Iḷisaġvik College wins approval for distance-learning Unangax̂ Studies certificate

Students on St. Paul Island and in other remote communities can now earn an accredited college certificate in the Unangan language and culture without leaving home, after Iḷisaġvik College's accreditor approved a program the college built with St. Paul's tribal government.

The 15-credit Unangax̂ Studies Certificate I covers Unangam Tunuu, the Unangan language, along with Unangan history, values, land, art and traditional knowledge. It is taught mainly by distance learning, so students can earn it while staying with their families and home communities, the Utqiaġvik-based college said Friday.

The state's Alaska Native Language Preservation and Advisory Council estimates that Unangam Tunuu has 40 to 80 highly proficient speakers.

"Our team has been working on this program over the last five years," Haley Edmondson said in the college's announcement. She is academic director of the Bering Sea Campus, the education and research arm of the Aleut Community of St. Paul Island Tribal Government. More than 40 people from the Unangax̂ region helped write the coursework, according to the college.

The approval from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, effective Sept. 8, puts the certificate under Iḷisaġvik's accreditation. Edmondson said that will let the campus standardize its Unangax̂ Studies courses each semester.

Iḷisaġvik, which calls itself Alaska's only tribal college, modeled the certificate on its Iñupiaq Studies program. The college will handle academics and institutional services, and the Bering Sea Campus, founded in 2018, will provide student support and facilities on St. Paul.

The college said the certificate can lead to further study or to work in education, research, tribal governance, fisheries, tourism and entrepreneurship.