MacLean House Named for Native Leader

The small cluster of four buildings off the west side of Columbia Circle was built during the summer of 1996 and spring of 1997, and it opened for students in August 1997.

Originally called the Inupiat House, the MacLean House is a family-style residential facility designed to assist rural students make the transition to being in a larger community and to adjust to campus life. In September 2000, at the request of the Arctic Slope Regional Corp., Inupiat House was rededicated and renamed the Eileen Panigeo MacLean Inupiat House.

A partnership between UAF and the Arctic Slope Regional Corp. provided $1.8 million to build housing for Native students, some of whom are leaving their villages for the first time. ASRC, with funding from the Arctic Education Foundation, designed, financed, constructed and furnished the facility, which met their shared goals to improve the recruitment, retention, and graduation of Alaska Native students. Arctic Slope Regional Corp. made a $1 million endowment for continued MacLean Inupiat House maintenance and support.