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07595 September 20, 2007
Sheldon Jackson College eyes future
More jobs cut, operators sought for local services
by Evan Silverstein Presbyterian News Service
LOUISVILLE - Acknowledging that beleaguered Sheldon Jackson College in Sitka, AK, will not reopen again as a four-year institution soon, officials at the Presbyterian-related school are trying to build a new future for the college by focusing on what it has to offer the region.
That's why the fish hatchery and aquarium remain open on campus with plans to reinstate a rural village leadership-training program also in the works. The college recently learned that it has received a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce to expand the fish hatchery operation.
With the closure of SJC expected to hurt Sitka's economy, the college will lead from its strengths to meet the particular needs of the community, said school officials.
"The fish hatchery is an indispensable part of what Sheldon Jackson will become in the future and is central to the economy of southeast Alaska," said the Rev. David Dobler, president of Sheldon Jackson College. "Therefore we will continue operation of the hatchery as the linchpin of our future as an institution."
Other possibilities include turning vacant dormitories into temporary housing for throngs of fishermen that pour into the small seaside town each year, or training Alaskan residents as teacher's aides.
"It is safe to say that Sheldon Jackson College will not reopen as a college in the near future," said board of trustees chair Shirley J. Holloway. "But there are far too many needs in marine biology, in teacher training, in training for the growing hospitality industry, and for the training of village leaders that Sheldon Jackson is uniquely equipped to meet."
After struggling financially for years, Alaska's oldest educational institution announced in late June that academic operations would be suspended for the 2007-2008 academic school year as trustees explore options for SJC's future. One hundred employees were laid off as a result.
Meanwhile, the board of trustees announced in September that they are seeking local entities to assume management of the college's childcare center and the Hames Physical Education Center. If new operators are not found, both facilities will close.
"We know how important these facilities are to Sitka's residents, but we simply cannot afford to keep them open," Holloway said. "We dearly hope that others in Sitka will step forward so the valuable services both centers provide can be maintained for the community."
The trustees announced that the college's food service would also cease operations when the current contract with the nearby State Troopers' Academy expires in mid-November.
The cessation of the three enterprises - none of which break even financially - came as part of further cost-cutting at the college.
At its Sept. 5-6 meeting, the trustees voted unanimously to cease all operations except the school's fish hatchery and aquarium, and the academic operations needed to complete the college's "teach-out" obligations to students who had not graduated when academic operations were suspended.
The trustees also further reduced the school's administrative staff from 35 to 6 as part of an agreement with Alaska Growth Capital (AGC) - the school's primary creditor - to preserve the SJC's assets while planning for future activities.
Sheldon Jackson College has more than $35 million in assets, primarily land and buildings, but has virtually no cash and $11 million in debts, almost half of which is owed to AGC.
The school will begin an immediate search for a property management firm to oversee care of the physical plant at the school and will also search for a real estate marketing and sales firm to help manage the sale, lease and development of the school's extensive holdings in Sitka.
"The board of trustees will oversee the liquidation of as much property as is necessary to give us the time to establish programs here on the campus that meet those needs while being financially sustainable," Holloway said.
Sheldon Jackson College was established 130 years ago as a training school for Alaska Natives. Governed by an independent board of trustees, the college is still in covenant relationship with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
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