesday it appeared that Gov. Mike Dunleavy was going to be… Continue reading

After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, many Louisiana homes were rebuilt with the living space on the second story, with garage space below, to try to protect the home from future flooding. (Infrogmation of New Orleans via Wikimedia, CC BY-SA)
Misperceptions stand in way of disaster survivors wanting to rebuild safer, more sustainable homes

As Florida and the Southeast begin recovering from 2024’s destructive hurricanes, many… Continue reading

The F/V Liberty, captained by Trenton Clark, fishes the Pacific near Metlakatla on Aug. 20, 2024. (Ash Adams/The New York Times)
My Turn: Charting a course toward seafood independence for Alaska’s vulnerable food systems

As a commercial fisherman based in Sitka and the executive director of… Continue reading