Alaska Pacific University

Alaska Pacific University

Alaska Pacific University (APU) is a private university in Anchorage, Alaska, United States. It started as Alaska Methodist University in 1957. In 1978, it was renamed to Alaska Pacific University. It still has ties to the United Methodist Church. The main campus is near the University of Alaska Anchorage and the Alaska Native Medical Center.

Rankings

In 2024, Washington Monthly ranked Alaska Pacific University 30th out of 223 colleges in the U.S. that mainly grant bachelor's degrees. The ranking was based on how well the university helps society by supporting students, doing research, and encouraging community service.

History

The university started in the late 1950s as Alaska Methodist University. It was founded by Peter Gordon Gould, an Aleut from Unga, Alaska. Gould later became the first Alaska Native minister in the United Methodist Church and worked to create a Methodist university in Alaska.

In 1959, the university dedicated its campus. After changing its name to Alaska Pacific University in 1978, it worked with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium in 2016, hoping to become a tribal college.

Academics

Alaska Pacific University lets students study liberal arts and sciences. It offers nine graduate programs, including eight master's degrees and one doctoral degree. There are also graduate certificates available. The university has special programs for students who are returning to school later in life.

The Early Honors program gives students a chance to skip their final year of high school.

International collaboration

Alaska Pacific University works closely with the University of the Arctic, an international group of schools focused on Arctic studies. The university takes part in a program called north2north, which helps students study in different Arctic regions.

Campus

The main campus has buildings for classes, places to live, and spaces for the community. There are also trails for fun activities in winter and summer. The campus has eight large buildings, with five used by the university. The other three are offices for the US Geological Survey's Alaska Volcano Observatory, Alaska Public Media, and the Alaska Spine Institute. Students under 21 must live on campus for their first two years.

The Atwood Center is a historic building where important meetings took place in 1971. APU also has a campus in Palmer, Alaska called the Kellogg Campus. This campus is a 700-acre working farm where students learn about sustainability. It is also a learning center for homeschooled students.

Student life

Athletics

Alaska Pacific University is well known for its Nordic Ski Team. The APU Nordic Ski Center opened in 1999 to train cross-country skiers for important races.

In 1972, Alaska Methodist University’s ski team sent four skiers to the Winter Olympics. Since then, APU has always sent at least one skier to every Winter Olympics after that. One of these skiers, Kikkan Randall, won a gold medal in cross-country skiing at the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Clubs and associations

The Associated Students of Alaska Pacific University, or ASAPU, is a group chosen by students to help make decisions for everyone. Members of ASAPU speak up for what students want and watch over all the different clubs and groups on campus. APU has many student clubs and organizations that students can join.

For students living in the dorms, the Resident Activity Programming Board plans fun events.

Notable alumni

Alaska Pacific University has many successful graduates. Sadie Bjornsen and Kikkan Randall are famous cross-country skiers who competed in the Winter Olympics. Holly Brooks was also an Olympian in cross-country skiing. Other notable alumni include Sharon Cissna, who served in the Alaska House of Representatives, and Albert Kookesh, a leader in the Tlingit community. Lew Freedman is a well-known author and sports writer, and Walt Monegan was a former police chief of Anchorage.