To: U of A Study Group members
From: Pat Pitney
Subject: Responses to questions

Following are responses to various questions from the Study Group. Please let Duane know if you have any more questions you need answered.

Two additional documents are attached. They will be sent via Yahoo to those of you with known attachment problems.

Q-There was some concern that the WICHE program might have had some unintended consequences. This is in contrast to the perception that the WWAMI program works well. Can you provide some basic information on the WICHE program, such as participants, cost, etc?

There are 1,550 students from Alaska participating in the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program. Students from the 15 states participating in WUE can attend public institutions in any other WUE state at a tuition rate of 1.5 times the in-state charges, rather than paying full out-of-state tuition charges. The number of students coming to Alaska on the WUE program has doubled in the last three years to 183. Alaskans account for 9% of total WUE program participants, down from 11% three years ago. Alaska remains the largest net exporter of students in the program.

An analysis of the programs chosen by WUE students in 1998 showed that Alaskans attending out-of-state were enrolled in 71 programs not offered at UA. There were however, other Alaskan students enrolled in 41 programs that were available within the UA system. We plan to conduct another analysis of programs based on 2001 WUE enrollment. Although UA has implemented 23 new programs in the last three years, I do not believe the WUE numbers will change dramatically for at least another 3-5 years.

A survey of University of Alaska students indicated that their decision to attend UA was determined by price and location, not programs. According to national surveys students choose institutions primarily for their program of study; this is true for our peer institutions. Until the University of Alaska offers a broader array of programs to attract more students Alaska will continue to be a net exporter of students.

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Q - What is the extent of the relationship between UA and (a) Alaska high school counselors, and (b) outside high school counselors? Seems this is a fairly important link between UA and the student pool they would like to "catch". High school counselors play a role in recruiting, but it is surprisingly small. Only 20% of Alaska high school students reported that counselors influenced their decision of where to attend.

High school counselors today are more reactive, based on student problems, rather than proactive working towards a student's future. Nonetheless, high school counselors are an important distributor of college information.

UA has enhanced (and in UAA's case established) recruitment offices on its campuses during the last three years. Members of the recruiting staff visit high schools on a regular basis. This fall, the University of Alaska and the Pacific Northwest Association of College Admission Counselors (PNACAC) will host a workshop and coffee to gain more exposure with the Alaska School Counselor's Association (ASCA) during their conference in Anchorage. Continuing efforts will be directed toward building and maintaining these high school relationships.

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Q-The following items are with respect to the issue of the "brain drain". I believe that a major component contributing to students attending schools outside is their desire to experience living in another state, another culture if you will. With that in mind, does the university offer any type of 'exchange' program that would allow a student to live for a year in another state while taking classes toward a degree through UA (i.e., something akin to an exchange program abroad)?

UA offers both the National Student Exchange and International Student Exchange Programs to full-time undergraduates. These programs allow a student to attend a participating institution at UA tuition rates. These have been popular marketing features for the UA scholars program. Another popular feature of the UA Scholars program is the option to attend out-of-state in the first year and if the "grass isn't greener out-side" return to UA for the next year on the scholars program. There has been a 55% increase during the last 3 years in the number of Alaska high school graduates who transferred back to UA from out-of -state. In 1998, 139 Alaska high school graduates transferred back. In the Fall of 2001, 215 students transferred back to Alaska. Students transferring back represent 7% of Alaska's high school graduates attending college as first-time freshmen.

Q - Student revenues and student loans. Is any information available on whether the existing Alaska student loan program encourages the "brain drain"?

Five years after the start of loan payments about 80 percent of the students who received their postsecondary education in Alaska remained in the state to work raise families and contribute to their communities. Only about half of the students who left the state for their postsecondary education returned to Alaska. This information is based on a follow-up study of Alaska student loan participants.

There is no penalty for taking the Alaska student loan out-of-state or a reward for returning to the state. It is likely that the Alaska loan program contributes to the "brain drain", however, it also provides a means for access to higher education that is otherwise not available. Alaska is the only state that provides neither needs-based nor merit-based financial aid for undergraduate students. Nationwide, states contribute $4 billion for needs and merit-based undergraduate financial aid.

Q - How many out of state students are there? What are the historical trends?

The University of Alaska had 2,280 out-of-state students during the Fall 2001 semester. This number represented about 7% of the UA student population. This was an increase from the early 1990s when out-of-state students comprised a little over 5% of the student population. UAF had the largest percentage of students from out-of-state at about 12% (about half of all UA out-of-state students), UAS had 10%, and Anchorage 5%. The increase over the last ten years was accounted for by gains at UAA and UAS as their programs matured and each campus built new student funded housing facilities.

Not all of the 2,280 out-of-state students pay out-of-state tuition. UA's tuition policy is modeled after the permanent fund residency policy. That is, if you have been in the state for a year and plan to stay in the state, you are eligible for in-state tuition. Relative to other universities this policy is generous and one that is being analyzed in the context of overall student tuition rate changes.

Q - What are the placement stats for program graduates or completers?

UA utilizes several methodologies for gathering placement statistics. Several departments and individual programs keep track of their individual graduates' residence and employment. For example, the UAF Accounting Department tracks all graduates. During the last five years over 95% of the accounting graduates have gone to work in the accounting profession or on to graduate school, primarily in an MBA program.

At the campus level, Career Services Departments conducted follow-up surveys of recent graduates. The surveys asked questions regarding college experience and satisfaction as well as employment and graduate education success. The alumni associations also track graduates, but not in terms of employment. There are also exit surveys done at the campus level to determine why students are no longer attending. For instance, an overwhelming number of the students who had stopped attending the Anchorage campus said they had met their educational goal. This indicated that not degree attainment, but retraining and continuing education were the students' goals.

The UA statewide system does comprehensive tracking of all students enrolled in vocational education and students who have received baccalaureate degrees. This tracking is coordinated with the Alaska Department of Labor.

UA also tracks all exiters of vocational education courses and programs even students who take only one course. For the 5,500 students exiting in 2000, post-training wages increased 17% over pre-training earning. Of the exiters, 73% were employed and based on PFD returns, 85% remained in Alaska. Total earnings in Alaska of these UA students prior to training was $71 million versus $87 million in the year after training. For students who completed a vocational education degree program, average earnings increased 50%. Dental hygiene students had the greatest increase after training. The average wage doubled for students who went through the dental training and over 90% were employed.

UA started tracking residency and employment for baccalaureate degree students who graduated after 1990. Residency, employment, and wages were tracked one year, five years, and ten years after graduation. One year after graduation 78% stayed in Alaska and over 85% of resident graduates were employed. 80% of those who graduated during the 91-95 time frame remained in the state versus the current 78%. Contributing factors were likely Alaska's declining wage base as well as job opportunities in the students' fields. For instance, accounting majors were more likely to reside in state versus computer science majors who commonly work for Microsoft and IBM out-of-state. Residency declines to 70% and 86% employed after five years. Also of interest is that UA baccalaureate graduates average an 8% wage increase per year while in Alaska real income from 1990-1998 increased 1.1% per year. Adjusting for inflation at 3%, the annual wages of UA graduates increased 5% in real dollars. Over five years - this equates to an increase of real income for UA graduates at 34% versus the Alaska average of 5.6%.

How much collaboration goes on internally within Alaska between the campuses?

Restructuring
Restructuring that began in 1987 allowed the University of Alaska (UA) to focus significantly on achieving economies of scale through consolidation and collaboration. Restructuring was the 1987 consolidation of administrative functions and academic accreditation's from 15 institutions to 3 regional Major Administrative Units (MAU's) including a main campus and associated community campuses (Prince William Sound Community College unlike the other community campuses maintained a separate community college accreditation but is part of UAA). Restructuring brought about significant collaboration between main campuses and the associated regional community campuses.

The Decade in the Desert
The decade of the 1990's was a ten-year period that accounted for a state operating funding reduction of $30 million in real dollars. This was nearly a quarter of UA's purchasing power. Consolidation and collaboration was paramount to simply maintain programs and service delivery. During this period UAA was given primary responsibility for health and education instructional programs, UAS guided distance delivery, and UAF maintained the lead in science, graduate education, and research. There was significant collaboration among the main campus and community campuses within an MAU however, except for Juneau's significant contribution to statewide distance delivery, each MAU's focus remained primarily on its own region.

Current Progress
In the last three years, true collaboration systemwide has flourished. This collaboration was in direct response to the overarching goals of meeting state needs and attracting Alaskan students. When campus collaboration was largely within an MAU, each created curriculum for a degree program. Often times the curriculums of each MAU differed for the same program title. In the last few years, the process for new program development and enhanced program delivery has progressed and follows the principles listed below:

• When possible, offer a standardized program curriculum systemwide. ·
• When a program is expensive but a state priority, use existing accredited programs and extend delivery through other campuses. ·
• When possible, deliver an entire program curriculum via distance, coordinating between MAU's for courses.

Below are a few examples of successful program implementations and delivery using these principles.

Standardize program curriculum systemwide:

• Process Technology - this program is delivered in Anchorage, Kenai, and Fairbanks using the same curriculum. It is developed in partnership with the Alaska Process Industry Careers Consortium (APICC).
• Early Childhood Development - this program is based on the federal mandate requiring Head Start employees to have degrees. UA coordinated the standardization of early childhood curriculum that was acceptable to all campuses.

Use existing accredited programs but extend delivery:

• Associate Degree in Nursing - this program is accredited through UAA's School of Nursing and is lauded for its high quality graduates. Equipment, faculty, and accreditation for the program is expensive, thus the School of Nursing is delivering the program through Tanana Valley Campus in Fairbanks, Kodiak, and new this year in Juneau. With industry support, UA is implementing a plan to double the number of UA nursing graduates in 3 years.

Deliver entire program curriculum via distance delivery:

• Associates of Arts Degree and General Education Requirements - the AA program is available systemwide via distance delivery as well as courses that will satisfy the general education requirements for a Baccalaureate degree.
• Microcomputer Support Specialist Program (MSSP) - this program is designed around industry standards and is available systemwide via distance with coordinated course delivery from several campuses. The advisory group for the program includes both industry and academic participants.

In addition to collaborative effort for instructional programs, there have been several successful efforts in research programs, and outreach. The Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) is collaborative program between UAF and UAA as well as state agencies and industry. UA is leading efforts for more comprehensive K-12 outreach including mentoring and certification training. All MAU's are involved in a combined effort.

Collaborative delivery is a cost efficient method to increase access to programs. UA is reaching more Alaskans with more programs. The progress is significant, but comes with additional cost. First, it requires statewide leadership. Second, it requires extensive up front and on-going communication among interested parties and translates to time and travel. Third, it reduces individual campus autonomy in establishing academic program requirements and changes - a pillar of the academic culture. Finally, it is program expansion, and regardless of the method expansion requires additional faculty, networks/bandwidth, equipment, classrooms/labs, and staff support.

Next Steps
The next activities for enhancing collaboration within Alaska will continue to focus on meeting state needs as well as attracting Alaskan students. Leveraging specific program expertise through collaborative is also an important next step.

UA's academic leadership is actively planning the expansion of distance delivered programs that provide broader access to students who pursue degrees in the state's priority job areas.

The technology infrastructure was completed for extensive "Hub-to-Hub" instruction in upper division and graduate course work. "Hub-to-Hub" means main campus to main campus instructional delivery. "Hub-to-Hub" delivery provides UA the ability to leverage the expertise of specialized faculty at one campus in order to efficiently increase the breadth of upper division and graduate course offerings to students located at other campuses. Lack of breadth and availability of courses within degree programs is a primary complaint of UA students. "Hub-to-Hub" instruction is not a magic bullet, but it may be part of a solution to expand UA's offerings as this method is utilized in existing and new programs.

Attachments:

WICHE Information

Collaboration Information

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Pat Pitney
Director Budget and Institutional Research
University of Alaska
Pat.Pitney@Alaska.edu
PH: (907) 474-5889 Fax: (907) 474-6682