As Alaska Pacific University transitions to becoming a tribal university, it continues to build its programmatic offerings, including an undergraduate certificate in practical nursing.

Alaska Pacific University (APU), which continues to work toward becoming Alaska’s second tribal college, is offering three new academic programs, ranging from an undergraduate certificate to a graduate degree. The programs received accreditation from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities and the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education.

The first program is an undergraduate certificate in practical nursing. The program aims to reduce Alaska’s nursing shortage by offering training programs in Bethel, a largely Yup’ik community of 6,000 residents. The new program was developed in collaboration with regional partners, including the Yukon- Kuskokwim Health Corporation, the Lower Kuskokwim School District, and Yuut Elitnaurviat, a vocational training center serving the communities of Alaska’s Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. The certificate program meets a statewide demand for nurses by preparing students to earn a license in practical nursing. Bethel is roughly an hour-long flight from APU’s campus in Anchorage.

APU’s newest undergraduate program, a bachelor’s degree in community and place-based education, trains teachers in community-based education, with a focus on culturally relevant instruction and Indigenous education practices. APU faculty from the departments of education, outdoor and environmental education, and Indigenous studies collaborated to develop the curriculum. Students who complete the bachelor’s degree have the option to complete an accelerated program for K-8 teacher certification, or they can launch careers in informal education settings like parks, museums, and interpretive centers.

APU will also launch a graduate program in creative writing in the summer of 2022. The low-residency MFA program accommodates working professionals by offering one-on-one faculty mentorship during the academic year, and two-week in-person residencies in Anchorage during the summer terms. Students can choose to focus on fiction, literary nonfiction, or poetry. The program is designed to showcase and support the work of Indigenous and Northern writers.

“These new programs continue our mission to honor Alaska’s Indigenous heritage,” says APU provost and acting president Hilton Hallock. “With low-residency graduate programs, place-based education courses, and our first regional program in Bethel, we will be the university of first choice for even more Alaskans. Each program fills a unique need in the state, and each has been developed with residents of Alaska in mind. We are excited to welcome students into these new degree programs.”