Iḷisaġvik College President Justina Wilhelm is pleased and honored to announce that the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) has reaffirmed Iḷisaġvik’s accreditation after the Fall 2024 Year Seven Evaluation. This reaffirmation confirms that Iḷisaġvik College is meeting its obligations to the educational goals of its stakeholders by maintaining regional accreditation.
In its notice to the College, the Commission highlighted the following areas by commending the college staff, faculty, and board for:
1. “Their wholehearted commitment to developing a strong sense of community and belonging among faculty, staff and students. This empowers faculty and staff with the freedom to develop new ideas and the ability to make meaningful decisions to positively impact operations of the college.
2. “Providing thoughtful leadership in defining Iñupiaq values and learning principles which have been institutionalized through policy and practice and operationalized through onboarding, professional development, evaluations, and degree requirements that ensure learning and sustain Iñupiaq culture.
3. “Its robust strategic planning processes that include extensive stakeholder involvement, thoughtful analyses surrounding the accomplishment of the metrics, and on-going use that make it a living, breathing document.
4. “Its Board of Trustees and its deep commitment and dedicated engagement in supporting the institution as demonstrated in the Board of Trustees’ Group Agreements. A culture of collaboration is practiced in a bounteous spirit of unity and goodwill that radiates throughout the college.
5. “Its efforts to recruit and retain students through creating tuition waivers, developing the SMARTS program, and implementing the First Year Pathway to uphold the college’s commitment to Students First.”
President Wilhelm acknowledged the hard work and dedication of Iḷisaġvik’s Accreditation Committee, as well as all faculty, staff, board members, and students, who have all contributed to this accomplishment. "Our successful reaffirmation by the NWCCU is a testament to the unwavering commitment of board, faculty, staff, students and community partners,” said Wilhelm. “It validates our dedication to providing culturally relevant, high-quality education that empowers our learners and strengthens our existence as a Tribal College. We will continue to build upon this foundation, ensuring our institution remains a beacon of opportunity and uplifts our people."
About Iḷisaġvik College
Iḷisaġvik College is Alaska’s only tribal college and is located in the northernmost
village in the United States, Utqiaġvik (Barrow). Iḷisaġvik College provides quality
post-secondary academic, career, and technical education in a learning environment
that perpetuates and strengthens Iñupiat culture, language, values, and traditions.
It is dedicated to serving its students and developing a well-educated and trained
workforce who meet the human resource needs of North Slope employers and the state
of Alaska.
Iḷisaġvik College Contact:
Caitlin Walls
Executive Director of Institutional Advancement
907.319.8755
caitlin.walls@ilisagvik.edu