Friday Focus: RCNE planning forward
Charlene Stern, vice chancellor for rural, community and Native education
June 2, 2023
— By Charlene Stern, vice chancellor for rural, community and Native education
The University of Alaska Fairbanks College of Rural and Community Development and the Community and Technical College have been busy working to update their 10-year campus master plan. Board of Regents Policy 05.12.030 requires a CMP for each campus.
The 2023 CRCD and CTC campus master planning effort is informed by a shared vision that will guide the development of the two college’s campuses and instructional sites over the next decade. Assessing the spatial needs and opportunities of CRCD and CTC in order to meet their respective missions as well as project future growth plans is a driving principle.
CRCD operates five rural campuses including the Kuskokwim Campus in Bethel, Chukchi Campus in Kotzebue, Bristol Bay Campus in Dillingham, Northwest Campus in Nome and Interior Alaska Campus in Fairbanks in addition to an instructional site in Tok. In Fairbanks, CTC operates from six instructional sites including its main campus at 604 Barnett St., the Hutchison Career Center, the Pipeline Training Center, University Park, Bunnell House, and the Aviation Hangar, some of which are UAF owned and others that are leased spaces. Many of the UAF-owned facilities that CRCD and CTC occupy are over 30 years old and have been renovated over time to account for changing needs and code compliance as funding allowed.
Recently, the BoR granted formal project approval to the Kuskokwim Campus to renovate an existing space into a dedicated space for health science program delivery. In FY23, UAF received a federal construction grant for $2 million, championed by the late Congressman Don Young to support the project. Upon completion and approval of the final design, construction is planned for 2024/2025 to outfit the space for the delivery of on-site health education in one of the highest need regions for local healthcare professionals.
As part of the CMP process facilitated by DLR consulting, CRCD and CTC faculty and staff participated in various sessions designed to gather feedback on the vision, priorities, ideas for space optimization, as well as near-term (1-3 year), mid-term (4-7 year), and long-term (7-10 year) goals for the various spaces. We anticipate finalizing the CRCD and CTC campus master plan for review and consideration by the BoR in the fall. Stay tuned!
Friday Focus is written by a different member of UAF’s leadership team every week.