University of Alaska System

University of Alaska System

Motto	Ad Summum
Motto in English	"To the top"
Type	Publicuniversity system
Established	1917; 107 years ago(1917)
Endowment	$375 million (system-wide) (2021)[1]
President	Pat Pitney
Students	26,341 (2019)
Location	Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau , Alaska , United States
Website	www.alaska.edu

TheUniversity of Alaska Systemis asystemofpublic universitiesin the U.S. state ofAlaska. It was created in 1917 and comprises three separately accredited universities on 19 campuses. The system serves nearly 30,000 full- and part-time students and offers 400 unique degree programs.^[2]

Each of the three main universities has several satellite campuses in smaller communities.^[3]UAAalso operates three large satellite community colleges. The three major institutions in the University of Alaska system are:

• University of Alaska Anchorage, the largest university by enrollment in the system;
• University of Alaska Fairbanks, the first university and flagship;^[4]
• University of Alaska Southeast, located in thecapital cityofJuneau, with campuses in Sitka and Ketchikan and the smallest by enrollment.

Since the population of Alaska is smaller than that of mostU.S. states, the University of Alaska System is also relatively small. However, it does have several notable academic departments. At UAF, these are thegeologydepartment, theatmospheric sciencesdepartment, and thewildlifebiologydepartment. Reflecting the state's small population, the amount of federal land granted to the University of Alaska under theMorrill Actwas the second-smallest grant in the country.^[5]

The University of Alaska is formally established under Article VII of theAlaska State Constitution. Article VII also establishes a board of regents, appointed by thestate's governorand confirmed by thestate's legislature, that is tasked with governing the university. All regents serve eight-year terms, except for the student regent, who is nominated by the three main campuses for a two-year term.^[6]The board selects a university president who oversees the statewide administration. Under the president, responsibility for the three main universities is assigned to their respective chancellors. There is also the Coalition of Student Leaders, a group of representatives from the UA student governments that advocates for student issues.^[7]

TheUniversity of Alaska Anchorage(UAA) is the largest university in the state, with approximately 15,000 full- and part-time students across all of its campuses. Roughly two thirds of University of Alaska students attend UAA. There are twelve Colleges within UAA, four of which are community campuses inValdez,Kenai Peninsula(SoldotnaandHomer),Kodiak, and theMat-Su.^[8]UAA has thirteen different sports through theNCAA, and competes nationally as the Seawolves.^[9]The Carnegie Foundationhas classified the institution as a community-engaged campus with high enrollments in undergraduate programs, and a balance among arts, sciences, and professional preparation. Alaska's only medical school orWWAMIprogram is also administered through the Anchorage campus. The campus is also home to the only FAA-approved collegiate flight training program in the state.

TheUniversity of Alaska Fairbanks(UAF) was known officially as the University of Alaska from 1925 to 1975. UAF is home to the notedGeophysical Institute, which operates thePoker Flat Research Range, a collegiate rocket test range. Until 2015, there was also theArctic Region Supercomputing Center, the location of the onlyCraysupercomputer in the Arctic region. There is also theSchool of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, which has facilities and research projects all over Alaska and the Arctic Ocean. It is the first university founded in Alaska and is theflagship institutionof the University of Alaska system.^[10]

The University of Alaska Fairbanks also has five satellite campuses in Fairbanks: theBristol Bay CampusinDillingham, the Chukchi Campus inKotzebue, the Interior Alaska Campus (based in Fairbanks but serving rural communities acrossInterior Alaska), the Kuskokwim Campus inBethel, and the Northwest Campus inNome. The Kuskokwim Campus also operates a remote learning center inHooper Bay.^[11]

TheUniversity of Alaska Southeast(UAS) is located in the state's capital, Juneau, and is the smallest system. Although it has campuses inJuneau,Sitka, andKetchikan, the Juneau Campus is the largest of the three. UAS focuses on a strong liberal arts education and experiential learning. There are four academic schools at UAS: the School of Arts & Sciences, the School of Management, the School of Career Education, and the School of Education. As of 2017, the Board of Regents of Alaska has appointed UAS as the University of Alaska's center for the College of Education.

• Official website