Mat-Su College has "unlimited growth potential"

As the student representative to the University of Alaska Board of Regents and a full-time student, David Parks has seen almost all of the 19 campuses and visited with students. At Mat-Su College, Parks sees the future of the UA system.

Parks said that with the population boom and the growth of the Mat-Su Valley, Mat-Su College will continue to grow as well.

"I think Mat-Su is the future main campus of the University of Alaska," Parks said. "There is unlimited growth potential here."

Parks is a 2000 Palmer High School graduate. He enrolled at UAA immediately upon his graduation, and he said the quality of education is one reason some students are following that trend.

"Alaska students have left the state for education at the fastest rate in the country, but we're starting to see a change," Parks said. "So many people are finding as good or better educational opportunities right here in Alaska, at places like Mat-Su College or UAA or Fairbanks, for example."

Parks said the University of Alaska Scholars Program is one big reason students are staying in Alaska to go to college.

The Scholars Program awards high school seniors who are in the top 10 percent of their class an $11,000 scholarship, which can be used for any university cost, ranging from tuition to room and board to books.

The program is designed to keep Alaska's top students in Alaska.

Another way the university has helped better Alaska is through remote campuses, such as Mat-Su College, Parks said.

"There is a lot of diversity in the people who turn to the university," Parks said. "I'm a traditional student -- 22, came to UAA right out of high school -- but so many students I've met are older people who have raised a family and are now looking for the extra edge in their business or want to get ahead by getting a degree later in life. They are very passionate about being in school."