The early promise of distance education was that students in rural areas could then have access to higher education. Now, the University of Alaska Fairbanks Interior – Aleutians Campus will receive two grants from the U.S. Department of Education to make college more accessible to Alaskan Natives, according to a recent article in The Juneau Empire.
“The Obama Administration supports the use of technology and other innovative means to overcome distance and remove barriers to higher education in rural communities,” said Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Edcation. “Today’s grant annoucement is a small piece of an overall strategy to strengthen rural America. Recent high school graduates and adult training for new careers will benefit from this investment, which will be used to expand access to the university on campus and from remote locations.”
The grant of $2 million is to increase and renovate the distance learning facilities at UAF. The updates will allow faculty to connect more with students, which officials believe should help with retention and graduation rates. The Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions Program, a section of Title III of the Higher Education Act, was involved in securing these grants.
For more information, see http://www.uaf.edu/ .
