The following document is intended to foster discussion within the study group. It is largely a compendium of thoughts offered during the sessions to date. It is not conceived as anything close to final, rather as a tool to help focus and stimulate discussion.

1. What is the University of Alaska? A brief history and discription of the University of Alaska and its major academic units

1. Definition of “University” by Random House Webster’s College Dictionary (1998) “An institution of learning of the highest level, comprising a college of liberal arts, a program of graduate studies, and several professional schools, and authorized to confer both undergraduate and graduate degrees.”
2. History
3. Organizational structure
4. Financial summary
5. Relationship to other institutions of higher education in Alaska

2. Statewide visions (roles) for the University of Alaska

1. Help Alaska and its citizens improve our quality of life and economic circumstances through teaching, research and service.
2. Become an innovative, leading institution serving Alaska.
3. Following are from James R. Johnson:
4. Economic
   1. Train students for employment in the workforce and the professions
   2. Provide continuing education as job requirements change
   3. Conduct basic and applied research in areas of relevance to the state and the nation
   4. Provide expert advice and consultation to small businesses and individuals
   5. Stimulate entrepreneurship within and outside the institution
5. Political
   1. Instill and practice values of democracy, self-discipline and civic responsibility
   2. Provide venues for exploration and debate of contentious issues
   3. Develop leadership among Alaska’s young people
      
6. Social
   1. Enhance social mobility through educational opportunity
   2. Provide transitional institutions for young adults
   3. Serve as vehicle for social change
   4. Contribute to the quality of life in Alaska through athletic, cultural and intellectual events

3. Alternate visions (roles)

1. "All things to all people"
2. The university as an “economic engine”

4. Steps to achieve these visions (roles)

c. Provide a unique combination of quality post-secondary teaching, research, service and intellectual leadership needs to all Alaskans:

1. The three major campuses have a broad base including liberal arts and sciences, a community college and vocational and technical schools.
2. Each campus has a narrower array of upper division programs and courses that complement its centers of excellence.
3. Postgraduate programs at each campus are based on regional centers of excellence.

d. Continue developing strong central administration, asset allocation and decision making
e. Benefits of developing and maintaining a comprehensive strategic planning process (Currently focusing on 2009 -- the 50th anniversary of statehood)

1. Distills a coordinated vision for the overall university and its component units
2. Allocates resources in a planned vs. political fashion
3. Provides year-to-year continuity
4. Provides an understandable direction that helps students, teachers, legislators and citizens relate to the university.

f. Build world-class research competencies based on natural statewide and regional strengths and needs.
g. Serve as a conduit between research and application in Alaska.
h. Work cooperatively and creatively, both internally and externally, to achieve maximum total post-educational opportunities in Alaska.
i. Be an economic engine to propel the state into self-sustaining prosperity with opportunity for all Alaskans.
j. Be accountable, cost effective and efficient.
k. Enhance the intellectual and cultural environment of communities.

3. Statewide needs that U of A could meet

1. Keep more post secondary students in Alaska.
2. Thoughtful analysis of public policy issues
3. Post secondary remedial education
4. Training for existing industries
5. Identification of future economic opportunities and training for them
6. Fill in needed cultural opportunities
7. Be a catalyst for intellectual, scientific, technical and business innovation
8. Need to create an “Alaskanized” workforce with useful training and a realistic understanding of the Alaska operating environment.

4. Identify and discuss policy questions

5. Questions to follow-up

1. If we were legislators, how would we fit U of A funding into overall state fiscal priorities?
2. Is there a paragon university elsewhere from which we can learn? (Maine, Montana, North Dakota, Idaho, University of Phoenix)
3. Can we partner with other institutions?
4. Does existing research meet Alaska’s needs?
5. To what extent should research focus on local needs? On known versus potential needs?
6. How are needs currently determined?
7. How can we capitalize on our high part time student ratio?
8. Does the money go where students are?
9. How does the Fairbanks-Juneau connection work in relationship to funding?
10. Discuss appropriateness of the three tier system of three major academic units (Fairbanks, Anchorage and Southeast) each with satellite campuses and small extension centers.
11. What is the university not capable of? What are the outer boundaries?
12. Are existing facilities being used efficiently?
13. What does it take to change an institution?
14. How do decisions get made in a university?
15. Survey: why do professors come to Alaska? Why have they stayed or left? What benefits would enhance their job experience? Are there existing comparative studies?
16. How does the university fit into the economic framework of the state?

6. Challenges, conflicts and disconnects

1. Continued need to integrate the university and community colleges.
2. Need for enhanced system wide strategic planning at the Board of Regents level.
3. Need to transition from congressional grants to more competitive grants; e.g. NSF and NIH
4. Research does not necessarily accommodate Alaska needs.
5. Need to develop more income sources
6. The connection with secondary education and huge need for remedial learning
7. Identify centers of excellence
8. Under-funding
9. Tuition and salaries
10. We lose top students to Outside
11. Disconnect between university and communities
12. No clear goal articulation
13. No clear niches
14. Overall Alaska disconnect: no goals, economic or fiscal plan. Chicken and egg relationship with the university
15. Need to match incremental funding and programs to gaps between needs and current abilities
16. $150 million in deferred maintenance

7. Successes and positive examples

1. University of Alaska Scholars program -- keeping _ of qualifying seniors in Alaska
2. Global logistics program at UAA

8. "Myths" or common beliefs to explore (and de-bunk?)

1. The U of A is (is not) resource constrained.
2. Resources may not be fairly distributed
3. The U of A is arrogant and not responsive to the community
4. The cost/benefit ratio of rural education doesn’t pay off
5. Staff is overpaid and not productive

9. Possible sub groups

1. Comparison benchmarking, ideas and future concepts from other comparable land grant or paragon institutions Outside
2. Task force to generate questions to submit to UA

10. Constraints

1. Open admission policy
2. Financial limitations
   1. Legislature
   2. Tuition
   3. Research
   4. Limited alumni base
3. Limited population base
4. Limited economic base
   1. Affects research
   2. Affects ability to hire teachers
   3. Affects fund raising

11. Missions and Goals

The following list can be applied to each of the three major campuses and the rural campuses, as well as to statewide.

1. University of Alaska System
   1. Stated mission
   2. Stated goals
      1. Teaching
         Research
         Service
   3. Strengths
      1. Teaching
      2. Research
      3. Service
   4. Weaknesses
      1. Teaching
      2. Research
      3. Service
   5. Opportunities
      1. Teaching
      2. Research
      3. Service
   6. Threats
      1. Teaching
      2. Research
      3. Service
   7. Key strategies
   8. Policy Recommendations

12. Potential speakers/sources of information

1. Faculty (From each campus? From the community colleges?) Faculty senates possibly an excellent interface.
2. Students, Regents, Legislators, Governor(s)
3. Representatives of the rural campuses
4. Community college representatives
5. Community members (those without a vested interest)
6. Other post-secondary institutions (APU, Charter, Sheldon Jackson)
7. Vocational and technical representatives (faculty, AVTEC, unions?)
8. Employers
9. Federal and state agencies
10. Human resource organizations
11. Administrators (Wendy Redman for outreach, basic economic overview with Joe Beedle, Pat Pitney for internal visioning, etc)
12. Outside experts with a non-Alaskan perspective.
13. Panel discussion on accreditation and hiring needs
14. Can the Study Group send a delegate to the planning process meeting?

The following are from James R. Johnson’s presentation to the Study Group on June 5, 2002:

How can the University best fulfill these obligations to Alaska?

1. Assess the needs of the state, its institutions, its employers, and its people
2. Determine the most effective manner to meet the highest priority needs
3. Obtain the human, financial, and physical resources necessary to meet those needs
4. Deliver relevant programs and services in the most efficient and accountable manner
5. Ensure the public understands the value of higher education and the quality of the University of Alaska
6. Invest in the University’s capacity to:
   1. Adapt to the changing needs of students, employers, and the state
   2. Compete for research grants
   3. Recruit and retain the best faculty and staff
   4. Deliver high quality academic programs to students
   5. Build long lasting partnerships with external groups
   6. Advocate its interests
7. Manage the creative tension between institutional accountability and institutional autonomy

How do issues such as costs, resources, competing choices and constraints (both internal and external) affect the ability of the University to fulfill its roles and responsibilities?

What should be done to maximize the University’s ability to fulfill its roles and responsibilities?

1. Internal to the University

1. Clarify/differentiate statewide missions of each major campus, building on strengths
2. Improve alignment of academic programs, human resources, student recruitment and retention, and physical infrastructure with campus missions
3. Support innovative outreach programs to K-12
4. Assess state research, teaching, and service needs; promote faculty who meet needs
5. Invest research focus on enhancing competitive capacity and partnerships with industry
6. Improve integration of statewide responsiveness to external needs with internal strengths
7. Increase tuition
8. Develop leadership to continue positive momentum
9. Maintain sufficient autonomy to foster creative environment

2. External to the University

1. Invest in higher education at national average, 12 percent of operating budget from current 8 percent
2. Improve high school graduation and college attendance rates
3. Support sustainable economic development through improved transportation infrastructure, expedited permitting, investment in applied research, and workforce training
4. Continue to demand strict accountability while defending sufficient autonomy

13. The Charge

14. Members of the Study Group

15. Resource people

16. The Commonwealth North Board of Directors