ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ

Goal 3

Be a leading partner with communities, industry and government to solve specific state and national needs

To link its teaching, research, and service more directly with the public, ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ's leaders must make clear statements about the university's mission, priorities, and activities. By the year 2000, each unit in ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ should be actively Involved in outreach projects and collaborations. These projects should address needs jointly Identified by ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ and our partners in villages, towns, schools, government, and the military. By improving communication and encouraging collaboration, ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ will remain a leader In fulfilling ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ's needs for a well-trained work force and in educating productive citizens who contribute to their communities, their nation, and the world.

Focusing its energies on these priorities, ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ will be:

1. The leading ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñn Research Partner with communities, business, government agencies, the military, and other universities within and outside ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ.
   1. Place particular emphasis on areas of study that highlight our geographical location and our strengths.
   2. Hold regular meetings and symposia with groups inside and outside the university to identify needs, opportunities. and priorities.
2. A builder of human capital for ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ with emphasis on the areas of our strength.
   1. Work closely with Industry and statewide and local agencies to determine trends and likely areas of growth.
   2. Create stronger ties between ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ faculty and staff and K-12 schools and students.
   3. Create in each unit proactive outreach projects In the community and state and coordinate into the planning process the information those contacts provide.
   4. Emphasize master's degree programs and selected doctoral programs in the humanities. social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering as professional and mid-career programs for ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ's labor force. Encourage inter-institutional arrangements to create such programs in ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ.
   5. Emphasize vocational-technical programs to meet the workforce needs of Fairbanks and the rural areas of ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ and to enhance economic development.
3. A provider of practical information and problem-solving strategies with special emphasis on matters relating to the North. Our unique location, our strong faculty, and our established service units such as the Cooperative Extension Service make ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ the ideal university to work with people interested in natural resources, global change, environmental issues, Arctic health, the diversification of ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ's economy, youth development, human relations, ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ Native languages and culture, and distance delivery of education.

   Several approaches to sharing ideas and solving problems will evolve. To build on what is working well already, we propose focusing on public service.

   1. Create a ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ Practical Information Access Group.
   2. Publish a ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ Speakers Directory and distribute it regularly.
   3. Make ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ programs, events, buildings and people more accessible to the public.
4. The center of excellence in arts and culture for ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ. We consider it a primary responsibility of ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ to provide first-rate coursework in the arts and to ensure access to high-quality cultural experiences for ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñns.
   1. Provide support and coordination for statewide arts programming. Statewide backing for traveling exhibitions, touring groups, and individuals will help ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ share guest musicians. writers, artists, and performers with rural and underserved areas, as well as with Fairbanks, and create a statewide clearinghouse for arts programming and show booking.
   2. Bring our studio and performance facilities up to code and allow basic budgets to include funds for upkeep and periodic replacement of equipment and instruments.
   3. Emphasize master's programs to support the development of ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñn artists, writers, and performers.
   4. Support additions to the public-service and exhibition efforts of the UA Museum of the North.
   5. Support international exchanges within the arts.
5. The visionary leader for the state.

   What opportunities and what difficulties will ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ face in the year 2020? What will the role of the higher education be in the next ten or the next twenty-five years? Part of ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ's responsibility to the citizens of the state includes thinking ahead--way ahead. ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ can draw on its 75 years of leadership in learning for ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ to envision what can be.

   1. Create a ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ Think Tank, a resource group of people from a variety of disciplines from within and outside the university who are open to fresh and lively new ideas.