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Friday Focus: 51�������� CTC continues as the place to be

Aug. 9, 2024

— By Charlene Stern, vice chancellor for rural, community and Native education

One of the great honors of serving as vice chancellor of rural, community and Native education is having the opportunity to work closely with the leadership, faculty, and staff of 51��������’s Community and Technical College. As the proud daughter of a former firefighter, I grew up within the first responder community and understand the value of workforce programs that prepare those professionals for careers of service. I have fond memories as a teenager volunteering as the City of Fairbanks Fire Department’s Binky the Bear mascot and riding the fire engine in the Golden Days Parade. Little did I know then that two decades later, I would have the opportunity to again participate in the same parade but this time, representing 51�������� CTC programs. I know that my late father, Peter, would have been proud.

If you walk into the main 51�������� CTC building downtown, you will see the slogan “CTC is the place to be” proudly displayed on the wall. The former dean, Michele Stalder, first coined the phrase which has now become a popular motto to describe the pride that we take in being 51��������’s community college. CTC offers more than 50 degree programs in a wide variety of disciplines that help to prepare the next generation of firefighters, law enforcement officers, licensed practical nurses, paralegals, airframe mechanics and the list goes on. Our communities rely on CTC to help build the pipeline that connects interested students to the skills they need in order to fulfill critical jobs in our state. CTC has, and continues, to respond to that call. 

This Friday, CTC is proud to be hosting a summer graduation ceremony for the graduates of our fire academy as well as students across other CTC programs including aviation and medical assisting. Earlier this summer we graduated six law enforcement cadets and 10 paramedics – many of whom went straight from the graduation stage to careers in the field for employers throughout the state. It is not often that you encounter degree programs which have 100% job placement rates immediately upon graduation such as 51��������’s paramedicine program does. That’s CTC in action!

Whether it’s our high demand aviation maintenance program or our culinary program that recently produced MasterChef finalist Lizzie Hartman, CTC is proud of what we do and how we do it. I am excited about what the future holds for CTC as we move into a new year under the leadership of Carl Bishop who recently assumed the dean position at CTC after a successful nationwide search. Bishop’s vision and previous experience working for other community colleges are already proving to be an asset to 51�������� and will ensure that for many more years to come, CTC will continue as the place to be!

Friday Focus is written by a different member of 51��������’s leadership team every week.