Together, we’re building a UAA we love

As a new academic year begins, we have an opportunity to continue building the UAA we love - work that belongs to all of us. With a new strategic plan on the horizon, we will spend the next few months gathering insights from our students, faculty and staff to build the framework of this next strategic plan. Your voice is essential to this process, and I hope you will join us in helping define our university's future together.

At last week's University of Alaska (UA) Board of Regents, we had the opportunity to welcome UA President Matt Cooper. Having previously served in the Office of General Counsel, President Cooper brings his extensive institutional knowledge and leadership that will help guide our university system into its next exciting chapter of student success, workforce development and research excellence.

As we continue to chart our strategic plan we carry forward the positive momentum of recent years. Building upon UAA 2027, students remain the heart of our university and grounding every decision we make. We remain steadfast in our mission of putting students first and leaning into our dual mission mandate: offering world-class undergraduate and graduate academic programs while delivering direct, career-ready education in vital industries like oil and gas, aviation technology, healthcare and construction.

Through our AI Engaged initiative, we are also embedding practical, ethical artificial intelligence education into our curriculum. UAA is uniquely positioned to not only integrate AI into teaching and learning, we also have the ability to explore how this rapidly evolving technology is explored and applied. To advance this work, we are launching AI@UAA this fall. This initiative will be part of a new Leveraging Innovative Frameworks and Technologies (LIFT) Center, which will ensure coordinated and thoughtful AI implementation across all our campuses.

While our student's needs guide our vision, our faculty and staff are central to driving our progress, ensuring they thrive both inside and out of the classroom. Through the Systemwide Attainment Framework, we are committed to keeping Alaska's high-achieving youth here at home and building a strong, educated workforce that is adaptable for what comes next in our state. Beginning fall 2027, UAA will welcome students from across the country with a simplified tuition model, Alaska Unlocked. Eliminating non-resident tuition is the first step in UA's broader Tuition Transparency Initiative, which aims to make tuition costs easier for students and families to understand.

Moving forward we are committed to communicating more clearly, transparently and frequently on the issues that matter most. This includes greater clarity on tuition and university budgets, streamlining access to financial resources and improving our website navigation. Beyond the digital, the executive team and I are committing to more active listening this year. We look forward to meeting with students, faculty and staff in both in-person and online open forums to discuss the topics impacting our campus community.

A thriving university community that is continuing to grow needs modern and supportive campus infrastructure. We are advancing our plans to upgrade our on-campus housing to accommodate and enhance our residential living experience. I am also excited to share that the conversations around the Community Ice Complex continue, with more practical planning and envisioning underway. This facility would provide our student athletes and athletic programs and students and community across Southcentral a place to gather and recreate Additionally, this academic year we will be opening the Alaska Leaders Archive, a new state-of-the-art archive that will provide generations of Alaskans the history of the leaders of our state.

As we continue to look forward to our future, the possibilities are endless. UAA is not only a place for learning or finding a career, it is a cornerstone space of our community, a place where all can come together to learn, explore, play and grow. Together, we're building a UAA we love.