OPINION: Criticisms of Alaska’s university system miss the mark

The University of Alaska seems to be a constant target of bitterness, in spite of its longstanding track record of quality, affordable education. In the latest volley, letter-writer Red Bradley responded disdainfully to UA President Pat Pitney’s annual update. He did so through false claims and misrepresented facts. He also accuses President Pitney of “spin,” but equally had a spin of his own — the only difference being the direction of rotation. President Pitney values the university and Bradley clearly does not.

As a professor within the UA system, I teach my students to sniff out such biases and to challenge faulty assumptions made with little or no backing support. So, listen up, students! Here’s how we prevent the Information Age from degrading into the Disinformation Age.

Let’s start with faulty assumptions. Mr. Bradley claimed that “an average college experience should take four years.” Says who? Not the facts, that’s for sure. Numerous studies show that the time to complete a degree has been lengthening everywhere, not just in Alaska. Nationwide, most students don’t graduate in four years. In fact, the U.S. Dept. of Education has been using a six-year standard for the past three decades.

Another of Mr. Bradley’s assumptions was that the University has a “large number of adjunct faculty.” He cited no statistics whatsoever to support his claim, nor did he hint at how he drew this conclusion. But again, the facts aren’t on his side. The latest report shows that just 27% of University of Alaska Anchorage teachers are part-time. Compare that with the national average of 44% and it’s apparent that this complaint has no validity.

Bradley’s next claim was that UA/UAA graduates fewer students than “19 colleges of similar stature.” The problems here are numerous. He conceals which schools are being compared and which variables were in the report. He also withholds the title of the report, so this could be an official publication or a user-generated output using IPED’s compare data tool. In other words, Mr. Bradley may have created the report himself, but we don’t know since he doesn’t provide enough detail for a fact-check.

Lastly, Mr. Bradley cited a grim-sounding statistic that UA’s “dropout” rate is 30%. The problem here is that no college tracks something called a “dropout” rate, since there’s no reliable way to track what student do after they depart. Instead, they use a retention rate — the percentage of students who re-enroll. UAA’s retention rate is 68%, which we can check against the national average of just 59% for open enrollment institutions. This means UAA is an above-average school for retention. That’s cause for celebration, not complaint.

In the end, it wasn’t clear what exactly Mr. Bradley is recommending. He offered no suggestions or solutions. Should students go out of state for college? Avoid college altogether? He didn’t say, which is problematic. Sending out a big list of complaints with no suggestions for improvement has never been an efficient force of positive change.

So instead, I’ll offer some additional facts that may help future students see the University as a positive option. First, consider the tremendous placement rate that graduates enjoy. Recent figures show that numerous majors at UAA come with a 100% placement rate. That means graduates in those programs are essentially guaranteed a job upon graduation. Other programs have rates in the 80s and 90s. Compare this with national averages, and you’ll see a huge contrast. The nationwide placement rate is about 41%, which means only 2 out of 5 students gets a job in their field.

Next, consider debt loads. UA is a less expensive option since it doesn’t require constant out-of-state travel, and, in Anchorage, commuter students save money on dorms. This means that the average UAA graduate has only about $10,000 in student loans. Again, compare that to the national average of $44,000, and the takeaway is clear: If you want to exit college with the lowest possible debt and get a job in the field of your choice, the University of Alaska represents one of the best investments Alaskans can make.

Mr. Bradley will have to find another ax to grind, because this one’s already razor sharp.

Gregory Hartley, Ph.D., is an associate professor of writing at the University of Alaska Anchorage.

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