Seven Strategic Pathways review teams, working diligently since June to produce options for the future of three University of Alaska academic and four administrative areas, presented those options to UA President Jim Johnsen and senior university executives Aug. 17 in Fairbanks.

Forty options were suggested for the three academic schools of Engineering, Management and Teacher Education and the four administrative areas of Procurement, Information Technology, Research Administration and Intercollegiate Athletics. All documents outlining the options are posted at http://www.alaska.edu/pathways/review-teams-phase-1/ for university and community input.

Each academic team was charged with assessing the pros and cons of structural realignment, including the viability of creating a single school/college administration, two schools or three except engineering for which there are currently only two colleges. President Johnsen provided slightly different goals for each academic team.

The administrative reviewers were asked to focus on options that would establish efficiencies, reduce redundancies and/or find a means of funding that would reduce dependence on state general funds.

He asked all seven groups to make sure options would increase enrollment, reduce costs and improve quality.

“There is a lot to think about here with the options presented, but I am particularly pleased that these groups have stepped up, stayed with the charge, and generated not only what I asked them to evaluate, but they have put forward some innovative ideas to realign university resources,” said UA President Jim Johnsen. “Through Strategic Pathways, we will strengthen the University of Alaska in its service to Alaska and its people. What we have been doing to date, while great in many cases, needs to be reconfigured to prepare Alaskans for an economy driven less by the oil coming out of the ground and more by the ideas coming out of our brains, our labs, our studios and our classrooms.”

In the next few weeks, Johnsen will host a forum on each campus for staff, faculty, and students to provide input. The campus meeting schedule is as follows:

• UAF: Sept. 1, 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. -- Wood Center Ballroom
• UAA: Sept. 7, 12:30 - 2:00 p.m. -- Student Union Cafeteria, North & South
• UAS: Sept. 13, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. -- Egan Lecture Hall

From the list of options and the subsequent input, Johnsen will share his initial recommendations with the Board of Regents at its meeting in September. In a few weeks Johnsen said he would be announcing the programs to be reviewed in Phases II and III of Strategic Pathways along with the names of those asked to serve on Phase II and III review teams for each area.

“In the meantime, I look forward to gathering feedback on the options presented,” he said.