2025-2030 Strategic Plan
FOCUS AREA I: Personalized Student Success
We cultivate an environment where students are seen and supported on their unique pathways to success.
Strategic Initiative 1: Build a strong foundation for students to successfully begin their academic journeys.
◆ Implement Gateway Course Redesign to lay the groundwork for students to succeed in their chosen disciplines.
◆ Establish a First Year Experience (FYE) for all students to enhance their belonging and engagement.
Strategic Initiative 2: Implement clear and integrated approaches to guide and support students on their academic pathways.
◆ Improve the structure and coordination of academic advising across all three campuses to create a supportive network for students.
◆ Create clear academic maps that help students navigate their program pathways to drive on-time completion of credentials.
Strategic Initiative 3: Bolster access to development opportunities for students that lead to greater post-graduation success.
◆ Implement early career planning by connecting frst- and second-year credential-seeking students to Career Services.
◆ Integrate career-readiness activities and events into students’ academic journeys.
FOCUS AREA II: Distinctive Learning Opportunities
We foster a culture of novel and active inquiry that nurtures a deep sense of belonging.
Strategic Initiative 1: Review and strengthen the use of experiential learning opportunities in programs of study.
◆ Develop a shared defnition of experiential learning at UAS and identify courses that currently integrate hands-on learning.
◆ Provide training to faculty on how to optimize experiential learning while creating a sense of belonging for all students.
Strategic Initiative 2: Advance opportunities and spaces for students and employees to immerse themselves in the Indigenous cultures, languages, and arts of Southeast Alaska.
◆ Embed the knowledge of Indigenous cultures of Southeast Alaska into the design of spaces and structures within the Campus Master Plan.
◆ Develop opportunities to orient students and employees on Alaska Native ways of knowing, being, and doing.
Strategic Initiative 3: Nurture innovation in teaching, scholarship, research, and creative activities.
◆ Expand funding for the UAS Innovation Grant to support endeavors by faculty and staff across campuses to enhance teaching, scholarship, research, and creative activities.
◆ Optimize academic programming that leverages place-based learning for both in-person and online courses.
FOCUS AREA III: A Strong and Resilient Ecosystem
We nurture a healthy organization to position UAS for future growth while cultivating community.
Strategic Initiative 1: Build a strong foundation for employees to successfully begin their careers at UAS and remain connected to leadership.
◆ Develop a UAS onboarding plan through the creation of standardized documentation across UAS and an onboarding committee.
◆ Enhance regular communication and dialogue between the administration and the staf and faculty.
Strategic Initiative 2: Streamline systems and processes that balance evolving needs with the available capacity.
◆ Identify and solve process barriers to enhance operational efciencies, increase employee capacity and reduce administrative burden.
Strategic Initiative 3: Expand and diversify sustainable revenue streams.
◆ Develop a Strategic Enrollment Management plan that builds momentum for and drives progress in recruitment and retention.
◆ Revitalize the UAS Budget Advisory Committee to provide transparency on and engagement with budget proposals and allocations that focus on growth and sustainability.
◆ Amplify donorship to create long-term funding sources for student scholarships and programmatic support.
FOCUS AREA IV: Reach, Impact, and Visibility
We contribute to the vitality of the region we serve and the world we touch.
Strategic Initiative 1: Catalog existing relationships and promote collaborative research, scholarship and creative activities with community and regional stakeholders.
◆ Conduct a comprehensive review of existing community and regional partnerships.
◆ Create and implement a plan for the strategic expansion of community and regional collaborations.
Strategic Initiative 2: Collaborate with employers, alumni, and other educational entities to expand pathways that are aligned with Alaska’s evolving workforce needs.
◆ Identify specifc high-demand skills gaps in Southeast Alaska and develop targeted program pathways focusing on occupations critical to the region's economic development and retention of working-age residents.
◆ Increase opportunities for dual-enrolled students to enroll as degree-seeking students, allowing them to earn postsecondary credentials prior to high school graduation.
Strategic Initiative 3: Deepen connections and visibility with educational entities across the region, state, nation, and world.
◆ Expand transfer and articulation agreements with colleges and universities to create seamless pathways for students transferring to UAS.
◆ Develop partnerships with institutions that leverage UAS’s unique culture and location while enhancing the student educational experience.