Ilisagvik College in Barrow is unique in Alaska – it's the only tribal college in the state. And this year marks its 20th anniversary of providing vocational and academic education to a diverse student population.
Program Associate Jeff Baird had the opportunity to participate in a grantmakers tour last month and hear a little about the needs in rural communities. Unfortunately, some of the community priorities don't align with what the Foundation funds - but many do. Here's a list to get you thinking.
Rasmuson Foundation President Diane Kaplan recently visited the Aleutian Island community of Adak. Once a community that came into existence to support a military base during World War II, it is now a community of 100 trying to find a future. Read more about Diane's visit in today's post.
This week, a very time-sensitive post: During the past five years, more than 700 rural Alaskans have been treated by volunteer dental teams comprised of clinical instructors, professors, pediatric residents, sub-specialty residents and dental students from schools in Arizona, New York and Louisiana. While focused on children, in some villages the teams will treat nearly every resident. And for some communities, like Venetie, the teams are the first dentists in their communities for years. Despite funds committed by Rasmuson Foundation to support future visits, this program is under threat of cancellation as soon as Monday. Read more here.
Alaska suffers from the effects of substance abuse. It remains one of our most serious health and social problems. We need public-private partnerships and long term strategies to prevent, intervene early, treat and help people recover. Read more in today's post.
Facing leaps in the sales of e-readers and changing information consumption habits, how are our libraries doing? How will they survive? In this week's post, we look at the state of Alaska's libraries.
The basic concept of community schools is that by forming relationships with a variety of partners, the use of public schools can be maximized. Through partnerships, a school can remain open for everything from traditional after-school programming to family literacy night and potluck dinners, creating an enriching community space. Read more in this week’s post.
Margaret Schaeffer wants to make sure her community is prepared to handle challenges of the future, so she founded an organization dedicated to teaching the traditions of the past. Read more about the good work Ilinniagvik Attautchikun Corporation is doing in this week's blog post.
