September 3, 2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 3, 2024

University of Alaska Regents to celebrate start of academic year, consider budget proposals at September meeting

(FAIRBANKS) - The University of Alaska (UA) Board of Regents will meet in Juneau this week as the UA System begins the academic year. Regents will meet on the University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) campus for their full board meeting on September 5-6, and the board’s Ad Hoc Committee on Recruitment, Retention, and Graduation will meet the day prior.

The meeting occurs as the university continues positive momentum on enrollment and retention from the summer, which saw increases and expansion of the flagship UA Scholars Program and Alaska Performance Scholarship (APS). UA is on track for a fourth consecutive semester of student credit hour (SCH) growth this fall, with preliminary numbers showing at least a 2% increase.

“I’m excited to welcome UA students back to our campuses this fall for another semester of learning, growth, and development,” UA President Pat Pitney said. “UA empowers Alaska, and the last two years of fiscal stability from the state and leadership from the Board of Regents are key to the university’s positive trajectory. I’m looking forward to the discussions this week that will help us continue progressing.”

Celebrating Progress

This fall marks the enrollment of the 25th class of UA Scholars. Created in 1999 to encourage Alaska high school students to attend and graduate from college in their home state, the UA Scholars Program awards a $15,000 academic scholarship to the top 10% of each high school’s graduating class. During the Friday board meeting, the Board will pass a resolution celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the program, which has awarded over $76 million in scholarships since its inception.

“It is an honor to welcome the incoming 25th class of UA Scholars to our university system, and to celebrate the program’s impact on our state,” President Pitney remarked. “Our efforts to retain the state’s best and brightest are part of the reason Alaskans’ confidence in the university continues to grow.”

A spring 2024 survey showed that Alaskans' approval of and confidence in the UA system is growing. Among the findings:

  • 84% of Alaskans now believe UA is a good investment for the state, a notable increase from 79% in 2021 
  • Confidence in the UA system grew, with a significant 3-point increase in overall trust (66% from 63% in 2021)
  • 2/3 of respondents consider the UA system very important to the state, consistent with 2021
  • 84% of Alaskans believe UA positively impacts the state, an increase from 80% in 2021

Ensuring Long-Term Sustainability

During the September 4 Ad-Hoc Committee Meeting, Regents will hear updates on other scholarships and student aid opportunities. The discussion comes after expansions of the Alaska Performance Scholarship (APS) and UA Scholars Program earlier this year, which, when combined, now make up to $43,000 in scholarships available to qualified Alaskans.

“A college education in Alaska has never been more accessible or manageable,” said President Pitney. “The flexibility and expanded eligibility of APS and the UA Scholars Program, combined with our breadth of programs from certificates to Ph. Ds, means that more Alaskans will be able to access the training and education our state needs to build and sustain our workforce.”

The expansion of APS and UA Scholars are just two of the many innovative strategies UA is implementing to maintain the affordability of our universities, even in the face of increased operational expenses.  

Regents will review the first draft of the UA’s FY26 budget proposal, which includes modest tuition increases for Fall 2025 to help manage those rising costs. Thanks to fiscal stability from the State of Alaska, UA has held most tuition rates flat for the last several years. However, to help keep pace with rising costs, the Board is considering a modest tuition rate increase for the Fall 2025 Semester - 3% to resident tuition and 5% to non-resident tuition. Fall 2024 rates have already been set, and include no increases from the previous year.

Empowering Alaska’s Future

On Friday, the Board will receive an update on the Roadmap to Empower Alaska. The Roadmap is a strategic guidance framework approved in February that is built upon three pillars representing the Board’s long-term vision for the university system: 

  • financially responsible and future-focused;
  • state and Arctic leadership;
  • quality education and reputation.

Also on Friday, Senior Director for Alaska Native Success and Partnerships Kristel Komakhuk will present an update on the Alaska Native Success Initiative (ANSI), and Chief Information Technology Officer Ben Shier will lead a discussion on artificial intelligence (AI). 

During Thursday’s committee meetings, the Audit and Finance Committee (8:00 a.m.) will receive a financial briefing from Chief Financial Officer Luke Fulp, highlighting drivers of rising fixed costs and UA’s efforts to actively manage those expenses. John Bittner, Alaska Small Business Development Center (SBDC) executive director, will provide a report on the State Small Business Credit Initiative, or SSBCI. SSBCI is a program funded by the U.S. Department of the Treasury designed to boost lending and investment in Alaska’s small businesses. SBDC has distributed over $76 million in loans to nearly 100 small businesses statewide.

The Facilities and Land Management Committee (10:00 a.m.*) will receive updates on multiple development projects and the university’s Land Grant Initiative. The Land Grant Initiative is a process created by Congress at the end of 2022 to allow the University to receive 360,000 acres of land to remedy our long-standing land grant deficit. Revenue from UA’s land holdings funds important programs like UA Scholars, which help provide Alaskans throughout the state with access to higher education.

Thursday afternoon, the Academic and Student Affairs Committee (12:30 p.m.*) will formally approve the list of 3,280 degree recipients for Academic Year 2024. Members will also receive an update on the Alaska College of Education Consortium and discuss institutional and specialized program accreditation with provosts from all three universities. 

The full board will convene Thursday at 2:30 p.m.* to receive reports from governance, chancellors, and the President, and will return Friday at 7:30 a.m. to work through the remaining items on the agenda. (*Time is approximate; meetings will begin at the conclusion of the preceding meeting.)

All committee meetings and the full board meeting will be held in Juneau on the UAS Campus at the Student Recreation Center (Room 116); the agenda is available online.

All meetings, except any executive sessions, are public and will be livestreamed. 

The University of Alaska Board of Regents is an 11-member volunteer board, appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Alaska Legislature. Members serve an eight-year term, with the exception of the student regent, who serves a two-year term. The Board was established through the Alaska Constitution and is responsible for University of Alaska policy and management through the university president.

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For more information, contact Jonathon Taylor, director of public affairs at 907-350-0168 (cell), or via email at jonathon.taylor@alaska.edu.