ISER will welcome public service researchers from across the country for the 2026 Consortium of University Public Service Organizations (CUPSO) Conference! 🐏
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.
Resource industries like oil and fishing are characterized by boom-and-bust cycles – there are “good years” and “bad years.” 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?
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.
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.
The Vic Fischer Undergraduate Research Award provides $2500 to an exemplary UAA undergraduate in the social sciences or other applicable fields interested in researching public policy issues in Alaska or the Arctic in Spring 2025.
The student awardee will participate in ongoing research projects and contribute analyses to publications under the guidance of researchers at ISER.
The public is invited to an education policy forum titled: “Funding Education in Alaska: Lessons and Insights from Local and National Research” on February 8, 2024, at 5:00 pm in the Egan Lecture Hall room 112 on the UAS campus in Juneau. This free event, co-sponsored by the UAS School of Education and the UAA Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER), features Dr.
ISER is very pleased to be a collaborating partner in this important center at UAA. We will share more about the research initiatives and other activities involving ISER as the details are confirmed, and we look forward to helping advance understandings of security in the Arctic and to supporting the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in their efforts to better respond to challenges in the Arctic domain.
Early childhood educators are uniquely positioned to advance equity by providing culturally-responsive early learning environments and developing respectful and reciprocal relationships with families. Culturally-responsive teaching practices recognize the diverse cultures of children and families as strengths and empower children through cultural values of their family heritage (Gay, 2010).