Borough seeks four-year college

MAT-SU - The Valley may still be a long way from the ivory towers and university towns of traditional academic communities, but establishing a four-year college in the Mat-Su is a priority for every single member of the Mat-Su Borough Assembly.

During a January retreat, they discussed the possibility of converting Mat-Su College to a four-year institution and, while plans are still very preliminary, assembly members unanimously agreed that a four-year college is a critical component to encourage future economic growth in the Mat-Su.

Now, the assembly is trying to lay down a strategy to make the goal a reality.

"At this point we are doing our own research, looking at the benefits and downsides," Assembly Member Bill Allen said. "This has been talked about for quite some time. We have a lot of people that go into Anchorage, to UAA, for classes and it's time we took a look at having our own four-year college."

It's still unclear what the partnership between the borough and the university would be, but Assembly Member Lynne Woods said the assembly is planning to meet with college officials in March to explore options.

"There are many things to look at," Woods said. "We want to see what buildings we might need to build."

When Valley Hospital moves into its new building next year, Allen said he would like to see the old building turned into a medical training facility that would be part of Mat-Su College.

Other options discussed included expanding the Mat-Su College campus by possibly adding dormitories and other student facilities.

Borough Manager John Duffy reported to assembly members that he has spoken with Mat-Su College Director Paul Dauphinais about finding a consultant who has experience taking two-year colleges to four-year colleges.

With possibilities still being thrown around, Dauphinais said he didn't really know what to think of the borough's plan at this point.

"I think there is a great deal of merit to it," he said. "The Valley is growing fast enough that there may be a need for it."

Dauphinais cautioned, however, that turning Mat-Su College into a four-year institution would be an expensive project.

"We would have to add bricks and mortar and lots of it," he said. "We would have to double up the faculty - it's a big operation."

The borough scheduled it's next work session for March 14, giving assembly members a chance to further discuss their economic goals for the Valley.

Contact Joel Davidson at joel.davidson@frontiersman.com.