On December 19, 2016, Alaska Pacific University (APU) announced that it was forming a partnership with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) in an effort to “create a university unlike any other.” That same day, 14 of APU’s trustees stepped down and 17 new ones—all of whom were Alaska Natives—stepped in. The overhaul was so far reaching, so transformative, that one trustee felt compelled to explain, “This is not a hostile takeover by ANTHC of the university. . . This is a collaboration between these two entities.”

Indeed, the new partnership was a boon for both APU and ANTHC. The university had been struggling financially for several years, while ANTHC was searching for ways to improve healthcare training for Alaska Natives. When the two entities looked more deeply into the higher education landscape of Anchorage and south-central Alaska, they discovered that the region’s colleges and universities had failed to meet Alaska Natives’ needs. What was to be done? APU’s new board announced a bold plan: it was taking “initial steps in a transition towards a tribal college designation.”

The history of Alaska Native education is inauspicious, to say the least, yet hardly surprising for anyone familiar with American Indian education in the lower contiguous 48 states. Part of the problem was, and continues to be, Alaska’s immense and challenging geography. At over 660,000 square miles, the state is more than twice the size of Texas. The North Slope Borough alone covers an area the size of Utah. With the sprawling Aleutian Island Archipelago stretching nearly to Russia and the southern panhandle reaching down into British Columbia, the state is 2,700 miles wide with more shoreline than all of the other states combined. And that’s just the beginning. There are tens of thousands of glaciers, towering mountain ranges that contain 17 of the 20 tallest peaks in North America, and over a quarter of the state lies within the Arctic Circle and subject to permafrost. Hence, connecting communities, building infrastructure, and developing an effective education system has been a colossal undertaking.

Such barriers aside, Alaska Natives have also faced many of the same heavy-handed federal and state education policies as American Indians. In 1931, the U.S. Office of Education transferred jurisdiction of schools serving Alaska Natives to the Indian Office—the predecessor of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). While some Native children from larger, more accessible communities attended day schools, others went to boarding schools. Secondary education was especially problematic. In 1947, the BIA established a single consolidated boarding school in Sitka, a town in the southeast corner of the state. For nearly 20 years, it was the only government high school serving Alaska Natives. Unable to meet the state’s secondary education needs, many kids shipped off to the Chemawa Indian School in Oregon, the Chilocco Indian School in Oklahoma, or the Santa Fe Indian School in New Mexico. In 1972, the exacerbating situation led the Alaska Legal Services Corporation, working on behalf of Alaska Native plaintiffs, to file suit in what became known as the Molly Hootch Case. A settlement eventually led to the development of 126 new high schools that would serve Alaska Native villages.

Although secondary education dramatically improved in the subsequent decades, higher education—especially culturally responsive colleges and universities that sought to meet the needs of Alaska Native communities—remained decidedly lacking. For a time, Sheldon Jackson College, a small, private institution affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, made serving Alaska Natives a central part of its mission, but the college closed in 2007. More significantly was the founding of the North Slope Higher Education Center in 1986, which eventually transformed into the Arctic Sivunmun Iḷisaġvik College, Alaska’s first and only tribal college. Iḷisaġvik College gained full accreditation in 2003 and has gone on to develop both associate and baccalaureate programs.

The only other higher education institution that historically has served Alaska Natives is Alaska Pacific University. The institution was founded in 1957 by Peter Gordon Gould, an Aleut from Unga Island and a Methodist missionary. Gould himself was the product of a boarding school education. In his autobiography, The Fisherman’s Son, he recounts his upbringing and educational journey in Alaska and beyond. Gould went on to graduate from both Williamsport Dickinson Seminary in Pennsylvania (now Lycoming College) and later Syracuse University. As a Methodist missionary, he became especially concerned with Alaska Natives’ healthcare, economic opportunity, and education. He returned home and established APU to meet those needs.

Peter Gordon Gould (Aleut) founded APU as Alaska Methodist University to offer higher education opportunities to Alaska Natives.

Over the years, APU developed an impressive array of facilities on a beautiful 175-acre campus tucked in the forest on the northeastern edge of Anchorage. The university acquired a 900-acre farm extension, built several state-of-the-art classroom buildings, four residence halls, and a sports center that houses a gymnasium, a six-lane salt water pool, soccer fields, and the Nordic Ski Center—which is where APU alumnus Kikkan Randall trained prior to her dramatic gold-medal victory in women’s cross-country skiing at the 2018 winter Olympics.

Even more impressive than its facilities was the growth of APU’s academics. Primarily a baccalaureate and master’s degree-granting institution, the university developed programs in Alaska Native governance, business administration and management, counseling psychology, creative and professional writing, liberal studies, marine and environmental sciences, outdoor studies, health services, and sustainability studies. The university also launched a doctoral degree program in counseling psychology. Yet despite its extensive programming and successes, APU struggled financially. By 2016, the institution was on life support.

The Atwood Center is the heart of APU’s campus. It is also the site of the ceremonial signing of the Alaska Native Land Settlement Act of 1971.

Facing closure, APU president Don Bantz began meeting with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium to explore a possible partnership. A nonprofit health organization that provides services to all Native peoples in Alaska, ANTHC was established in 1997 by Alaska’s 12 Native regional organizations. With nearly 3,000 employees, it is the single largest tribal health entity in the United States. More tangibly, ANTHC operates the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage, a massive facility with a thousand physicians and nurses on staff. The center is next door to APU.

As an Indigenous organization, ANTHC views health and healthcare holistically which means that education itself is an effective health intervention. Such an approach is borne out statistically: the more education, the greater life expectancy and quality of life. Hence, when President Bantz went knocking, ANTHC answered enthusiastically. For ANTHC, a partnership with APU presented an unprecedented opportunity not only to build a new Indigenous healthcare workforce, but to shape the future of Alaska Natives’ health itself. APU already had the necessary infrastructure in place, most notably its accredited programs in Native leadership and governance, business administration, health services, and counseling psychology. Initially, ANTHC considered developing a tribal college within the university, but that proposal was quickly discarded in favor of making the entire institution a full-fledged tribal university. To explore this uncharted territory, ANTHC contacted the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC).

In September of 2016, AIHEC conducted a feasibility study on APU transforming into a tribal university. What was clear from the outset was the tremendous need for a higher education institution that would serve Alaska Natives in Anchorage and the southern part of the state. At 12% of the population, Anchorage proportionally has more Native people than any other American city with over 100,000 people. More significantly, over 23% of Anchorage’s children in grades 7-12 are Alaska Natives. Yet, just 51% graduate from high school and only 13% complete a baccalaureate degree. Referencing a 2014 White House report, the feasibility study underscored that Alaska Natives have “dramatically fewer educational opportunities than their peers.” The lack of tribal control, limited student support, ineffective teachers and school leaders, very little Native languages and cultures in curriculum, and insufficient funding were all contributing factors.

At the same time, AIHEC reported that robust economic growth is projected in Alaska’s oil and gas, construction, and healthcare sectors. Between 2000 and 2009, healthcare employment increased by 46%, which was five times the rate of the state’s population growth and three times faster than all other economic sectors. Yet there remained a shortage of qualified healthcare workers and there continues to be widespread vacancies in key occupations, especially in primary care, dental, and mental health. Alaska Natives, many of whom live in remote villages and communities, have been especially underserved. By 2022, AIHEC concluded job openings in the healthcare sector are expected to grow by more than 10%. An online survey found broad support for establishing a tribal college in the Anchorage area, with healthcare workforce development and career advancement as the primary reasons why such an institution was needed.

AIHEC’s feasibility study concluded that APU has a solid foundation from which a tribally controlled university can flourish. But its number one conclusion, which was more of a reminder than a finding, was that “establishing a TCU requires that the TCU become an integral component of the tribal nation and the community being served, and that it is driven by the community’s priorities and values,” adding that “these considerations must be at the foundation of any plan to either establish a TCU or transform APU into a TCU.”

At APU, students celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day and university officials are working on developing a cultural foundation, an essential step in the transition to a tribal university.

Following AIHEC’s feasibility study, APU’s president and trustees moved to form a partnership with ANTHC. The new board of trustees was appointed in December 2016 and two months later Don Bantz stepped down as president, making way for ANTHC’s medical director of community and health systems improvement, Dr. Robert Onders, to take the helm as interim president. Onders and the new trustees immediately began revising the university’s articles of incorporation, bylaws, strategic plan, and goals. The number one item in their new vision, entitled “2023 Strategic Plan,” was “Honoring Alaska’s Indigenous heritage, exemplifying excellence, and preparing paths.”     

Onders, who is both a medical doctor and an attorney, recognizes that APU has many hurdles to overcome in transitioning fully to a TCU. At the top of the list is the institution’s enrollment and demographics. Tribal college designation requires that at least 51% of the student body be enrolled in a federally recognized tribe. When APU was founded in 1957, 30% of its student body was Alaska Native, but in February 2017, when Onders became president, the figure was at 17%. Onders points out that the university’s Native student count is showing signs of growth. He also views such growth realistically and pragmatically, noting that his first goal is to reach 20%, which will enable APU to be designated as an Alaska Native/minority-serving institution and will open up Title III funding and new grant opportunities—“Then we can develop programs that bring in [more] Alaska Natives,” he explains.

APU president Dr. Robert Onders is working to make the college financially sustainable and seeking to dramatically increase the university’s Native student count.

Another way that Onders hopes to increase APU’s Native student count is through distance education. The university already has the infrastructure in place and he hopes to reach Alaska Native villages and communities that heretofore have had virtually no higher education opportunities. Onders sees how some of APU’s baccalaureate and master’s programs can be transformed into low-residency options, not unlike the Institute of American Indian Arts’ low-residency Master of Fine Arts program, which draws students from all over Indian Country. In meeting the daunting 51% threshold, he says they will have to rethink the university’s programming so that it meets Alaska’s workforce needs and provides clear career pathways for local Native communities. If that can be achieved, APU will be more successful in increasing its Alaska Native student count.

 But Native student count is just the tip of the iceberg. APU also has longstanding financial issues to work out, which is why former President Bantz met with ANTHC in the first place. Matt Carle (Haida), a respected businessman who serves as vice president of planning and business at ANTHC, underscores the necessity of taking a measured, long-term approach. Turning APU into a tribal university “has the potential to be transformational” for Alaska Natives, he explains. But he quickly qualifies that, noting, “Don’t try to take on more than we’re capable of in a short time.” Carle says APU must be “very deliberate” over the next five years—“very intentional about the steps we’re going to take.”

For APU trustee Matt Carle (Haida), measured growth is the key: “Don’t try to take on more than we are capable of in a short time,” he says.

One problem the university still needs to resolve is the high cost students pay to enroll. For 2018-2019, APU’s stated tuition and fees were $20,350. Compare that to Leech Lake Tribal College, which at $4,965 per year was named Wallethub’s number one community college in the United States for a quality higher education at a budget price. But that large disparity is misleading, says Onders, who points out that APU’s “sticker price” is more than what people actually pay. “Some don’t pay anything,” he says, adding that the university has discounts and that Alaska Native regional corporations offer scholarships based on merit and need. Onders also maintains that student retention and completion at APU is exceptionally high, making an APU education a great value.

Another challenge is implementing a solid cultural foundation. Carle, who was appointed to APU’s board of trustees, recognizes that with Alaska’s tremendous Indigenous diversity, it’s going to be complicated to create a single vision as a tribal university. But, he says, “At the end of the day, you have to have a single vision that everyone can get,” adding, “Take your time and make sure you’re getting input from all levels.”

Over its 60 years, APU has developed an array of impressive degree programs and has strong student retention and graduation rates

Part of that means engaging Alaska Native communities and addressing long-simmering issues of displacement, assimilation, and historical trauma. APU trustee Tina Woods (Aleut) knows this as well as anyone. A clinical psychologist, Woods is from St. Paul in Alaska’s remote Pribilof Islands, but as a girl was moved to Guam. For her, education was both empowering and healing. “Silence is due to trauma—the idea was to not talk about it,” but she says, “The more we don’t talk about it, the longer we remain sick.” She goes on to explain that many Alaska Natives employ negative coping skills that are passed on. “Hanging on to anger and stress—they manifest into cancer and other illnesses.” Creating a culturally grounded, tribal university for Alaska Natives will not just serve workforce needs, but, perhaps more significantly, will serve as a safe space where underserved Alaska Native people can discuss these larger community-level issues, celebrate their culture, and move toward true healing. To this end, Woods points out that APU recently held a town hall meeting so they could get input from the tribal community. “You have to be a part of it,” she says. “We can’t just label this a tribal college.”

APU trustee Dr. Tina Woods (Aleut) stresses the importance of establishing a place where Native students feel at home.

One concrete step APU has taken that follows the lead of so many established TCUs is the incorporation of elders into college life. The university recently passed a resolution to create an elders advisory council that Woods hopes will serve as a catalyst for a revamped, Indigenized curriculum. Carle also underscores the need to forge strong Indigenous connections. “The University of Alaska Anchorage has programs, but APU has the potential to become a place of community,” he says. “Make a place that feels at home so they keep coming back for the next semester.”

Resolving all of these demographic, financial, and cultural challenges is no doubt easier said than done. Dr. Pearl Brower, president of Iḷisaġvik College, expresses concerns about APU’s bid to become a tribal college. “I think it’s really important that they are very aware of how a tribal college is created,” she says. “Tribal colleges are grassroots institutions. You can’t just impose a TCU on a colonial, Western institution. I’m curious how they’re going to do that.” Brower further worries about the example that it could set. “I don’t want institutions that are struggling financially to think that becoming a tribal college is their ticket out of trouble,” she says. At the same time, however, she recognizes the great need to serve Alaska Natives and sees the potential for fruitful partnerships that could benefit both Iḷisaġvik and APU. Iḷisaġvik students could seamlessly transition into APU’s baccalaureate or master’s programs, Brower explains, which would boost APU’s Native student count.

Since its formal partnership with ANTHC, APU has been conceptualized as an Indigenous academic health center. The excitement of establishing a new tribal university “unlike any other” that serves Alaska Natives keeps Onders, Carle, and Woods focused. “We’re energized after a board meeting—no one wants to see this fail on their watch,” says Carle. “We as Alaska Natives have not had our needs met through the educational system. Here’s an opportunity to put our fingerprint on the healthcare system.” Woods agrees, adding, “We can do a better job in retaining our people—a TCU will be essential to that.”

Perhaps what’s most striking is that despite the great challenges ahead, Onders, Carle, and Woods are confident that APU will become the next tribal university. “It’s never ‘no,’ it’s ‘how,’” says Woods, expounding, “It’s ‘when’ APU becomes a tribal college, not ‘if’ APU becomes a tribal college.” With a sparkle in her eye, Woods goes on to say that she has “No doubts.” “It’s going to happen. . . Call me crazy. Failure is not even on my mind.”

Bradley Shreve, Ph.D., is managing editor of Tribal College Journal.

References

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Brower, P. (2018, October 23). Personal Telephone Interview.

Carle, M. (2018, June 25). Personal Interview. Anchorage, AK.

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Hanlon, T. (2016, December 20). Alaska Pacific University Plans to become a Tribal College. Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved from https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/education/2016/12/19/the-private-alaska-pacific-university-plans-to-transform-into-tribal-college/

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