UAF/Northern Marianas College partner for student success

UAF Chancellor Brian Rogers signs the agreement as Northern Marianas College President Sharon Hart looks on.

A recent agreement between UAF and Northern Marianas College will allow NMC students to complete bachelor’s degrees in natural resources management in Fairbanks and for UAF students to study in Saipan.

“This is a major step to bridging the effort we started several years ago,” said Raaj Kurapati, associate vice chancellor at UAF. The cooperation began when representatives from each school connected at Agricultural Development in the American Pacific and Pacific Land Grant Alliance meetings. “It’s the tip of the iceberg for building mutual cooperation,” Kurapati added.

“This is an opportunity for our students looking for internationalization,” UAF Chancellor Brian Rogers said. “It will expose them to other cultures and provide a richer experience. They will be better prepared for life if they have studied abroad.”

Sharon Hart, president of NMC, was in Fairbanks in January to tour the city and campus and meet with UAF leaders. “This is extremely unique considering we are a community college that will now offer a four-year program,” Hart said. Both UAF and NMC are land-grant institutions.

The agreement, signed by Chancellor Rogers and President Hart, calls for fostering cooperation in education and research, exchanging publications and academic information, exchanging faculty, research scholars and students, performing joint research and providing technical and administrative assistance.

“It’s a mixed-media approach,” said School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences Dean and Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station Director Carol Lewis. “We have slowly laid the groundwork for a firm cooperation.”

NMC currently offers an associate’s degree in natural resources management. “The Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands took heavy shelling during World War II which destroyed their forests,” Lewis explained. “As the climate continues to change sea levels are rising and there is concern about the water supply. There is an escalating desire to build capacity in natural resources management.”

NMC receives funding for students from the Division of Insular Affairs in the Department of the Interior. There are 10 scholarships available for students to complete their B.S. degrees.

While the “two plus two” program will begin with the natural resources degree, it is hoped that more programs will be added in the future.

The signing party was attended by (left to right) SNRAS Dean and AFES Director Carol Lewis, Northern Marianas College President Sharon Hart, UAF Associate Vice Chancellor Raaj Kurapati, UAF Chancellor Brian Rogers and UAF Vice Chancellor for Students Mike Sfraga.