They claimed diplomas, shook hands, smiled for the camera and exited the commencement stage into life’s next chapter. A typical scene, except that APU’s graduation ceremony July 14 featured no keynote speaker. That role was filled by each of 17 graduates who paused briefly at the microphone of the Earl R. Brown Auditorium in Grant…
President's Blog
APU receives $100,000 Rasmuson grant for sustainability
Alaska Pacific University has received a second consecutive Rasmuson Foundation grant aimed at capacity building and sustainability. Sought by APU President Don Bantz, the $100,000 award will concentrate on attracting more students and enhancing alumni engagement. The grant announced June 29 follows a fundraiser in June that garnered more than $600,000 for the university. A…
APU’s 2012 Gala
June 13th was a magical evening for APU. Thanks to the generosity of Bob Gillam and an army of committed and talented volunteers and professionals, we set the community abuzz about APU and raised nearly $600,000 to support the students and programs of APU. Five hundred guests convened in Mr. Gillam’s hangar, which was completely…
Energy Efficiency at APU: Performance Contracting
APU spends $783,000 annually on electricity, gas and water utility consumption and an additional $247,000/year on Operations and Maintenance to keep its ancient boilers functional (the 5 boilers in Atwood, Moseley, and Grant are all 40+ years old) for a total expense of $1,030,000 per year (an average of $3.50/square foot). The Moseley pool boiler…
March Madness Alaska Style
For most Americans, March Madness is an activity contested indoors. In Alaska, March is the time Alaskans take the madness outside. Take, for instance, the 1,000-mile Iditarod sled dog race from Anchorage to Nome, perhaps the hardest, coldest, most challenging ultra-endurance adventure imaginable. This year’s winner, Dallas Seavey, 25, was the youngest musher ever to…
Affordability and quality at Alaska’s only private baccalaureate liberal arts university
Only 22% of Americans agree that “college costs in general are such that most people are able to afford to pay for a college education.” (Pew Research Center) APU provides Alaskans with a quality, private liberal arts educational experience for an average net price of $15,000 per year (that’s the same price Alaskans pay for…
APU Nordic Ski Center
On Excellence When it comes to excellence, the APU Nordic Ski Club has by all measures achieved it. It is considered to be the most successful regional Nordic Ski Club in the U.S, the one that other regional ski programs look to emulate. In 2011 the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) the national governing…
Into the field
DEEP learning is the primary theme that runs throughout my blog. It results from active learning in small learning communities doing applied interdisciplinary research on real world projects. In my ideal educational world every class would engage the student in this manner. Thus, when I received the following letter, I was as happy as a…
On sustainability and being “green”
APU’s Strategic Plan has three core themes: academic excellence, sustainability, and enrollment growth. I’m often asked, “What do you mean by sustainability?” I like the Brundtland Commission of the United Nations definition that “sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own…
Recommendations for the Higher Education and Career Readiness Task Force: A Legislative White Paper prepared by Don Bantz, Task Force Member, January, 25, 2011
SB 220, the Alaska Sustainable Energy Act, contains a section entitled The Emerging Technologies Fund. It provides funds to Alaska organizations or institutions that demonstrate partnership with the University of Alaska or another Alaska postsecondary institution to “test emerging energy technologies or methods of conserving energy.” I propose a similar concept for education–an Emerging Pedagogies…
