Our guests on Morning Line today, Dr. Dan Kline and Dr. Maria Williams, want to share some good news - students at UAA this coming fall might be required to learn about Alaska Native people before they can graduate - if a proposal in the UAA Faculty Senate gets approved.
The effort is probably the first in the Nation for a 4-year state university - and differs from requiring a single course by focusing instead on identifying courses integrating Alaska Native themed learning outcomes developed by the Alaska Native Studies Council into those courses.
Dr. Kline says the interest has been present for decades,
Dr. Williams says students from many disciplines including Business and Engineering have advocated for this change. Since student support has been strong at multiple campuses, the proposal is likely to pass.
The proposal has several levels of review from the faculty, with possible formal approval by the Provost in May.