Planning Grant For Assessment And Improvement Of Alaska's Tribally-controlled College's Science, Mathematics, Engineering And Technology Programs

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Ilisagvik College in Barrow, Alaska is the lead college in the Consortium for Alaska Native Higher Education, Inc. (CANHE), a non-profit group of Alaska Native organizationscreating and supporting new Alaska Native-serving colleges in Alaska. CANHE wasestablished, in part, because only 4% of Alaska Natives (1990) have achieved baccalaureate degrees. Alaska Natives are poorly represented as students in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology (SMET) programs in Alaska'suniversities and colleges, as teachers in the Alaska schools, and in the occupationsrequiring these skills. Data on Alaska Native higher education achievement is notwell collected. It is obvious to Alaska natives, however, that different techniquesmust be used to attract and retain Native and rural students in SMET programs thanthose used for years by the state university. Ilisagvik will serve as the lead and mentor institution for the planning and assessment effort over the10 months of the project.Ilisagvik will engage a project manager to conduct the assessment. A CANHE membertask force will create a mission statement defining the planning goals, prioritiesand project milestones. An external advisory board will be chaired by Dr. EdnaMacLean, the president of Ilisagvik College, and will review the planning effort andevaluate the progress. The task force and manager will gather data from each of thesix members and examine their missions, their long-term goals and priorities. Theregional needs and strengths will become part of the CANHE SMET master plan whichwill include the colleges' resources, governance, culture, technology requirements, and funding strategies. The plan will include assessment of faculty needed and theskills available for staff instruction, and inventory the technology requirementsand the infrastructure support needed in each region. Beyond the specific benefitsof the assessment to Ilisagvik College, the benefits will multiply by involving allthe CANHE members in the process and the ultimate implementation of the plan.The group will design practical cost-effective methods to create, expand and collaboratively improve SMET programs for the dispersed potential student body including collaboration with other regions, some centralizing support activities, and integrating incentives to be involved for faculty and students. Given the vast roadless distances between communities, the primitive state of rural Alaskatelecommunications and information infrastructure and the high cost of suchservices when available, there are numerous problems of distance delivery tobe identified, understood and resolved. Ilisagvik developed a new Information Technology A.A.S. curriculum and acquired some of the infrastructure to carry out the classes through previous funding from NSF, the American Association of Community Colleges, the M. J. Murdock Foundation, and the Microsoft Corporation. Other programs are being developed by CANHE members. These assets can be shared across the state to improve SMET delivery. Collectively the colleges can register a greater number of students for these courses from the multi-regional Native student body and deliver them with a smaller number offaculty also taking administrative advantages of cross-registration benefits.The data, assessment, and draft plan will be reviewed with the board andorganizational leadership of each regional colleges prior to adoption to affirm, and modified if required, so that it addresses the needs, direction and resources of each region.