Community Campus Change and Leadership Group

Background

Since (1987) University of Alaska Anchorage has included the Anchorage campus and four community campuses: Kenai Peninsula College (including the Kenai River Campus in Soldotna and the Kachemack Bay Campus in Homer), Kodiak College, and Mat-Su College. In 2015 Prince William Sound College came under the UAA accreditation. The Anchorage Campus provided central administrative and other services supported by state funding and community campuses provided local services and instruction supported principally by a combination of state funding and tuition revenue. The community campuses made substantially independent decisions about faculty hires and academic offerings with the goal of serving local communities.  The UAA community campuses were early adopters of online distance teaching and over time, with some exceptions, the UAA community campuses increased the proportion of online classes offered at each college. While community college faculty are members of academic units on the Anchorage campus, this relationship could be better defined and strengthened. The community campuses remain important components of UAA and play a vital role in fulfilling the university’s mission for student success and relevant workforce development as well as enhancing the reputation of UAA in communities throughout southcentral Alaska.

Given drastic changes in state funding, demographics, workforce needs, and student needs enrollment at the community campuses has suffered. Average class size for lower division general education courses has declined due to too many sections being offered across the UAA system. A business model that does not promote coordination of instructional capacity across all campuses is no longer sustainable in the State’s economic environment. For this reason, Chancellor Sandeen formed a Change and Leadership Group, led by John Stalvey, to optimize campus relationships across UAA. 

Chair

  • John Stalvey, Special Assistant to the Chancellor

Members

  • Christi Bell, Associate Vice Chancellor & Director Business Enterprise Institute
  • Ryan Buchholdt, Interim Director, Budget Office
  • Louise Butler, Operations Manager AI&E
  • Talis Colberg, Director, Mat-Su Campus
  • Scott Downing, Assistant Professor of English, Department of Arts and Humanities, Soldotna-Kenai Campus
  • Rachel Graham, Associate Professor of Mathematics, Mat-Su Campus
  • Rachael Hannah, Associate Professor Biology
  • Barbara Harville, Professor of Communications
  • Erin Holmes, Associate Vice Provost, Institutional Research
  • Dennis Humphrey, Associate Professor of English, Valdez Campus
  • Jeff Jessee, Dean, College of Health
  • John Petraitis, Interim Dean, College of Arts & Sciences
  • Valerie Robideaux, Director, First Year Advising & Student Success
  • Quentin Simeon, Interim Assistant Director, Native Student Services
  • Kathryn Slagle, Term Assistant Professor of Radiologic Technology
  • Stacia Straley, Professor of Accounting and Finance
  • Cindy Trussell, Professor, Biological Sciences, Kodiak Campus
  • Lora Volden, Associate Vice Chancellor Enrollment Services