Friday Focus: Embracing change and opportunity together
May 22, 2025
— By Bryan Uher, associate vice chancellor of rural and workforce education
With July 1 right around the corner, I want to take a moment to share an important update on the transition of the Interior Alaska Campus into the Community and Technical College — and to recognize the incredible work that’s gone into making this change possible.
As many of you know, the UA Board of Regents approved the merger at its November 2024 meeting. Since then, we’ve communicated with students, staff, faculty and partners across both units to ensure a smooth and thoughtful transition.
IAC has held a unique position within the UAF’s rural campuses in that it is physically located in ²ÊÉñix¹ÙÍø, yet deeply connected to Interior communities through distance education and on-site intensives. This merger strengthens that connection. It opens the door for students and partners from the interior communities to access more than 50+ programs and an expanded suite of student support services, including tutoring, testing, advising, registration and wellness resources–all while maintaining the reduced tuition differential.
As CTC has increased its program offerings to online delivery, and a commitment to supporting rural communities and students from across the state, new opportunities will become available to the interior. Workforce specific programs like Construction Trades, Welding, Mining and a new Outboard Technician, for example, will be offered in either ²ÊÉñix¹ÙÍø or delivered directly to rural communities in intensive formats.
Two years ago,CTC earned designation as an Alaska Native Serving Institution—a reflection of growing interest from rural communities and Alaska Native students. The inclusion of the IAC mission and experience from its staff will ensure continued support and expanded opportunities to the interior communities and support persistence.
This summer, CTC will begin a strategic planning process, supported by its Title III grant. This effort will focus on identifying the evolving needs of both urban and rural students, and will include new seats on the CTC advisory council to ensure Interior voices are heard and valued.
Over the past months, leadership from CTC, CIS and IAC have identified roles for each of the IAC staff. Some of these staff have already moved to CTC full time and have done a wonderful job in transitioning and increasing its support to the larger community and college. No reduction in staff is projected with this merger, though positions will be adjusted to fit within the new structure.
I want to thank the staff and faculty from both IAC and CTC for their support and patience through this transition. We are excited about the future and look forward to the positive results it will produce in supporting a wider range of student interests and academic goals from the interior.
Let’s keep moving forward — together.
Friday Focus is a column written by a different member of UAF's leadership team every week.