Achieving R1

This working group will develop mechanisms to efficiently and effectively track UAF graduate students from application through degree completion to help evaluate progress and opportunities to improve Ph.D. recruitment and retention, which will help us ultimately achieve R1 status. This group will also work to collect data to inform work led by other groups.

Overall goal: Develop mechanisms to efficiently and effectively track UAF graduate student experiences and identify obstacles and opportunities to improve the Ph.D. process for students, staff and faculty.

Cross-campus UAF research themes can unite multidisciplinary research talent to develop ambitious, impactful and innovative research with relevance to Alaska. Priorities of this working group will be to identify Alaska-relevant research themes, facilitate the development of collaborative research networks and help coordinate thematic research across UAF.

Overall goal: Identify cross-campus UAF research themes and develop thematic networks to unite multidisciplinary research talent to develop ambitious, impactful and innovative research with relevance to Alaska.

Ph.D. programs are essential to attaining R1 status and provide mission-critical benefits to the university. High priorities of this working group will be to reduce unnecessary barriers to Ph.D. degree completion, facilitate transitions from master’s to doctoral programs, promote Ph.D. opportunities through our interdisciplinary studies program, and increase capacity in our world-renowned Indigenous studies program.

Overall goal: Ph.D. programs are essential to attaining R1 status and provide mission-critical benefits to the university. This group aims to strengthen existing programs and potentially grow new Ph.D. programs (resources permitting).

Informal surveys among faculty suggest that the largest barrier to taking on new Ph.D. students is the difficulty in procuring financial support for the student for the full duration of a typical doctoral degree program. Providing fellowship opportunities to prospective and current graduate students would make UAF’s hiring offers more competitive, increase enrollment and allow current students to focus on their research and make timely Ph.D. progress. A short-term priority of this working group is to implement an R1-specific Ph.D. fellowship program and to refine the process to best meet the needs of UAF Ph.D. students.

Overall goal: The main goal of this working group will be to develop a competitive graduate fellowship program to support new and/or continuing Ph.D. students to enhance the number of high-quality Ph.D. students accepted across all disciplines; reduce the financial burden of graduate students on UAF faculty mentors; improve graduate student productivity; and increase doctoral degree completion rates.

Mentoring undergraduate students, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows on research projects provides numerous benefits to UAF’s strategic educational and research missions, as well as a pipeline of graduate students and faculty to support R1 research. Mentorship resources will include training and resources focused on mentoring, including mentoring early career researchers facing mental health and wellness challenges, and development of tiered-mentorship research groups. These initiatives will increase student research opportunities, integration of undergraduate students in research, and pathways of graduate education and doctoral-degree completion.

Overall goal: Short-term priorities of this working group are to identify and prioritize incentives and resources needed to help faculty efficiently and effectively mentor early career researchers. Incentives may include merit-based award systems, workload support for faculty mentorship of Ph.D. students and financial incentives for faculty whose students complete their doctoral degree.

Faculty play a critical role in advancing the metrics required to attain R1 research status, particularly in competing for research grants and mentoring Ph.D. students. High priorities of this working group will be to identify and prioritize mechanisms to recruit new faculty and better support existing faculty.

Overall goals: The overall goal of this group is to identify key challenges and opportunities related to faculty recruitment and retention and propose innovative and actionable solutions.

Promoting UAF’s world-renowned research and recruiting competitive graduate students will be critical to UAF attaining R1 status. High priorities of this group will be to modernize UAF Ph.D. program websites; craft effective and professional messaging for R1 inreach and outreach; ensure that R1 communications and initiatives align with UAF's mission, brand and long-term strategic and enrollment plans; and organize campuswide prospective graduate student visits beginning in AY24/25.

Overall goal: Promoting UAF’s world-renowned research and recruiting competitive graduate students will be critical to UAF attaining R1 status. The overall goals of this group are to craft effective and professional messaging to promote UAF research on a local, state and international scale.

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and access enriches the educational experience in a variety of ways, to include critical thinking, cultural engagement, and a sense of belonging that positively impact recruitment and retention, innovation, and well-being among students, faculty, and staff. Numerous studies have linked research innovation to researcher diversity. This working group will focus on ensuring these concepts overlay UAF’s R1 efforts.

Overall goal: The goals of this working group are to ensure that all R1 initiatives use best practices in diversity, equity, inclusion, and access; to reduce barriers that limit research accessibility; to support mentorship, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and research innovation; and to help to make UAF a more welcoming environment for all.

This working group will be responsible for knowledge about how various metrics are supported, interrelate and align with UAF’s broader mission and for ensuring that the R1 Steering Committee moves in an effective, cohesive and transparent direction. 

Overall goal: The overarching goal of this group is to provide a university-wide perspective, ensure quality control, determine the benefits of R1 status and provide resource support to the other working groups.