News and Announcements
ISER hosts annual CUPSO conference
ISER is welcoming public service researchers from across the country for the 2026 Consortium of University Public Service Organizations (CUPSO) Conference! đ This year's event, titled "Public Service on the Frontier," will gather research staff from dozens of universities to share their successes and help shape future public policy. The conference also coincides with the 65th anniversary of ISER, which has been providing non-partisan policy research for Alaska since 1961. Learn more about CUPSO and view the agenda at the conference website: https://www.cupso.org/page/annual-conference
Good Resource, Bad Vibe: How well does the media reflect economic activity?
Resource industries like oil and fishing are characterized by boom-and-bust cycles â there are âgood yearsâ and âbad years.â In communities that are highly connected to a particular resource, these economic shocks are foregrounded in the public attention. But how well does news coverage of the shocks reflect the actual health of the economy? In a new report, ISER researchers compare economic indicators with media coverage over a 10-year period in Homer, Alaska. The research explores the economic shock of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill and looks at how media coverage aligned to the fishery performance during the recovery [...]
ISER recommends new routes for workforce development
ISER faculty have published results from their study of Alaskaâs construction workforce. Commissioned by the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities, the report examines Alaskaâs workforce in nine priority construction occupations, including laborers, carpenters, electricians, and truck drivers. Using interviews, surveys, labor data, and public datasets, the report presents detailed industry profiles that cover job nature, wages, workforce demographics, growth projections, training availability, and recruitment challenges. The study aimed to assess current workforce characteristics, forecast growth, and explore strategies to increase participation by Alaskans and underrepresented groups such as women, people of color, and rural residents. The report outlines crosscutting [...]
Hiring: ISER Director
ISER is currently looking for a new director, who will coordinate research activities both within the institute and with other institutions and agencies, and will supervise a multi-disciplinary team consisting of 30 people, including faculty, administrative and research staff and student researchers. ISERâs current director, Diane Hirshberg, has announced that she will step down from the directorâs role at the end of June 2026. She has been ISER director since 2022. For 65 years, ISER has been producing research that helps people understand social and economic systems and supports informed public and private decision-making. The institute has a strong, multi-disciplinary group [...]
ISER Director to Step Down after Nearly Five Years of Leadership
Diane Hirshberg, professor of education policy at Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER). Dr. Diane Hirshberg will step down as director of the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) in June 2026. She has led the Institute since October 2021. Hirshberg joined UAA as a professor of educational policy in 2003, shortly after obtaining a Ph.D. in education from UCLA. She has since served the university in a variety of leadership roles. Hirshberg was the founding director of the Center for Alaska Education Policy Research, served as president of UAAâs faculty senate and was the VP Academic [...]
CAEPR Educator Survey
 CAEPR is currently running a statewide educator survey! The survey was developed in collaboration with education shareholders. It is a confidential survey that asks educators about their school and work experience, their community, themselves, and their future plans. In early February, every in-service educator in Alaska received a personalized email survey invitation. We will send reminders to teachers periodically over the next 8 weeks, and develop a report in June. We are excited to do this in service of schools and communities in our state. Questions? Please contact us! ⢠ISER contacts: Staci Corey (slcorey@alaska.edu) and Dayna DeFeo (djdefeo@alaska.edu) ⢠[...]