From housing to AI: How UAA is investing in our community for the future ahead

As we prepare to close out this academic year and plan for fall 2026 and beyond, we celebrate UAA's continued growth, which currently outpaces national trends in higher education. This upcoming year, however, we'll be focusing on how to implement this growth in an impactful way that supports and provides the tools and resources for students, faculty and staff to successfully achieve their work and improve the on-campus experience.

Creating a home for every student

While UAA's enrollment is on the rise and continues to surpass national enrollment trends, the demand for on-campus housing has surpassed the university's current capacity. Prioritizing on-campus housing to meet student demand is crucial because it's not just a place to live, it sets the foundation for the student experience. Students living on campus are more connected to their university, have built-in support systems and are more likely to graduate. UAA is working closely with our legislature to expand our on-campus housing footprint and believes that no student's academic journey should be cut short simply because they couldn't find a place to stay.

Investing in student well-being

In addition to prioritizing and investing in housing, we are continuing to examine better pathways for students to receive mental health support services on campus. At the November Board of Regents meeting, a 4% tuition increase was approved, with 1% of that increase being reserved for student mental health initiatives and services.

UAA is prioritizing and investing in mental health services and support because we know that academic success is directly linked to students' overall well-being. Putting funds directly into dedicated services like the Student Health and Counseling Center and Care Team removes barriers that often stand between a student earning their degree.

Streamlining UAA's internal economy

In anticipation of the upcoming academic year and development of the university's new strategic plan, we're reexamining our institutional budget and how we can be more responsive and transparent to our campus community's needs.

Part of this review will include the "recharge" system, which historically has required departments to cross-charge one another for basic services, like infrastructure, space usage or catering. Our current process has created unnecessary "red tape" and fiscal ambiguity that requires employees to focus on internal accounting rather than the mission and goals of UAA in putting student needs first.

Preparing UAA employees and students for AI

While there are many plans in motion regarding infrastructure and fiscal improvements, UAA is also investing and preparing for our digital future. As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to evolve and integrate into our lives, it is crucial that UAA develops ethical guidelines and skill-building around these new tools for our campus community.

For faculty and staff, this is providing training to make AI a partner in your daily work and to help streamline administrative tasks. For our students, we'll be looking at how to use AI ethically in their coursework and will have the literacy around this evolving technology to use it in the modern workforce.

Our goal is to ensure that AI is truly a resource and partner that helps employees and students perform their jobs better and achieve their goals without losing the valuable human connection of our university community.

Future forward

As we move into the next academic year, our commitment to students, faculty and staff is to remain transparent and proactive in addressing the challenges that lie ahead. We will continue to invest in UAA's growth to ensure that our university is a supportive, efficient and innovative institution of learning.