When you think of the word "radical," usually President Mark Hamilton isn't the first person to come to mind.

After all, while Hamilton has fixed many of the funding and infrastructure problems that plagued UAF before he came on-board in 1999, it's usually through fairly standard tools, such as raising tuition, lobbying the legislature, or increasing research dollars. The Alaska Scholars Program helped boost enrollment and keep Alaskans in the state, but the idea came from then-Gov. Tony Knowles. The former Army major general knows his stuff, but usually his success comes from great execution, not creativity.

That was before he embraced "student success" as an issue. As it is, 70 percent of college-bound high school students aren't ready for freshman-level math or English; in Alaska, two-thirds of degree-seeking students are unprepared.

At first, Hamilton and the university administration explored the traditional tools. At UAF, baccalaureate enrollment standards were increased to require higher GPAs and SAT or ACT test scores. Developmental math and English classes were added as well.

But for once, Hamilton saw those traditional tools as imperfect solutions. He is proposing increased coordination among K12 and higher education entities. A pre-school through college governing body needs created, he says in an Oct. 18 memo, comprised of members of the Board of Education, Board of Regents, and community leaders.

Not only that, but Hamilton wants K12 and higher education bodies to create statewide college and career standards that will blend with high school curriculum. And high school tests need to be revised to meet college readiness standards.

It's a bold move for Hamilton. But it's the right one. Discussions need to be opened up between the university and the K12 community if students are ever going to be ready for college. UA even wants to put money where its mouth is, with a $2 million request for student success and college readiness activities now before the Legislature.

Radical changes need to be made to state education, and Hamilton's on the right track. As he says, "The solution to improving student success in the transition from K12 to higher education requires an on-going dialogue between K12 teachers and higher education faculty who collaboratively explore and assess student work."