Welcome from Dr. Gordon L. Pullar, Director
Welcome to the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Department of Alaska Native and Rural Development website.
If you are interested in further developing your leadership and management skills for improving the quality of life in your indigenous or rural community you should check us out. You can earn a Rural Development degree on the campus of the University of Alaska Fairbanks or by distance through audioconference classes from wherever you are. Students learn from highly qualified faculty, including Native faculty, Elders, guest presenters, and perhaps most importantly, from each other.
The Rural Development Program has a rich history. The BA program has been in existence since 1984, the BA Applied Field-Based (distance) Program since 1994, and the RD MA program since 2000. We are very proud of the positive impact our students and graduates have on their communities. Since its inception our programs have produced 200+ graduates. Our students and graduates are in many management and leadership positions with their village governments, corporations, organizations and government agencies. Our students and graduates are spread throughout Alaska and beyond. We are now beginning to see international students join the program.
One of our goals is to create a network of RD graduates throughout Alaska, the Circumpolar North, and around the world. If there is one thing we can say about our students and graduates it is that they are making a difference.