Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Tribal students in the Bering Strait region are faced with many unique challenges. The region is not connected with a traditional road system, so residents must rely on commercial airlines and charter services to their destinations. In addition, each village community relies on their village members to provide for one another making subsistence practices an integral part of everyday life. The impacts of climate change have made subsistence living increasingly difficult throughout the Arctic, and the communities throughout the Bering Strait region are directly impacted with changes to reindeer herding practices, a staple to the region.Tied into these challenges is the threat faced by Indigenous languages, which are vital to preserving cultural practices and knowledge of past generations. The Indigenous language of the Bering Strait region is Inupiaq, which has its own oral traditions that, if forgotten, would lead to a loss of key aspects of the Inupiaq culture. For instance, Inupiaq has at least 120 words to describe ice that offer key information that is important to the practice of local activities throughout the winter season.The project will provide prospective and current Tribal students educational opportunities they would otherwise be unable to receive, as they are responsible to their families and tribal communities throughout the school year. Students will have the opportunity to receive tuition and scholarship assistance, offsetting costs of attending when they could be working or hunting to provide for their families and communities. Through this opportunity, students will learn invaluable life skills throughthe High Latitude Range Mangement (HLRM) and Indigenous Language Studies courses.Students will learn modern-day reindeer husbandry techniques and business practices to support them and their families.They will also learn important historical and cultural teachings about their ancestry and Indigenous ways of life through knowledge of Indigenous languages through the Indigenous Language Studies (ILS) program.A part of the project will also be dedicated to the preservation of Indigenous languages and culture. Video recordings of Indigenous ElderQagugruq of Sivuqaq teaching a course on Akuzipik, the Yupik language of St. Lawrence Island, will be professionally edited and made available, through the Alaska Native Language Archive at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, to both students and communities who wish to learn their local language and dialect. Having these videos as a resource is imperative to the preservation of Indigenous languages.
Animal Health Component
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Research Effort Categories
Basic
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Applied
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Developmental
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Goals / Objectives
The proposed project addresses a number of strategic long-term goals both within the University of Alaska and the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The goals focus on creating a place of equity and inclusion where students of all backgrounds are supported throughout their higher education and post-secondary education pursuits. Quoting the UA website on Goal #1, the future wellbeing of the state economy requires diversification, innovation and new industry. We must overcome historically low educational attainment rates, addressing disparities in rural education opportunities and shifting the culture of education in the state.The proposed project addresses these challenges and directly impacts UA Goal #5 to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in students, faculty and staff by supporting the inclusion of Indigenous language teaching and learning at UAF Northwest Campus serving the Bering Strait region. Furthermore, the project also addresses UAF Strategic Goal #5 to embrace and grow a culture of respect, diversity, inclusion and caring by institutionalizing Indigenous language teaching and renormalizing Indigenous language speaking.The project also meets the priority of the UAF Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Indicator 13: Diversity in Staff and Faculty. The project expands relevant educational opportunities in Alaska Native languages, arts, and cultural activities that engage and support postsecondary students resulting in increased program and student success. In addition, the project enables NWC to sustain its HLRM and ILS programs with tuition and scholarship support for students, which addresses UA Goal #1 to contribute to Alaska's economic development, skilled workforce and engaged citizenship.The project will also address UAF Strategic Goal #2 to establish global leadership in Alaska Native and Indigenous programs through NWC collaboration with the Sámi Education Institute (SAKK) to advance reindeer herding, entrepreneurship and food security in the Bering Strait region through HLRM. The success of the HLRM Program exemplifies the UAF Goal #4 aspiration of Alaska Native and Indigenous leadership and workforce development.The NWC HLRM and ILS programs build and enhance leadership in Alaska Native and Indigenous programs, research and workforce development. It aims to elevate and situate Indigenous knowledge within academia as its own intact knowledge system, and prepare Alaska Native, Indigenous and other students in academic and professional areas critical to Alaska Native and Indigenous communities. The Program weaves Indigenous knowledge and methodologies and expands strategic partnerships among Tribal, corporate, and regional employers to meet workforce and regional needs.The University of Alaska Fairbanks keeps records of all students including enrollment, retention, and graduation data. The data can be narrowed down by campus location, student demographics, and degree completion. In this way, the Northwest Campus will be able to track and report on the increase in the number of degrees that tribal students receive throughout the project period.
Project Methods
Northwest Campus plans to begin the project in September 2025 by focusing on Tribal student outreach and enrollment assistance. Tribal students will be selected to receive tuition and scholarship support based on NWC policies and procedures. Once the students have been selected, the Student Services staff will assist students throughout their studies to ensure needs are met and students feel supported in their endeavors. The goal is to increase encouragement of students that have stepped away from their studies, to begin attending courses again and work towards steadily obtaining their degrees.Expanding partnerships will begin in the first year of the project with annual meetings to find areas of collaboration and synergy. For the HLRM program, NWC will focus on building partnerships with Kawerak Reindeer Herders Association, Savoonga Commercial Reindeer Company, NIMA corporation, and Aleut St Paul reindeer community. Collaborations may increase interest in the HLRM core curriculum, with community requests to design specialty workshops for each reindeer herding village. The goal being the creation of a high school reindeer husbandry curriculum that could be taught in-person and via distance education.Expanding partnerships within the community of Nome and the surrounding villages will be integral to the development of the core curriculum for the Indigenous Language Studies program. The connections with the village communities, particularly Elders and Native Knowledge Bearers, will create opportunities for students to learn directly from Native speakers and heighten their educational experience. The goal for these connections is to offer students an authentic experience where they can learn directly from Indigenous experts.Within the first year, editing of the videography content for the Alaska Native Language Archive will begin. The videos will be edited throughout the entire first year, ensuring all content is of high quality and preserves the integrity of the Indigenous knowledge being shared. Once completed, the videos will be uploaded to the Archive during the second year of the project.An important aspect of this project is the travel opportunity for both HLRM and ILS students. In the first year, faculty will select a community or conference in Arctic Canada where students will spend a week learning about Indigenous language and cultural practices. In the third year, HLRM students will travel to the Sámi Education Institute in Inari, Finland, Sápmi. There they will learn about the Indigenous reindeer husbandry practices of the region over this two week period.Throughout the duration of the project, The highly motivated and capable staff and faculty of NWC will guarantee the project's success. Each of them supports the people of Nome, the Bering Strait region, and other Alaska Native reindeer owners, through the educational and vocational programs offered at NWC. For the New Beginnings program, Student Services Staff will work alongside HLRM and ILS faculty and the program manager to determine outreach strategies on how to best distribute the tuition support and scholarships. The HLRM and ILS faculty will share the information about the available resources with their current students