Arctic Leadership Initiative

Apply to join the ALI Cohort Today!

To apply, you will need to include or upload answers to the following questions:

• How does Alaska fit into your future plans?  Do you see yourself staying in Alaska or possibly returning in a few years if you decided to leave?
  • Cut/paste answer into application form, max 650 characters, approx 100 words.
• What motivates your studies? What are you passionate about?
  • Cut/paste answer into application form, max 650 characters, approx 100 words.
    
    
•  Essay: Please describe someone you consider to be a leader. This can be someone you know personally (family, community member) or a university, state or national leader. Tell us what makes them a good leader and what you admire about them.
  • Upload as a written narrative of 1,000 words (Word/PDF) or as a 5-7 minute audio or video file (MOV, MP4, AVI, MP3 or WAV). Please follow this naming convention: lastname-firstname-leader.
    
    
• Essay: The spring 2025 ALI student retreat (April 1) will be held at UAA in conjunction with the Arctic Encounter Symposium (April 2-4) in Anchorage. Please tell us how you would benefit from attending the Arctic Encounter Symposium.
  • Upload as a written narrative of 1,000 words (Word/PDF) or as a 5-7 minute audio or video file (MOV, MP4, AVI, MP3 or WAV). Please follow this naming convention: lastname-firstname-AES.

For Faculty

Become a Faculty Mentor - more information coming soon
Faculty mentorship will be a key part of the Arctic Leadership Initiative. Up to 20 faculty will serve as program mentors and will participate in retreats, lecture cohorts, add new curriculum, and provide other support to students.

 UA’s Arctic Leadership Initiative is a critical investment in the future of the Arctic. By leveraging the expertise of distinguished faculty and fostering new leaders, UA is ensuring that Alaskans will play a pivotal role in shaping the Arctic's future.

For External Partners

We believe investing in the education and development of the next generation of Arctic leaders is critically important to Alaska and the nation. We recognize the University of Alaska’s responsibility to meet that need, and we ask you to help us by becoming a partner in the UA Arctic Leadership Initiative.

Our inaugural student cohort will be launched in January 2025. Initiative partners have a critical role by providing real-world experiences and networking opportunities for students. We invite you to become a partner by offering the following in-kind support:

• Participate in a retreat with Arctic scholars and other initiative partners (April 1, 2025 at the UAA Gorsuch Commons)

• Share information at the retreat to help student teams identify a systemic issue or opportunity in the Arctic for the students to address in a group project;

• Stay in contact with a student team as they continue their work during the semester;

• Participate as student teams report on their approach and findings;

• Consider offering one or more internships to scholars participating in the initiative; and,

• Provide feedback to improve the experience for future students and partners.

For more information on becoming a partner, please contact Kristel Komakhuk