Remembering Alaska Native Founder Peter Gordon Gould During Alaska Pacific University Giving Week July 7 – 13, 2025 

This week Alaska Pacific University (APU) is remembering founder Peter Gordon Gould, an Unangax̂ born July 8, 1900, during APU’s Giving Week, July 7 – 13, 2025.

Gould was a visionary leader committed to education and community empowerment. Encouraged by his mother to seek higher education, he left Alaska to pursue an undergraduate degree from Syracuse University. He became the first Alaska Native minister in the United Methodist Church in 1948 and subsequently was appointed superintendent of the Alaska Mission by the United Methodist Board of Missions.

When tasked with determining what the church should do for Alaska, he quickly identified the creation of a liberal arts college/university as necessary for the future development of the state. According to his own written timeline, Gould’s research from 1954-55 discovered ‘ … more than 95% of the young people who left Alaska for their college education failed to return to Alaska after their studies were completed.’ This spurred his commitment to establish a privately supported, fully accredited liberal arts college or university to educate Alaska’s youth in Alaska.

Gould traveled extensively promoting the idea of establishing the university and garnering support, while also determining: What is a liberal arts college, how to get such a college started, and how to get the land for it in Alaska. With quite a bit of effort, Gould successfully lobbied the top lawmaking assembly of The United Methodist Church, the General Conference, to unanimously support the establishment of Alaska Methodist University. Under the advisement of the Syracuse University chancellor at the time, he put together an academic advisory council that met every other month to complete a report of what a liberal arts university entailed, and then turned their attention to how to start one.

“We found that in spite of the fact that the Methodist had started about 100 colleges it had not started one in 30 years and we could not find any record specifically stating just how those colleges were begun,” shared Gould. “ … We first went to see the president of Southern Methodist University and in our conversation with him learned that S.M.U. had assisted Dallas University in dealing with the very question with which we were wrestling.” This produced a plan for the development of the first building on campus.

Gould moved to the next step to acquire land for the campus and shared, “It took an Act of Congress to get our land. The Act provided that the government set a fee for the land, based on the use to which it would be put.” And according to Gould, it was on June 29, 1958 — just one actual day before the U.S. Congress approved the Alaska Statehood Act – that the site of the AMU campus was decided.

It took many years of effort to open the doors to Alaska Methodist University in 1960 with 150 students and 14 faculty. Gould served as AMU’s development officer until his retirement in 1965, at which time he was awarded an honorary degree, Doctor of Divinity. During his last visit to campus in May 1987, he received the University Medal to commemorate his many years of service to the institution. Gould Hall on the APU campus was also named in his honor.
Today, Gould’s legacy lives on through a commitment to academic excellence, cultural awareness, and service-driven leadership at APU. There is now an established Elders Council, the Shel ch’naq’ahnilu Student Center, a successful Alaska Native Executive Leadership Program (ANELP), and institutes honoring Alaska’s Indigenous heritage – from marine and environmental sciences to healthcare, sustainability, and public policy.

Donors are key partners in the continuation and growth of the unique high-quality programs, research, and student services making APU special. Here are a few ways donations can be directed:

• Donations to the Annual Fund support APU’s mission-driven priorities:
  • Need and merit-based scholarships to support APU students
  • Recruitment and retention of outstanding faculty
  • New and enhanced academic opportunities
• Shel ch’naq’ahnilu Matching Campaign Help us reach our last $15,000 towards First National Bank Alaska’s $70,000 pledged matching funds to enhance the Alaska Native student center with a kitchen, improved technology, and accessible bathroom.
• Gould Opportunity Fund honors Gould’s intent for students to have access to a first-rate education regardless of income with need-based scholarships.
• Our Foundation houses many scholarships for programs.