University of Alaska

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The University of Alaska Anchorage kicked off its new school psychology masters program this fall to address a shortage in school psychologists.

But the program has so far failed to get approval from the state Board of Education over concerns about social justice advocacy. That could make it harder for students to get jobs after they graduate. 

Alaska has very few local school psychologists. They are trained to evaluate students to see if they qualify for special education services, and provide mental health support.

But very few work directly for school districts. To fill the gap, UAA professor Hattie Harvey said districts contract with school psychologists instead.

“So that often looks like someone from Lower 48 coming up two to three times a year for special education testing, which is a very small percentage of the capacity of the role of a school psychologist, they could provide,” Harvey said.

Alaska is one of two states that didn’t have an in-state school psychology program. Harvey spearheaded efforts to launch the state’s first program at UAA.

The goal is to train school psychologists locally, in a state where they currently serve more than three times the national recommended average of students. In the 2023-2024 school year, the ratio of school psychologists to students in Alaska was 1 to 1,576. The national standard is 1 to 500.

But the first cohort of students might struggle to find work immediately after graduating because of licensing requirements.

Harvey said state law requires school psychologists to get their license to work in the state in a couple ways.  

“They can graduate from a NASP-accredited program, which is the National Association of School Psychologists,” she said. “It’s the one accrediting and the only accrediting body for school psychology programs across the nation. And then the second way is graduating from a state-approved program.”

Harvey said the university is in the accreditation process. The earliest they can achieve accreditation is in 2029, which is a year after the current cohort is expected to graduate.

The state Board of Education makes the decision on approving the program, in order for students to be able to get licensed through the state. But the board voted down the approval earlier this month in a split vote and asked the university to make changes based on their feedback.

Students still have an option to apply for a national certification after graduating that would allow them to get licensed in the state. But Harvey said the process is much longer than the other two pathways. That could mean students would have to wait a year after graduating before being hired by a district.

Board member Kathryn McCollum was one of the members who voted against approval. She said at the meeting she was concerned about an article from a sample syllabus that focused on social justice, as well as the structure of the program.

“I really do know that we need school psychologists, and I do appreciate the work that they do in the schools,” McCollum said. “I don’t want a program that is designed to create, basically activists.”

She said she was concerned the program could become overly political or divisive. 

Sally Stockhausen chairs the board and voted in favor of the program. She’s the special education director for the Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District and said school psychologists need to learn about social justice as part of their education.

“I would much rather us educate and have graduates leave who know what’s out there, rather than, than, than remove all exposure to, to these thoughts.”

Social justice and advocacy is a part of a framework for practicing school psychology as laid out by NASP. Emily Wendling is a school psychologist for the Anchorage School District and the state’s delegate for NASP.

She said social justice plays a big role in her daily work, which is largely about supporting student mental health and making sure they have equitable access to education.

“A part of that is making sure that we are understanding social justice and helping to prevent barriers or address barriers to students’ education and create equitable opportunities for all of our students.”

Ella MacRae moved to Alaska last summer and is enrolled in the new program. She called the program “life-changing” and hopes to stay in the state after graduating. She said accredited programs from outside the state touch on these topics, and hiring school psychologists from those programs means they will also be learning about topics of social justice.

“Why are we stopping our school psychs here, or trying to stop them from touching on those themes, especially when it’s so important that we have this program and include other things that out-of-state programs might not touch on, like, have an emphasis on rural communities,” MacRae said.

Megan Beattie is also a student in the program and works as a special education teacher for the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District. Beattie said the program has already helped her work as a teacher, where she spends her day advocating for her students.

“I advocate for my students all day, every day, whether it’s working with my co-teachers and trying to get accommodations in place for my students that have special education needs, or if it’s working with our counseling department to make sure that my kids’ mental health needs are met,” she said. “Sometimes it’s even literally just getting them fed.”

 She said it’s been frustrating to see the board vote down the program.

“Yes, we’re exposed to different ideologies, we’re exposed to different research methods, but ultimately, our job is to advocate for our students and meet their best needs,” she said. “And so having one article that came up as kind of a primary reason for not approving the program as a whole is really frustrating.”

Beattie said she’s concerned about the lack of state approval and the idea of not being able to work as a school psychologist right after graduating. The program has a full-time internship that means students like her won’t be able to work their normal jobs for a school year. And they might not be able to get their old jobs back if they need to go through a longer certification process.

Beattie said she hopes the board will approve the program at its next meeting. She said she wants to stay in the state to continue to support students.

“This is home, and Alaska can sometimes get the short end of the stick on resources and everything anyways,” she said. “So to be able to give back to the state that has raised me and given me the opportunities that I have had in life is really important for me.”

The state board is expected to meet again in December.

Out-of-state undergraduate students at the University of Alaska Southeast will see lower tuition rates beginning next fall.

The campus is getting rid of out-of-state tuition for all undergraduate students as part of the Alaska Unlocked program. Out-of-state students made up 12% of the entire student population last fall. Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs Lori Klein said it is part of a strategy to make UAS more accessible for out-of-state students.

“At UAS, we’re focused on enrollment growth, and in order to do that, we have to remove the barriers, or in this case, through Alaska Unlocked, create the pathway for out-of-state students to join us in this amazing place, at this amazing university, with our programs and our faculty and our services,” she said.

This comes as enrollment at UAS has fallen since 2012, with a slight increase beginning in 2022. Klein says the state’s declining population means they are looking to applicants outside the state to bolster enrollment. And she said they benefit both the university and the state.

“Our out-of-state students have strong retention and completion rates,” she said. “And not only are out-of-state students, not only do they stay with us through completion of, they often then stay in Alaska, and they work in Alaska.”

Klein added that they are also continuing to improve recruitment efforts within the state as well.

Tuition at UAS this year is $240 to $290 per credit hour depending on the level of the course. Out-of-state tuition is currently $600 more per credit hour. Klein says many of the out-of-state students at UAS currently pay 1.5 times in-state tuition under the Western Undergraduate Exchange. That’s a program where students from specific states and territories can pay a lower tuition rate at participating universities.

Separately, the University of Alaska Board of Regents is also considering a 3% tuition increase across the entire university system for next year.

Klein said in an email to KTOO that UAS estimates it will lose about $400,000 in tuition with the change. The campus will need 70 new out-of-state students taking 24 credits in an academic year to make up the difference. 

But Klein said they’re committed to exceeding that goal in the coming years.

“The loss of revenue is a risk, but we, we believe in the quality product that we have, and we believe that this is this school, UAS is a right fit for so many students,” she said.

Klein said the campus has also doubled its recruiting staff. She said three out of the four positions are currently filled, and they are traveling in and out of the state to recruit students. 

The university accepts applications on a rolling basis until Aug. 1 for the following school year.

The U.S. Department of Education has terminated grant funding for universities’ Alaska Native and Native-Hawaiian-serving programs and support services, an act that University of Alaska Fairbanks Chancellor Mike Sfraga said “will have a substantial and negative impact on a large number of Alaskans, including our Alaska Native students.”

Sfraga announced the federal decision in a campus-wide email on Thursday.

Sfraga said the funding cut for UAF is estimated at $2.9 million, and the full effects are still under review. More than 20%, or an estimated 1,450 students at UAF are Indigenous, Sfraga noted.

The full extent of the grant funding freeze across the University of Alaska system is still being analyzed, said Jonathon Taylor, UA director of public affairs, by email on Friday.

UA President Pat Pitney said in an emailed statement on Friday that the university will continue to create a welcoming environment for all students.

“We are evaluating the impact these changes will have on our services to Alaska Native students, and are communicating directly with students, staff, and faculty who may be affected,” Pitney said. “A significant part of UA’s identity is our commitment to Alaska Native culture, language, art, heritage, business, and tribal management and governance; that remains unchanged. We proudly embrace our global leadership in Alaska Native and Indigenous studies, and will continue to sustain a welcoming environment where all – including our Alaska Native and Indigenous students – can thrive and succeed.”

Taylor said the University of Alaska Southeast has at least one grant-funded program on the Sitka campus aimed at improving student services, and university officials are waiting to hear whether it will be eliminated. Taylor said the University of Alaska Anchorage does not have any programs funded by this federal grant.

Taylor said on Monday the University of Alaska Anchorage has at least one program funded by the grant, but it is based on different eligibility requirements, and the university does not expect it to be affected.

As of fall 2024, there were 3,254 students enrolled at the University of Alaska that identified as Alaska Native or American Indian, and 266 that identified as Hawaiian Native or Pacific Islander, according to the university, and 19,629 students total across the UA system.

The University of Alaska announcements came after the Trump administration said Wednesday it will withhold an estimated $350 million of congressionally-approved funding for minority serving colleges and universities, saying the money will be allocated elsewhere. The measure continues President Donald Trump’s initiative to eliminate programs that focus on diversity, equity and inclusion.

Sfraga said the federal government is allowing up to a year to close out the programs. UAF has multiple grants which fall under the program, Sfraga said, and most are under the College of Indigenous Studies and the UAF Community and Technical College.

Sfraga said the grant program does not fund student aid, but it does support degree programs and support services like student advising and recruiting, workforce development and student success initiatives across campuses.

University officials report that to date, the Trump administration has cancelled $6.6 million in research grants and almost $45 million has been frozen.

Each year, the university receives an estimated $250 million in federal research funds, Taylor said, adding that “95% of the university’s broad research portfolio remains intact. UA has experienced only minor disruptions as a result of the rapidly shifting policy picture in Washington, D.C., and we are closely monitoring developments as they evolve.”

The University of Alaska Board of Regents introduced changes to the University’s antidiscrimination policy around hiring and recruitment on Friday. The proposed changes include removing mentions of affirmative action from the board’s personnel policy. Affirmative action includes programs and policies that aim to support populations that have historically been underserved.

UA General Counsel Wayne Mowery said the change is due to a January executive order from the Trump administration ending affirmative action. He said guidance from the U.S. Department of Labor stated federal contractors should also end their affirmative action programs.

“We’ve done that, and now we’re adjusting policy to account for those changes,” Mowery said. “So the changes largely consist of making it clear that our hiring practices are based on equal opportunity and equal access, and removing the specific legal term affirmative action.”

The change also removes mention of specific groups of people that have been historically underrepresented. Mowery said those groups are included in the university’s nondiscrimination statement. The university changed the wording of the nondiscrimination statement in February to delete mentions of affirmative action, diversity, equity and inclusion. 

Regent Ralph Seekins brought up the idea of a simpler nondiscrimination statement instead, but Mowery said he didn’t include changes to the nondiscrimination statement in the proposal.

“We also wanted to recognize the history that was involved here,” Mowery said. “And so we tried not to change where we didn’t need to change to comply with what Department of Labor was indicating their enforcement strategies would be.”

The proposal comes as the Trump administration has put more than $63 million of the university system’s federal grants into limbo or canceled them, according to a report from the university’s federal relations team.

UA President Pat Pitney said the university has time to look ahead to other opportunities if it loses more federal funding in the long run.

“We’re eyeing the risks, we’re preparing, we’re putting mitigation strategies in place, but we want the bulk of our effort in taking advantage of the opportunities we have,” she said.

Two people spoke directly to this proposal during an hourlong public testimony period held days before the meeting. University of Alaska Anchorage Mary Dallas Allen chairs the masters of social work program and voiced her concerns the changes would not protect people from discrimination.

UAA professor and UA Faculty Alliance Chair Jackie Cason testified and asked the board to consider the alliance’s perspective. She added the lack of testimony might be because of how the board made past decisions. The board was previously criticized for lack of transparency when it approved a motion to scrub mentions of diversity, equity and inclusion without taking in public input.

“Maybe some of the reason why the public testimony is silent today is that people have lost some faith and hope that their input really matters in the decisions that the board makes and that the leadership at the campus makes,” she said.

The board is expected to vote on the changes at its next meeting on Nov. 6-7.

The University of Alaska Southeast has received a grant to train school administrators at local school districts.

A $100,000 grant from the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development will pay for student tuition in the new training program.

Bryan Zadalis, a spokesperson for DEED, said the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development gave DEED money from a federal grant to pilot an educator apprenticeship program. Part of that money went toward the $100,000 grant to UAS.

UAS Dean of Education Carlee Simon said the Principal Apprenticeship Program will work with districts around the state to train future administrators while they’re working in schools. 

“We’re hearing a lot of feedback through the superintendents that they have a strong teacher who really needs to serve in a leadership role, and they need to have kind of this on the job training because they don’t have the time or the ability to totally step away from their leadership, or their teaching experience,” she said.

This comes as Alaskan school districts struggle to retain teachers and principals. Data from Regional Educational Lab Northwest, an education research lab that looks into evidence-based methods to improve learning outcomes in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, shows that principals had an 18% turnover rate in Alaska in 2021.

According to a University of Alaska report to the state Legislature, from 2012 to 2021, teacher turnover rates statewide consistently surpassed the national average.

The grant will cover the cost of tuition for students. Simon said it’s a step in keeping both good teachers and administrators in school districts.

“We know that retention of strong teachers is linked to strong leaders, and so we’re excited about being able to make sure that we have strong leaders that aren’t going to have student loan debt that will be in our school systems, because we know that they’re needed,” she said.

Simon said the University of Alaska Anchorage is also developing an apprenticeship program for principals. But she said it will be structured differently to reach a different population of aspiring administrators.

UAA and the University of Alaska Fairbanks are also running an apprenticeship program for teachers. Simon said the Southeast campus will develop its own teacher apprenticeship programs as well.

The UAS principal training program is expected to begin next fall with a cohort of 10 students.

Correction: A previous version of this story misstated questions given to DEED. The story was updated to add additional information from DEED about the source of grant funding.

Non-teaching staff across the University of Alaska system are working to form a union. Organizers delivered a petition and authorization cards to the Alaska Labor Relations Agency Monday.

The group is calling itself the Coalition of Alaska University Employees for Equity. The nascent union is organizing as part of the United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, one of the largest unions in the nation.

Bee Bequette is an organizer and program support specialist at the University of Alaska Anchorage. They said UA staff are one of the only groups not represented by a union at the university, and staff want to make their voices heard.

“Equity is something that I’ve always personally been really passionate about, and this seemed like a great opportunity to elevate UA staff to the same playing field as all of our colleagues,” Bequette said.

Organizers estimate about 2,500 people are eligible to join the union. Their estimate is based on counts from the university’s staff directory. Eligible employees work in financial aid, advising, health care and more, according to a press release. 

There are still several steps to form the union. At least 30% of staff needs to opt in by signing a petition. Once the state labor relations agency verifies the number, the university has the opportunity to challenge the decision. Once any issues are resolved, staff can hold an election on forming the union.

A UA spokesperson confirmed through email that the university received a petition for a staff bargaining unit and is waiting to hear from the Alaska Labor Relations Agency.