Rick Caulfield, Chancellor of the University of Alaska Southeast (UAS), was joined by Jill Hanson, interim director of the Sitka campus.
Caulfield and Hanson talk about the search to hire a permanent director and programs to reduce barriers for higher education locally, such as “Sitka Start.” There are several programs designed to reverse the brain drain and grow Alaska’s workforce. That includes online classes through “Finish College AK” and “Come Home to Alaska,” which offers in-state tuition to out-of-state children and grandchildren to Alaskan residents.
“We hope that more young Alaskans will reach out and get the kind of education and training that’s offered at the Sitka campus as a doorway into other areas, which could include fisheries, business administration and accounting, teacher education and so forth,” said Caulfield.
The three UAS campuses are in Sitka, Juneau, and Ketchikan. Caulfield said they will soon announce the permanent director for the Sitka campus.
