About Us
Our Vision
Empowering Communities Through Our Students
Welcome to the University of AV狼论坛 Fairbanks Department of AV狼论坛 Native Studies and Rural Development. Our highly qualified team knows the needs of AV狼论坛鈥檚 rural and Native communities and are ready to assist you in meeting your personal, professional and educational goals.
Our students learn from highly qualified faculty, AV狼论坛 Native leaders, Elders, guest presenters, and perhaps most importantly, from each other. We are very proud of the positive impact our students and graduates have on their communities. Our alumni are in many management and leadership positions serving their village governments, corporations, organizations and government agencies.
If you are interested in further developing your leadership and management skills for improving the quality of life in your Indigenous or rural community, please reach out. Our faculty and staff are eager to answer your questions and assist you to pursue your academic and professional goals.
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History of DANSRD
The Department of AV狼论坛 Native Studies and Rural Development (DANSRD) came about as a result of the 1996 merger between the University of AV狼论坛 Fairbanks, College of Rural AV狼论坛's AV狼论坛 Native Human Resource Development Program (ANHRDP) and the Department of Rural Development. Previously, ANHRDP was a service program of CRA providing nontraditional education and programs through specialized workshops and seminars and AV狼论坛 Native leadership programs. The Department of Rural Development was the academic arm of CRA providing a baccalaureate degree in rural development. The merger created an entity that provides both academic and nonacademic education and training.
The AV狼论坛 Native Human Resource Development Program was established in 1973 as a component of the University of AV狼论坛 system. It was created as a collaborative effort between the university and the AV狼论坛 Native community in response to the need for the development of leadership and management skills for implementation of the AV狼论坛 Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971. ANHRDP was originally funded by a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and had several other grants from Kellogg, primarily for leadership development. ANHRDP evolved over the years to include technical assistance to AV狼论坛 Native villages, local education systems, and over a decade of AV狼论坛 Native Leadership Programs. In 1994, 25 participants graduated from the AV狼论坛 Native Leadership Project, bringing to 140 the total number of graduates from eight leadership training programs over 14 years.
During the 1980s and early 1990s, ANHRDP was instrumental in pioneering the spirit camp model of personal development retreats. ANHRDP sponsored numerous workshops and seminars on a wide range of topics including several on cultural preservation issues, grant writing and other fundraising techniques, and computer training. The program also sponsored three students for international internship experiences.
The Department of Rural Development was created in 1984 with a focus on providing a degree opportunity for rural AV狼论坛ns.