ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE  SENATE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE  February 8, 2017 8:00 a.m.   MEMBERS PRESENT Senator Shelley Hughes, Chair Senator Gary Stevens Senator Cathy Giessel Senator John Coghill Senator Tom Begich MEMBERS ABSENT  All members present COMMITTEE CALENDAR  OVERVIEW: UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA - HEARD PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION  No previous action to record WITNESS REGISTER JIM JOHNSEN, Ph.D., President University of Alaska (UA) Anchorage, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Presented information about the University of Alaska. ACTION NARRATIVE 8:00:24 AM CHAIR SHELLEY HUGHES called the Senate Education Standing Committee meeting to order at 8:00 a.m. Present at the call to order were Senators Begich, Giessel, Stevens, and Chair Hughes. Senator Coghill arrived shortly thereafter. ^OVERVIEW: UNIVERSITY OF Alaska OVERVIEW: UNIVERSITY OF Alaska  CHAIR HUGHES announced that the only order of business would be an overview of the University of Alaska system. She said there has been a lot of work going on led by President Johnsen to improve education and control costs. Included in these efforts is the Strategic Pathways Initiative, where the ultimate goals are to improve graduation rates and meet the demands of workers in industries that keep Alaska's economy growing. 8:02:09 AM JIM JOHNSEN, Ph.D., President, University of Alaska (UA), presented information about the University of Alaska. He began with the mission statement: "The University of Alaska inspires learning and advances and disseminates knowledge through teaching, research, and public service, emphasizing the North and its diverse peoples." He commented that it is a standard mission statement typical of land grant universities. It emphasizes teaching, research, and service. Unique to Alaska is the emphasis on the North and the diverse peoples of Alaska. 8:03:33 AM SENATOR HUGHES noted the arrival of Senator Coghill. DR. JOHNSEN continued with the three areas of the University's mission. The education component takes place in academic classrooms, laboratories, and shops across the state. Research happens, not only in laboratories, but also in the field, on the waters, and in the mountains. The service mission reaches out to Alaskans to share the fruit of what the faculty and staff do every day to address community needs. 8:04:21 AM DR. JOHNSEN shared the University's proud history. He related that in July of 1915, Territorial Delegate James Wickersham and some people from Fairbanks laid the cornerstone for the Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines. He noted that Mr. Wickersham also met with the Tanana Chief that day where they discussed the importance of education. He said it was a proud day for Alaska that these two cultures came together. DR. JOHNSEN said in July 2015 the state celebrated the 100-year commemoration of the founding of the university and this year is the 100-year anniversary of the Territorial Legislature's adoption of the Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines. He discussed the construction and opening of the University in 1922 and the first graduate, John Shanley, in 1923. 8:06:52 AM DR. JOHNSEN stated that it takes a great university to create a great state, a simple universal truth. He said the University of Alaska is committed to make it happen in Alaska and it must happen if Alaska is to have a bright and prosperous future. He advised to keep that idea "front and center." 8:07:24 AM He contrasted the University's growth from one campus in 1922 to 15 statewide campuses today; one graduate in 1923 to 4,600 graduates in 2016. He said the University is very proud to be the number one higher education institution in Alaska, and first in the U.S. for affordability. 8:08:09 AM CHAIR HUGHES asked whether the average household income for Alaskans or the national average is used in the calculation. DR. JOHNSEN said the comparison is to Alaskans' income. He noted that the University is the number one research university on the Artic in the world. That fact is critically important to Alaskans because they are doing the important research. It also attracts graduate students from all over the world. It improves the quality of what happens in the classrooms and helps solves state problems and determines how infrastructure, climate, and political impacts are managed. He called the University's research program "a real treasure." 8:09:28 AM DR. JOHNSEN stated that the University is here to meet Alaska's needs. It needs to broaden access to higher education for Alaskans. He said Alaska has relatively low rates of college completion. As the economy changes, the quality of the future is a function on the quality of the talent Alaska has. He stated that talent is the competitive advantage and Alaska must invest in it. He said the University needs to focus research on issues of importance and potential commercial application in Alaska. He used the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER), the Alaska Center for Energy and Power, the Center for Alaska Native Health Research and the Institute of Northern Engineering as examples of research that is important and practical. He said the University must prepare Alaskans for high-demanding jobs. He maintained that 70 percent of teachers are imported to Alaska every year. He opined that teachers are the single most important job in the state. The University must develop the capacity to meet Alaska's increasingly diverse, knowledge-based economy. He shared the University's great experience with natural resource economy, but said there must be more work done in the areas of IT, engineering, finance, and liberal arts. He added that they must also build a strong education pipeline from K-12 to the workforce, diversify revenues, and moderate reliance on state general funds. 8:12:54 AM DR. JOHNSEN showed a map of Alaska and how the University serves all Alaskans with many campuses under one integrated system with three universities, twelve community campuses, as well as outreach centers and distance delivery. The map does not show the research or service provided to Alaskans, nor distance education students. 8:13:57 AM DR. JOHNSEN reported on the Alaska-sized benefits the University provides. It is a major economic engine in Alaska, generating direct and indirect benefits. About 16,000 jobs result from University activities and there are more than $1.1 billion in annual economic/employment impacts statewide. In rural Alaska there are $43.7 million in economic impacts. 8:14:23 AM SENATOR BEGICH inquired if the University has quantified the impacts research has had on jobs. DR. JOHNSEN said he could get back to him. He asked if Senator Begich is referring to the impact on the workforce, itself. SENATOR BEGICH clarified that he wished to quantify the impact that research has on jobs. DR. JOHNSEN offered to look at workforce impacts and the economic value of spending, as well as the numbers of start-ups and jobs that have been created in the private sector directly from the commercialization of intellectual property. He said it is a top priority for the University. 8:16:07 AM CHAIR HUGHES asked for an update on the number of direct and indirect jobs. DR. JOHNSEN continued with an organizational chart that showed the structure of the University. He explained that the Board of Regents are the 11 bosses of the UA President. He spoke of the University's two major responsibilities; one is to ensure that the state's needs for higher education are met in the most cost- effective way, and the second is to provide cost-effective administrative services to the campuses. He said they don't have general counsel or lands offices on campus; there are no redundant bureaucrats on campus. He pointed out that over the last couple years, the campuses have taken 14 percent budget cuts due to general fund reductions and at the statewide office the reductions have been 29 percent. They have been looking hard at reducing statewide administration. CHAIR HUGHES asked if the 29 percent reduction is over 2 years. 8:18:53 AM DR. JOHNSEN said yes. He presented data on the student profile. He said that students come first at the University of Alaska. He noted the peak year was 2011 with about 35,000 students. Enrollment has not kept up with the state population growth and the university population percentage has declined from 6.3 percent to 4.3 percent. In fall 2015, 30,496 students enrolled for credit at the University of Alaska In fall 2015, 18,852 students attending UA declared a primary major leading to a degree or credential, while 3,190 students enrolled as pre-majors In FY15, UA students earned 4,678 degrees, certificates, and endorsements The majority of students attended UA part-time in fall 2015, accounting for 59 percent of the total student population Graduate students accounted for 8 percent of all students attending Students reporting a minority racial background accounted for 27 percent of all UA students in fall 2015, with 15 percent of UA's student population identified as Alaska Native and American Indian 8:19:50 AM SENATOR BEGICH asked how to account for the enrollment decline. DR. JOHNSEN said rest of country is pulling out of the recession and Alaska's economy is declining. He has asked the McDowell Group to research that information. He noted another factor is the rise in online, high quality programs from outside of Alaska. Outside advertising and marketing has been very aggressive. 8:20:59 AM DR. JOHNSEN shared graduation rates. He said 60 percent of students are part-time, only about 8 percent are graduate students, and 27 percent of students come from minority populations, with 15 percent Alaska Native. The University of Alaska is the number one destination for Alaska Native students. There are 115,000 Alaskans with some college in their degree who did not attend UA. 8:22:43 AM SENATOR BEGICH spoke of a recent article regarding the increased amount of remediation needed for unprepared college students. He asked if the university is struggling with that and is working toward a solution. 8:23:17 AM DR. JOHNSEN said they have been struggling with that for years since they are an open admission institution. He listed positive innovations they are using to improve that problem. He mentioned work with dual enrollment - collaboration between the university and high schools, the Mat-Su Middle College School, and the UAA Math Emporium. He said a recent study looked at each high school and GPA's. It examined how many students with high GPA's are not ready for college. He concluded that he and Commissioner Johnson choose to take that data as a challenge and as an opportunity to work to strengthen readiness and produce the best teachers. 8:25:23 AM CHAIR HUGHES also took it as a challenge. She commented on the transcript study that showed students with high GPA's who were having difficulty in college. She emphasized the need to remedy the situation. She asked if some of the students under the scholarship program need remediation. DR. JOHNSEN thought that was probably the case, but he did not have specific numbers. He agreed it is part of the problem when a student who has been recognized as a scholar must take developmental courses. SENATOR STEVENS agreed it was an enormous problem and said it has been around for years. He asked if they have considered on- line classes and summer workshops prior to attending college. 8:27:26 AM DR. JOHNSEN said yes. He mentioned the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program (ANSEP) and Rural Alaskans Honors Institute (RAHI) as programs that work. He suggested that the Math Emporium in Anchorage needs to be expanded. He noted that UA faculty are interested in working on this issue. He concluded that remediation is expensive for the University in financial and non-financial ways to the students. 8:28:58 AM CHAIR HUGHES asked if there has been any effort to have students take 100-level courses with extra support. She pointed out that students who must take remedial coursed have poor rates of going through to graduation. 8:29:51 AM DR. JOHNSEN agreed that the ultimate success rates are in the single digits. He said the University is considering providing extra support within regular classes. This issue is controversial across the country, but it is the direction universities are heading. 8:30:26 AM DR. JOHNSEN turned to the economic power of research: University research infuses dollars into the state economy and supports and expands the economy by paying the salaries of Alaskan workers and supporting sales to Alaska business and industry partners. UA generated 81 percent of its research revenue from non-general fund sources. In FY15, each state dollar appropriated to UA research generated an average of $4.1 in revenue from other sources. Increased invention disclosures can lead to commercialization of technologies valuable to Alaska; working to move "science to services"; building partnerships with business and private sector on real world applications. He stressed that the University must do a better job of encouraging and supporting businesses. It is a high priority. 8:32:35 AM DR. JOHNSEN spoke of UA's research diversity and service. The University houses more than 60 research centers and institutes across the state, plus faculty and undergraduate research at every campus. He provided a list of examples: Geophysical Institute (GI) Alaska Center for Energy and Power (ACEP) Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) Geographic Information Network of Alaska (GINA) Ocean Acidification Research Center Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER Institute for Circumpolar Health Studies (ICHS) Center for Behavioral Health Research and Services (CBHRS) Alaska Coastal Rainforest Center He added the Institute of Arctic Biology, the Institute for Marine Science, and the Arctic Domain Awareness Center. He stated that many are very important to Alaska. He added that UAF is the leading research university. 8:33:48 AM SENATOR STEVENS added the Fishery Industrial Technology Center (FITC) in Kodiak. He thanked Dr. Johnsen for the development of that facility and the impact it has had on Kodiak. He said the production of surimi has changed the industry. 8:34:30 AM DR. JOHNSEN said the University is committed to the ongoing success of that facility. He commended the community of Kodiak for working with the University. There is a team of UAF leaders who will be heading to Kodiak to ensure that the applied research center continues to serve the industry. 8:35:14 AM DR. JOHNSEN spoke of looking forward regarding key research initiatives. He provided examples: Build upon our well-established reputation as the powerhouse in high latitude and Arctic research Serve our state and nation by addressing critical issues related to our strategic global position Assist our military in developing the domain awareness to function capably and safely in the Arctic Expand economic development and diversity in Alaska by increasing discoveries, patents and business partnerships Improve the lives of Alaskans through research in health and social sciences He provided an example of world class research on hibernation with bears and Arctic ground squirrels. He emphasized the important of that research and said that that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Defense Department are interested in the research. 8:37:11 AM DR. JOHNSEN turned to the University's service mission of sharing knowledge with Alaska. He used the Cooperative Extension agents work in communities as an example. 8:38:02 AM He spoke of challenges the University faces: Geography - location, size, regionalism Students - low high school graduation rate, low college going rate, low college completion rate, half require developmental education Economy - high in natural resources - low in new economy, historically high wage to education ratio, industry workforce gaps Structure - 4 administrative structures, 3 institutional accreditations, geographic spread Budget - heavy reliance on resource-dependent state funding, 3rd year of budget reductions Revenue - private giving, comparatively low tuitions, land grant deficit 8:38:31 AM CHAIR HUGHES asked if employers look for degrees when hiring today or for a motivated person with other skills. She voiced concern about graduation rates versus job hire rates. 8:39:49 AM DR. JOHNSEN said it is a complex issue. Employers do look for skills, and degrees and certificates do represent skill attainment, but not all the time. However, employers in Alaska are also looking for skills such as adaptability, teamwork, honesty, ethics, and the ability to learn. Traditionally, a degree has been the way to attain those traits. The degree itself is becoming less and less important and a certificate or some post-secondary education of value is important. He said if a person wants to move from one industry to another, it is often an advantage to have a degree or the room for growth is capped. 8:42:28 AM DR. JOHNSEN asked if students are tracked for employment after graduation. DR. JOHNSEN said they partner with the Department of Labor and Workforce Development (DOLWD) and Department of Education and Early Development (DEED) to track that information. He stressed the importance of the changing economy. He suggested that in the past Alaskans have been able to get high paying jobs that do not require high educational attainment, but is probably not sustainable for the long term. The University opines that there must be an increase in educational attainment to maintain high income trends. He stated that 80 percent of the variance in income across the country is a function of educational attainment. Alaska, as a resource development state, is currently an outlier, but the economy is changing. 8:44:31 AM CHAIR HUGHES asked for current and historic data on students leaving campus, graduating or not, and jobs. DR. JOHNSEN offered to provide that data. 8:44:58 AM He continued to discuss the challenges; structure, budget, and revenue, as related to the land grant deficit. He explained that the University did not get the land they were promised, which is part of the reason they rely so heavily on the state for funding. 8:45:58 AM SENATOR GIESSEL shared her personal background with the University of Alaska and said it is a jewel. She voiced concern about the land grant deficit and asked what the barrier was to get the land grant back. 8:47:04 AM DR. JOHNSEN explained that the Alaska Constitution prohibits the dedication of funds, including land. The Supreme Court ruled in 2009 that that was the case. In 2005 the legislature gave the University 250,000 acres to remedy the land grant deficit and land started being transferred. The issue was re-litigated asking the question whether land is subject to the non- dedication clause, and the answer was yes, so the University started to return land back to the state. There is an exception to the provision of the state constitution, "except as required for participation in a federal program." Currently, the University is working in Washington, D.C. to create that federal framework. After that happens, the University will come to the legislature with a request for state participation in that federal program. He concluded that he is optimistic, but it will take time. 8:48:49 AM CHAIR HUGHES asked whether the federal program will remedy all the acreage that was awarded. DR. JOHNSEN did not know what the land selection would look like. He explained that it is a partnership; the University is due about 360,000 acres and they received 110,000 acres. 8:50:03 AM SENATOR STEVENS asked about accreditation expenses for three campuses. He asked if one university is the way to go. 8:50:36 AM DR. JOHNSEN noted it is an important question. He clarified that there are two types of accreditation; programmatic and institutional. The regents asked that question last year, so he requested a study of the advantages and disadvantages of combining campuses or remaining the same. The regents analyzed the report. He said it is a complex issue and uncharted territory to "go to one campus" and there is fear of loss from many. There is concern that one set of standards would diminish excellence at each campus. He said, at this time, there is no plan to combine campuses. He said he agrees with that decision and wishes instead to work through the Strategic Pathways to gain efficiencies within the current structure. On the administrative side, the accreditors do not care about the administrative structure. He noted that they are working with colleagues in Maine, that have been doing administrative consolidation within multiple institutional accreditations. 8:53:46 AM SENATOR STEVENS requested a copy of the study. 8:54:00 AM SENATOR BEGICH wondered if he could get the legal citation for the land grant suit. He asked who litigated it. DR. JOHNSEN said Southeast Alaska Conservation Council (SEACC) in 2009. He offered to provide the citation and an information packet. SENATOR BEGICH asked if SEACC did it for timber reasons. DR. JOHNSEN did not know. 8:55:06 AM DR. JOHNSEN returned to the issue of revenue challenges. He spoke of a higher education income tax credit which sunsets in December of 2018. He said it has been very valuable to the University and has strengthened their relationships with businesses across the state. He emphasized that renewing that credit is a priority. 8:56:00 AM DR. JOHNSEN discussed Alaska's brain drain due to students leaving to attend college in the Lower 48. He stressed the need for a strong relationship between the University and high schools, strengthening college readiness, working closely with employers, and understanding workforce needs. He showed a national graph of high school graduation decline of 7 percent between 2010 and 2015. He explained a graph on the percent of residents aged 25-64 with an Associate's Degree or higher, born in Alaska, in 2010. It was at 16.5 percent. He showed a graph of the same population with college degrees in 2013. It was at 37.4 percent. He concluded that going forward to 2025, the economy will require a rate of 65 percent college graduates. 8:58:09 AM DR. JOHNSEN showed the relationship between wage and education. He said the concern is whether Alaska will move up. 8:58:57 AM DR. JOHNSEN highlighted graphs of how education attainment and income are related. He asked the question whether Alaska will move up through increased educational attainment to protect income or not. He addressed state budget reductions. He showed a graph of the University's general funds from FY15 - FY18. The high was $375 million in FY15 and the Governor's FY18 request is at $325 million. The Regents have requested $341 million on the operating side and $50 million on the capital side for deferred maintenance. He did not think there was anything in the Governor's budget for deferred maintenance. 8:59:58 AM DR. JOHNSEN addressed the impacts of budget reduction: Jobs impacted Cumulative FY15-FY17 headcount reduction: more than 900 More than 250 reduced assignments or increased workload Academic program reductions Since January 2016, 50 academic programs eliminated or suspended Fewer sections and larger class sizes Increases in faculty instructional workloads Administrative function consolidation and service reductions Closed Galena, McGrath, & Shishmaref Learning Centers Reduction of faculty travel and professional development funding Reduced research faculty start-up/seed availability Telecommunications contract cost reduction Reduced owned & leased space; defeased & refinanced debt 9:02:04 AM He discussed how the University is looking forward. By 2025, 65 percent of Alaska jobs are expected to require some postsecondary education; current attainment is 37 percent. UA's long-term goal is to support Alaska's evolving workforce needs by providing more graduates and developing a stronger culture of education. 9:03:29 AM CHAIR HUGHES asked about specific action steps to meet that goal. 9:03:41 AM DR. JOHNSEN replied that one step is to attract more Alaskans to the University, especially the population of Alaskans with partial degrees. They have a privately-funded public awareness campaign to "lift up" higher education and the University of Alaska, in particular, in the eyes of Alaskans. Another step is more aggressive recruiting. They plan to increase convenient, online courses for the partial-degree market. CHAIR HUGHES said she saw one of the commercials during the Super Bowl. SENATOR STEVENS noted, as a former University faculty member, he has concerns about the recent vote of no confidence. He said he understands the challenges the university faces due to budget cuts. He believed the Regents are supportive of the Strategic Pathways, and applauded moving the School of Education to Juneau. He asked how Dr. Johnsen plans to bring the faculty into the Strategic Pathways process. 9:06:08 AM DR. JOHNSEN thanked Senator Stevens for the question. He said he respects the faculty senates and the diversity of viewpoints. He pointed out that the Strategic Pathways process already has included 250 faculty, staff, students, and community leaders, - 89 faculty - served on the teams. There have been constructive suggestions made by faculty in terms of improving the Strategic Pathways process and a number have been incorporated. For example, in Phase I of Strategic Pathways, in addition to having faculty on the teams, he opted to have public forums. On several campuses, roughly 400 showed up. However, instead of talking about educational topics, they talked about sports at both UAA and UAF. He announced that going forward there will be two rounds of consultation with every affected organizational unit in Phase II. He plans to meet with every faculty/staff/student in those specific areas before meeting with the Board of Regents in March, and again after the March meeting. In addition, he is scheduling time with the faculty senate. He concluded that change is difficult and there is a sense of urgency. Budgets have changed, and decisions need to be made expeditiously. He noted there is a lot of support by the faculty across the university system who are seeing progress and positive movement. He said at the March meeting there will be a focused session on shared governance. 9:09:18 AM SENATOR STEVENS shared a joke. He voiced appreciation for what the faculty senate has done and what Dr. Johnsen is doing. He opined that "we can get beyond this." 9:09:37 AM CHAIR HUGHES added that at a recent town hall meeting students and staff all spoke in support of the Strategic Pathways process. DR. JOHNSEN said he respects the faculty, however, "it hurts, and we will absolutely do better." He emphasized that it is a learning process. He said he aims to ensure that the faculty are engaged and contributing. 9:10:27 AM DR. JOHNSEN shared his work with the Department of Education and Early Development (DEED) and Commissioner Johnson. He stressed the importance of working together and aligning K-12 with higher education and the workforce. Research says the single most important factor in a K-12's student success outside of the school is whether there is a job in the home. The goal is to create jobs in homes, students who are ready to learn, and great teachers in classrooms. He summarized that the University is all about building a culture of education in Alaska. 9:11:34 AM He shared examples of ways the University is aligning for Alaska's future. He highlighted the goal to increase the number of Alaska educated teachers to 90 percent by 2015. It is currently at 30 percent. 9:12:19 AM CHAIR HUGHES spoke of conversations around virtual education opportunities, particularly for rural students. She asked about teacher training and the virtual model. DR. JOHNSEN shared that they are doing a lot of work in that area. They do faculty development on the use of IT. One teacher training program, the Masters of Arts in Teaching (MAT), requires an undergraduate degree and students take online courses while working in supervised classrooms. He said they need to produce more programs of that nature. 9:13:50 AM SENATOR GIESSEL brought up the [Recruitment and Retention of Alaska Natives into Nursing] RRANN program and asked if there are similar programs in education. 9:14:28 AM DR. JOHNSEN responded that there is a Future Educators of Alaska (FEA) program that reaches out to 7th graders and they have talked about an Alaska Native Teacher Education program, based in part on the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program (ANSEP). He stressed the importance of reaching out to future teachers. He noted that he has announced a teacher scholarship program, to help raise the prestige of the profession. 9:15:59 AM SENATOR BEGICH drew attention to the work Former-Commissioner Covey and Dr. Armstrong have done in the EQQ study that addressed findings related to growing Alaska teachers. 9:16:34 AM DR. JOHNSEN noted that Mr. Covey was a member of the Strategic Pathways team on teacher education and continues as a consultant. DR. JOHNSEN talked about Alaska scholarships; UA Scholars, which are paid by the land grant and the Alaska Performance Scholarships, which the legislature funds. Both have made a difference at the University. 9:17:35 AM DR. JOHNSEN discussed strategic investments suggested by the Board of Regents: student success, workforce development, facilities maintenance, research, economic development and diversification, and K-12 partnerships. 9:19:27 AM DR. JOHNSEN shared the 10-year glide path framework showing moderate state general fund support. The University's 10-year framework uses benchmarked goals to incorporate gradual, sustainable reductions in state general fund appropriations while increasing University revenues through enrollment and diversified revenue. He suggested that gradual reductions in funding is the responsible thing to do for Alaska. He listed ways the University will increase revenues: increase tuition, which is currently 19 percent of the Western States average; step up private giving; increase research. He emphasized that the bottom line is increased enrollment, which is tied to the "65 by 2025 model." 9:21:54 AM CHAIR HUGHES requested more information about the 30 percent higher national average. 9:22:19 AM DR. JOHNSEN shared enrollment strategies and planning. He listed the processes started in the fall of 2016 and the upcoming spring of 2017: Process started Fall 2016 Enrollment Summits at each university McDowell Phase 1 enrollment analysis Fiscal framework shared with BOR and University leadership SDM (Structured Decision Making) process started Enrollment Planning document Initial strategic enrollment investments funded Upcoming Spring 2017 McDowell Phase II High school survey Employer analysis 9:23:32 AM DR. JOHNSON addressed what is needed to transform enrollment: Emphasize retention and graduation Investment in predictive analytics to help universities target and provide information and resources to students when they need it A cadre of advisors trained in the use of cutting edge technology will be required Focus on Alaskan adults with some college, but no degree Invest in a fast, friendly and efficient "intake" process through a sophisticated web site or portal application Have technology and staff dedicated to helping adult students with transfer of credit and credit for prior learning and experience A major investment in on-line learning DR. JOHNSEN showed data on the adult education profile in Alaska. He shared strategies to target Alaska's adult market. He discussed the needs for students with some college, or no degree. 9:24:41 AM DR. JOHNSEN concluded that Strategic Pathways is the framework the University is using to improve its service to the state. He noted it is not a plan, per se, nor is it a vision; it is a discovery process. The framework was adopted by the Board of Regents last January. He showed a table that summarizes the plan and identifies areas of distinctiveness and focus for each of the three universities. The upside of the process is that it is open, inclusive, transparent, and a lot of people are involved; the downside is the same. It is complex. 9:25:30 AM DR. JOHNSEN related the initial pathways outcomes: Consolidation of 3 research administration offices into 1; Consolidation of 3 procurement offices into 1; Consolidation of information technology (IT) functions at each of the universities, with governance at Statewide; Collaboration and efficiencies between the two schools of engineering; Collaboration between the UAA and UAF management and business programs; Consolidation of the UAS management programs into the School of Arts and Sciences; Consolidation of three schools of education into one at UAS, serving all of UA He noted one of the big values of this process is bringing people together to talk. 9:27:01 AM The creation of one College of Education at UAS will be a couple-year process. He emphasized that there will be education faculty at UAF and UAA; the administration will be consolidated. Superintendents did their own poll and over 90 percent concurred with one school of education. The goal is to balance accountability, cost effectiveness and access. 9:27:57 AM DR. JOHNSEN thanked the committee. He concluded that the University of Alaska is "leaning forward" and leading, making difficult decisions and listening. The bottom line is to serve Alaska and its students. 9:28:40 AM CHAIR HUGHES asked members to submit questions to her office. She thanked Dr. Johnsen for his leadership. She stated that Dr. Johnsen is turning challenges into opportunities that will improve the quality of, and attract more students to, the university. She asked the faculty to get involved in a greater degree. 9:29:55 AM There being no further business to come before the committee, Chair Hughes adjourned the Senate Education Standing Committee at 9:29 a.m.