Forty-Ninth State Fellows Program

This fall, a select group of students will enter the University of Alaska Anchorage as Forty-Ninth State Fellows, beginning a deeply rewarding educational experience.  The Fellows Program is a training ground for the next generation of Alaska’s leaders.  Fellows study the roots of liberty in Western Civilization, the founding and development of American political institutions, and the challenges of self-government in Alaska.  Through selected courses in economics, history, and political science, they focus on the big questions of human society: What is justice?  What is the good life?  What is the best form of government? 

Forty-Ninth State Fellows share a common interest in history and public affairs, and enjoy the camaraderie of studying with other distinguished students during their undergraduate years.  They form a community dedicated to high academic achievement, individual integrity, and public service.  They choose their own majors and earn bachelors’ degrees in many different disciplines.  They may be eligible for tuition scholarships that allow them to focus intensively on their studies and related experiences. 

Fellows benefit from a weekly tutorial they take together in which they explore reading in depth, work intensively on writing, engage in thinking and conversation, and learn from outstanding teachers.  In their senior year, this training pays off as they write their honors theses. 

Fellows are members of the University Honors College, with all the educational and social opportunities that membership brings.  They take the University Honors core curriculum along with the Forty-Ninth State Fellows Program core.  Many of these courses also meet University general education and College of Arts and Sciences requirements.  Students who successfully complete the four-year program earn the designation “Forty-Ninth State University Honors Scholar.”  Forty-Ninth State Fellows may pursue any major they wish at the University.  Their Fellows Program courses are taken in addition to the required courses for the University Honors College.  – More about the curriculum –

Outside of the classroom, Fellows have a full schedule of extracurricular activities.  They attend meetings of the Alaska World Affairs Council and Commonwealth North, deepening their appreciation of world events and public policy challenges.  They have briefings and seminars with state and national leaders and visiting scholars.  They participate in University Honors colloquia and take leadership roles in University clubs and activities. 

Summer experiences offer Fellows further opportunities to understand their state, American government, and the larger world.  For their Pilgrimage, Fellows travel to Washington DC, to learn about events that have shaped our nation’s history and to see how American government works.  A sojourn in rural Alaska gives Fellows first-hand acquaintance with the land and people of the forty-ninth state.  In their final year, their Grand Tour abroad deepens their appreciation of America’s place in the world and the differences among nations. 

Alaska is still a very new state, and still developing.  Capable, thoughtful leaders have real opportunities here to help shape public policy.  It will be up to them to broaden our economy, build an ethical and professional state administration, increase our understanding of rich and diverse cultural traditions, and serve as stewards of Alaska’s incomparable wildlife and scenery.  The Forty-Ninth State Fellows Program educates new leaders to join in these great history-making tasks. 

If you are a strong student, willing to work on things that really matter, interested in history, politics, and the future of Alaska, and ready to be a leader, then the Fellows Program is for you.  Fellows must be accepted into the University Honors College.  Interested students should indicate on their application that they would like to join the Forty-Ninth State Fellows Program. 

- Shasta Miller, University Honors College Student and Forty-Ninth State Fellow