Legislature(2021 - 2022)BUTROVICH 205
01/24/2022 09:00 AM Senate EDUCATION
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| Update from the University of Alaska | |
| Adjourn |
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ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
January 24, 2022
9:04 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Roger Holland, Chair
Senator Gary Stevens, Vice Chair
Senator Peter Micciche
Senator Tom Begich
MEMBERS ABSENT
Senator Shelley Hughes
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
UPDATE FROM UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
PAT PITNEY, Interim President
University of Alaska System
Fairbanks, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Offered an update on the University of
Alaska.
SEAN PARNELL, Chancellor
University of Alaska Anchorage
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented University of Alaska updates and
answered questions.
DANIEL WHITE, Ph.D., Chancellor
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Fairbanks, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented University of Alaska updates and
answered questions.
ACTION NARRATIVE
9:04:30 AM
CHAIR ROGER HOLLAND called the Senate Education Standing
Committee meeting to order at 9:04 a.m. Present at the call to
order were Senators Begich, Stevens, and Chair Holland. Senator
Micciche arrived thereafter.
^Update from the University of Alaska
UPDATE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA
9:05:07 AM
CHAIR HOLLAND announced the committee would hear a University of
Alaska update by President Pat Pitney.
9:05:35 AM
PAT PITNEY, Interim President, University of Alaska System,
Fairbanks, Alaska, stated the update would focus on the
workforce. Alaska has three universities with diverse missions.
University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) focuses on research; the
University of Anchorage (UAA) is open access and comprehensive;
and the University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) is regional. Each
university is associated with in-state community colleges. Each
university provides unique experiences that serve the community
workforce, businesses, and industries.
9:07:28 AM
PRESIDENT PITNEY moved to slide 2 and stated the University of
Alaska is essential to the state's economic recovery, diversity,
and growth. The University of Alaska is focused on workforce,
competitive research, and cost-effective operation. The
university needs financial and programmatic stability to create
statewide trust.
9:08:15 AM
PRESIDENT PITNEY moved to slide 3 and said university budget
reductions over the past eight years are equivalent to one-third
of its base funding. Since FY19, the university's unrestricted
funding has been down over $70 million. Although the university
has cut fifty programs, it has kept the programs that address
Alaska's competitive advantages and priority workforce needs.
The university footprint has been reduced by selling twenty-five
facilities, demolishing twenty-four old facilities, and leasing
space to third parties. There are 2,400 fewer faculty and staff.
SENATOR STEVENS asked for the reduced faculty percentage.
9:09:52 AM
PRESIDENT PITNEY estimated that the reduction in faculty is
around 15 percent.
SENATOR BEGICH stated that one of the highest costs in Alaska is
energy. He asked what the university is doing to capitalize on
the shift to alternative energy.
9:11:24 AM
PRESIDENT PITNEY said that UAF's Alaska Center for Energy and
Power collaborates with UAA engineering on multi-source
optimization of microgrids. Multi-source maximization of
renewable energy studies includes wind-diesel, solar-diesel,
hydro-wind, tidal, and in-stream river. There is also a focus on
bringing self-contained nuclear battery power sources into
Alaska. The Alaska Center for Energy and Power is willing to
present more details on its research.
9:13:13 AM
SENATOR BEGICH opined that the university is key in planning the
state's renewable energy course. He asked if the university
could partner with private companies to aid Alaska's transition.
He stated Santos has five hubs worldwide and fears Alaska will
not be a hub. Partnering with Santos at the university level
could be advantageous.
PRESIDENT PITNEY replied yes.
CHAIR HOLLAND inquired about the Sustainable Village Cold
Climate Housing Research Center project.
PRESIDENT PITNEY replied that center is not a UAF program even
though it is located on campus property. The university leased a
highly efficient small housing operation to the center who does
the monitoring. The project is focused on residential housing
efficiency and not energy.
9:15:12 AM
CHAIR HOLLAND acknowledged Senator Micciche joined the meeting.
9:15:19 AM
PRESIDENT PITNEY turned to slide 5 and expressed appreciation to
Senator Murkowski and the Alaska State Legislature for
establishing a federal land grant with the Bureau of Land
Management for UA. The grant would allow up to 360,000 acres to
be identified and conveyed to UA for use. Alaska has the largest
landmass and smallest land grant in the nation.
9:16:20 AM
The University of Texas (UT) and the University of Alaska
received land grants in the 1980s. UT received a 2.1 million
acre land grant that has generated $21.4 billion as of 2019. The
University of Alaska received 150,000 acres and has generated
$6.8 million as of 2019. In contrast, the Mental Health Trust
Authority has 1 million acres and has generated $10.6 million
since 2019. Although the land grant does not replace other
funding, it adds stability to the university.
CHAIR HOLLAND asked if Texas's land revenue of $21.4 billion
came from oil. He wondered what the significant land revenues
were for Alaska.
PRESIDENT PITNEY replied that major land revenues in Alaska
include timber, gravel, subdivisions, and mining.
9:18:35 AM
PRESIDENT PITNEY said that full-time employees had been reduced
by 22percent, part-time employees are down 35percent, students
are down 36.5percent, and graduates are down 18.6percent. She
deduced that students are graduating at a higher proportion.
Also, the programs the university kept are those that produce
more graduates.
9:19:36 AM
SENATOR BEGICH commented that UAA's contact tracers were
included in the number of part-time employees, so the part-time
employee reduction percentage is greater than 35percent. He
asked what the future bodes for a student body decreased by a
third.
PRESIDENT PITNEY replied that with stability, the future bodes
well. The turmoil of budget reductions and Covid are in the
past. The university is positioned to highlight the strength of
its programs. Student reduction would have been about twenty-
five percent without Covid. UAA was impacted by the rapid budget
changes and switch to online learning. UAF and UAS were less
affected because they were online-centric before the pandemic.
9:21:37 AM
SENATOR STEVENS commented that nationwide college enrollment is
down because many students are opting to work. Still, statistics
show that higher education leads to better-paying jobs and
happiness in life. He asked how the trend can be reversed so
that students choose to become more accomplished.
9:23:01 AM
PRESIDENT PITNEY replied that it takes everybody to express the
importance of education, whether a two-year technical degree,
associate's, or bachelor's degree. It needs to be part of the
state's culture. Middle college is helping to show the path to
higher education. Working closer with industries also helps
students see direct connections to jobs. Alaska's problem is not
the number of students going out of state to college. It is the
number of students not going to college. It has been a chronic
problem for Alaska.
SENATOR STEVENS stated UA faced many reductions. He appreciates
that its future looks bright.
9:25:11 AM
SENATOR MICCICHE asked if exit cards were sent to the 11,000
non-returning students to determine their reasons for leaving.
PRESIDENT PITNEY deferred the question to Chancellor Parnell.
SEAN PARNELL, Chancellor, University of Alaska Anchorage,
Anchorage, Alaska, replied that a blitz was done by the
administration and faculty to determine why students were not
returning for the Fall semester. Life adjustments were cited.
Similar adjustments have been seen with adults in the workplace.
9:28:14 AM
CHAIR HOLLAND stated he knows students who quit attending UA and
started working due to the educational disruptions caused by
Covid. They have not returned to school but plan to.
SENATOR MICCICHE stated he worked in an industry that partnered
with the university to provide process technology and other
programs to prepare new employees. The programs saved the
employer $90,000 in training costs. He asked if the university
has an outreach team to partner with industries and discuss job
training needs. For example, the mining industry uses Mine
Awareness Training (MATS).
PRESIDENT PITNEY replied that outreach is done on a case-by-case
basis. When state funding was available, the university expanded
process technology programs and doubled the nursing and
engineering programs. These programs have helped lessen Covid's
negative impact on graduation rates. There will be some outreach
through the infrastructure bill, but the universities focus is
stability.
9:30:58 AM
SENATOR BEGICH stated Senate Bill 10 would provide monetary
resources to students. It would be a way to get federal Covid
funds into Alaska's university system, increase enrollment, and
get students into partnership programs at the university.
9:32:14 AM
SENATOR STEVENS requested the university investigate the
training required to operate automatic baiting equipment and
whether it could offer the training.
PRESIDENT PITNEY accepted the request and moved to slide 8 to
discuss signs of hope in student enrollment. Students enrolled
exclusively at community colleges increased in 2021. UAA's
academic units, Kodiak and Prince William Sound Colleges saw
increased enrollment, as did UAS's School of Career Education.
UAF's academic units saw increased enrollment, and graduation
increased 5percent. Graduation rates for UA are at an all-time
high. UA's focus on Alaska Native enrollment, recruitment, and
retention has had positive signs.
9:35:33 AM
DANIEL WHITE, Chancellor, University of Alaska Fairbanks,
Fairbanks, Alaska, said that edX is a free platform where
students can take courses. The cost of a certificate is about
$200. There are approximately 20,000 students worldwide taking
edX courses from UAF. He anticipated that by 2024, there would
be 100,000 students taking the classes. The amount of money
earned from the platform is small. The benefit is worldwide
exposure to the opportunities available at UAF. It is believed
that all students enrolled in the One Health master's degree
program either came into the program through edX or had an
affiliation with a person who entered through edX.
9:37:34 AM
SENATOR BEGICH suggested UAF be deliberate in collecting data to
solidify the connection between edX users and increased
enrollment because affirmation would garner support from the
legislature.
PRESIDENT PITNEY noted that UA served Alaskans by running a
Covid contact tracing team and offering training. It has shared
its epidemiology experts, worked with small businesses, and
assisted with mental health emergency response.
9:39:32 AM
SENATOR STEVENS asked what UA has done to protect students and
faculty from Covid.
PRESIDENT PITNEY replied that the university uses a three-
layered approach that includes masking, social distancing, and
vaccination. Vaccination is required in school dormitories since
there is not enough space for social distancing. UAF has
research contract agreements of $100 million that require
vaccination. Therefore, vaccination is required within the UAF
campus proper. Some class sizes have been limited, and
protection barriers have been placed where needed. Contact
tracing is also being done.
9:42:03 AM
PRESIDENT PITNEY moved to slide 10 to discuss middle college
programs. Middle college programs exist in Anchorage, Mat-Su,
Kenai, Fairbanks, online and within the Alaska Native STEM
Program (ANSEP). The Alaska Advantage program is Alaska's
virtual middle college which opened the Fall semester before
Covid. The program was developed in response to Arizona State
offering Alaskan students participation in its' virtual program.
UAF and UAS successfully run the program. UA and secondary
schools are focused on increasing enrollment.
9:43:51 AM
PRESIDENT PITNEY stated that actions were taken to address
Alaska's need for trained teachers. Since each university has a
teaching program, a board-approved Alaska Education Consortium
was established to build a team of faculty and leadership to
work on pathways. Anchorage has a 2+2 program, and other UA
programs have teacher mentoring. The website teachalaska.org was
launched to highlight UA's teaching programs and pathways. The
site allows people with various backgrounds and interests to
quickly determine which teaching program best serves their
purpose. UA is also running advertisement campaigns to capture
student interest and promote teaching as a worthwhile
occupation.
9:46:15 AM
SENATOR BEGICH requested a graphic update on the number of
students enrolled in teacher education programs compared to
previous years. Last year's graphic showed a significant decline
in teacher enrollment. He opined that having the visual aide
helps facilitate important recruitment and retention dialogue.
He mentioned the role of Western Governors University (WGU) in
augmenting teachers for Alaska in the 1990s. He suggested that
the state consider partnering with WGU again.
9:48:01 AM
PRESIDENT PITNEY replied that the graphic is part of a required
biennial education report. Still, she would provide the
committee with the graphic.
SENATOR STEVENS asked how Alaska can help place-based residents
to become certified teachers.
9:49:00 AM
PRESIDENT PITNEY replied that UA has partnered with school
districts to assist teacher aides in determining the best
pathway to become certified teachers. Many of the programs are
available entirely through distance learning. The online
availability of a program can be ascertained by visiting
teachalaska.org.
PRESIDENT PITNEY advanced to slide 12 and reiterated that UA is
interested in meeting the workforce needs of Alaska. Last year,
UA studied industry sectors to determine the number of graduates
working in Alaska and their yearly earnings. From UA's oil and
gas process technology programs, there were 790 students who
graduated over a ten-year lookback in two locations. Almost 700
are employed in Alaska, and the average wage after five years of
employment is $130,000. The program is a tremendous benefit to
both the industry and the graduate. She noted that the industry
sector reports are available online.
PRESIDENT PITNEY said she would be talking with the Labor and
Commerce Committee regarding the workforce needs that will
result from the federal infrastructure bill. Alaska is in an
interesting position because the number of working-age adults
has declined by 30,000 over the last several years. The wage
differential Alaska once had no longer exists in its industries.
Alaska's ability to meet its economic opportunities depends on
building the workforce from within the state.
9:52:56 AM
PRESIDENT PITNEY advanced to slide 14 and stated that UA offers
many programs that would help meet the tremendous workforce
needs that the infrastructure bill would create.
9:53:30 AM
MR. PARNELL stated that UAA is aware of its key role in Alaska's
economic comeback. Alaska's comprehensive university offers more
programs than many residences realize. He began a calling
initiative to address the workforce demands of the state. He
speaks with Alaska Native corporation and tribal leaders, oil
and gas executives, telecom, healthcare, and financial
institutions. He stated that the university's chancellors and
president interact to ensure that university programs match
workforce needs.
9:55:07 AM
MR. PARNELL stated his appreciation for the suggestion of
partnering with Western Governors University (WGU). UAA spoke
with WGU, and ways to partner are being considered. UAA is open
to suggestions that create more opportunities for students. UAA
is Alaska's largest workforce provider and offers master,
bachelor, and associate degrees and occupational endorsement
certificates. UAA takes the lead for UA's health programs and
offers 45 programs, such as surgery technician, stenographer,
and medical assistant. The demand for UAA's healthcare programs
exceeds its capacity, so it is looking to expand.
UAA's College of Engineering is poised to meet the increased
needs of the workforce from the infrastructure bill. Employers
need bookkeepers, accountants, and quantitative analysts. The
College of Business and Public Policy can meet employers' needs
for bookkeepers, accountants, and analysts and is prepared to
help students transfer into the programs. He commented that
students could begin a career and work towards a bachelor's
degree through the certificate and pathway programs.
9:58:39 AM
SENATOR MICCICHE asked if UAA is pursuing true program
partnerships, as was done with the process technology program,
where a company heavily subsidizes program costs. He suggested
there could be opportunities in the seafood and medicine
industries.
MR. PARNELL responded yes; for example, Providence Alaska
Medical Center has a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the
College of Health. He recently learned that there are hundreds
of active MOUs that need attention. He visited the Kenai Process
Technology facility and saw its cutting-edge training. At the
tip of UAA's strategy are more partnerships like the Process
Technology program has with the oil industry.
10:01:46 AM
SENATOR MICCICHE asked if the effectiveness of state funding can
be increased by promoting its high-quality programs to
institutions that have inferior programs.
10:02:59 AM
PRESIDENT PITNEY replied that effectiveness is program
dependent. UA's fully online emergency management degree is
highly effective and was made popular outside of the state by
word of mouth. On the other hand, equipment-heavy programs, like
process technology, which are already at capacity, are not made
more effective through promotion. Out-of-state tuition never
covers the total cost of a program. Therefore, it is better to
focus on promotion in-state, where workforce retention is
likely.
10:04:54 AM
SENATOR STEVENS stated it was a shock to Alaska when UAA lost
its accreditation for its teaching program. He asked what is
being done to ensure students receive the education needed for
certification and whether the university intends to apply for
accreditation.
MR. PARNELL replied that UAA is fully accredited. If a student
wants to become a teacher, there are pathways at Alaska's
universities. He deferred further explanation to President
Pitney.
10:06:28 AM
PRESIDENT PITNEY added that the Board of Regents passed a
comprehensive reporting system centered on accreditation in
November. All of UA's institutions have strong accreditation.
Many individual programs, such as business, engineering, and
chemistry, have additional certification. The focus of the
accreditation policy is on early indicators, monitoring, and
oversight.
PRESIDENT PITNEY said that UA has pathways and education
leadership programs at UAA and is adding a PreK 3 Early
Childhood bachelor's program. She stated that when she became
the interim president, the university faced an additional
reduction of $20 million. Therefore, any additional programs
needed to be cost-neutral. Since UAA already had a two-year
program, creating a four-year program would be a cost-neutral
way of attracting more students.
10:09:08 AM
SENATOR STEVENS opined that the largest campus in the state
needs to have a school of education with an accredited teaching
program. He stated his concern that UAA provides students with
certifiable teacher education programs. He asked if the
university would be seeking accreditation.
10:10:21 AM
PRESIDENT PITNEY replied that the university is in a downsizing
environment. Each program within the school of education must be
accredited. The process needs to be done in steps, and the first
step for UAA is the Early Childhood program. The other step is a
seamless pathway through TeachAlaska.org. Two years of study are
done at UAA followed by two years at UAF to obtain a BA in
elementary education.
MR. PARNELL stated that UAA's School of Education graduate
programs had accreditations reaffirmed in August. The associate
degree in Early Childhood Education is accredited. UAA has
sixty-seven accreditation bodies and reviews. Accreditation is
essential, and steps are being taken so that UA does not
experience the revoking of a program's accreditation again.
SENATOR BEGICH expressed appreciation and joshed that Mr.
Parnell would be under pressure because all members of the
Senate Education Committee are from UAA's south-central region.
10:13:26 AM
MR. WHITE said that at UAF workforce is discussed from the level
of GED support to graduate degrees because all programs
contribute to Alaska's workforce.
UAF is Alaska's research university. It creates new jobs and
career paths through research and new technologies. For example,
UAF's Alaska Center for Energy and Power is working on new
energies. It is a place where people get trained for tomorrow's
jobs.
UAF developed a four-year financial aid program to help
bachelor's degree students get into the workforce quickly. It
provides a four-year commitment of financial assistance to
students. Hence, they are confident of the cost and
affordability of their chosen program. The intent is to prevent
students from interrupting their studies to earn money.
10:15:40 AM
UAF has 45 online degree programs designed to meet the needs of
working Alaskans. Online programs allow students to take courses
where and when they need them. It also offers micro-
credentialing that enables students to take classes that have
value in the workforce, such as social media marketing, small
business development, and entrepreneurship.
10:18:05 AM
UAF also offers traditional workforce programs, such as fire,
paramedicine, mining, and oil and gas. UAF operates an
underground mine and partners with petroleum companies to train
in the Kenai peninsula region. When students graduate from a
program, they are ready to be employed. Tribal management and
rural human services are offered to prepare students to work in
rural native communities.
10:19:34 AM
PRESIDENT PITNEY moved to slide 17 and stated Juneau, Sitka, and
Ketchikan are integrated to form the University of Alaska
Southeast (UAS). The Ketchikan campus is focused on maritime
education. Its maritime training center has a state-of-the-art
simulator to train boat captains, and it is closely aligned with
the Alaska Vocational Technical Center (AVTECH) in Seward,
Alaska. Juneau's power technology program focuses on the mining
workforce. Juneau's education programs are offered statewide
online. UAS also offers a one-year intensive teacher certificate
program.
10:20:57 AM
PRESIDENT PITNEY stated that Anchorage's college of health
provides nursing cohorts in Juneau. In addition, UAS offers two
shorter programs, medtech and certified nursing assistant (CNA).
An area of significant focus at the board level is increasing
the presence of fisheries and ocean sciences through a
partnership with UAS and UAF. UAF has a research facility at
Lena Point, Juneau. The fisheries and ocean science program has
expanded by combining UAF's research and graduate programs with
UAS's undergraduate program, creating a pathway into the
graduate program for undergraduates. Also, Sitka has a strong
fisheries tech program.
10:22:15 AM
SENATOR STEVENS stated he is impressed with Juneau's teacher
education program. He asked how many students are enrolled in
UAS's education programs.
PRESIDENT PITNEY replied that she would report back.
10:23:12 AM
PRESIDENT PITNEY moved to slide 18 and stated that the Board of
Regents approved an $8 million operating budget increase, making
the FY23 budget $280 million. The budget amount in FY14 was $379
million. The university wants to achieve fiscal stability and
grow by working with industries. This takes time so modest
increments to the budget help. The university will focus on
targeted programmatic areas. She noted that faculty contracts
are still being negotiated and are not included in the FY22
budget of $280 million.
PRESIDENT PITNEY advanced to slide 19 and commented that a
priority project for the capital budget is modernizing student
IT infrastructure. The current Enterprise data system was
installed in 1995 and interfaces poorly with more modern
technology. Federal or state funds can be used for the upgrade
as it is a long-term investment central to UA's future.
PRESIDENT PITNEY stated that there was $31 million in the
legislature's budget last year that was vetoed. The previous
year's deferred maintenance projects need to be addressed.
Deferred maintenance is $1.4 billion. An annual deferred
maintenance budget of $50 million would keep the university on
track. A long-term deferred maintenance strategy needs to be
figured out.
10:26:00 AM
PRESIDENT PITNEY stated that areas of economic impact for Alaska
that were presented to the Board of Regents include drones,
critical minerals, enhanced oil recovery, alternative energy,
mariculture, and health care programs. The university is excited
to request state discretionary federal funds for use in these
projects because it advances the initiatives faster. The
expansion of the Health Care program is a base request.
PRESIDENT PITNEY said UA's drone program is one of seven in the
nation. Alaska is a perfect testbed for commercialized flights.
Faculty serve on committees with the Federal Aviation
Association (FAA) to determine how to have safe flights. Drones
could be a game-changer for monitoring the pipeline, sending
freight to small communities, counting fish and game, or
monitoring coastal land and water. Once more test facility setup
and pilot training are arranged, these opportunities could exist
for Alaska.
10:28:39 AM
PRESIDENT PITNEY said that Alaska has the elements for a green
economy and could sustainably mine rare earth minerals. Research
is needed to make mining economical. This research would give
the United States independence from China. UA plans to meet with
industries, environmentalists, and state and federal governments
in August to discuss unlocking critical minerals in Alaska. UA
would work with the Department of Natural Resources and the
Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys.
PRESIDENT PITNEY mentioned that the state is waiting for a
judgment regarding whether the Higher Education Investment Fund
(HEIF) can be swept into the Constitutional Budget Reserve
(CBR). If the lawsuit does not prevail, the university will need
legislative assistance to restore the fund.
10:31:05 AM
SENATOR BEGICH asked about the status of the UA President
search.
PRESIDENT PITNEY replied that the board would decide in
February.
10:31:52 AM
There being no further business to come before the committee,
Chair Holland adjourned the Senate Education Standing Committee
meeting at 10:31 a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| UA Senate Education Committee Presentation 1 21 2022 - Final from President Pitney.pdf |
SEDC 1/24/2022 9:00:00 AM |