Wayland opens Wasilla campus

WASILLA -- Valley students will have their first chance ever to earn a four-year bachelor's degree without traveling into Anchorage this fall, when Wayland Baptist University opens the doors of its newest location in the Financial Building, at the junction of the Parks and Palmer-Wasilla highways. The university recently signed a five-year lease on the two-classroom location, and will begin its first term this fall.

"We're very excited about the possibility of meeting this educational need out in the Valley," said Jeff Anderson PhD., dean of the Wayland Baptist location in Anchorage. Up to this point, students wishing to earn a full-fledged bachelor's degree have been required to drive to Anchorage for classes either at University of Alaska Anchorage or other city schools.

"Demographics from the state of Alaska show that most people [in the Valley] have some college experience," said Eddie Campoamor, site coordinator for the Wasilla location. Campoamor added that Wayland Baptist orients itself primarily toward professional working adults who want to complete an already initiated degree or re-enter the college life after a stint in business or the military. Fourteen percent of Air Force and 12 percent of Army recruits who return to college after military service attend Wayland, Campoamor said.

"We're looking at people who may have gone to college because mom and dad wanted them to, not because they themselves wanted to," Campoamor said. He went on to say that many residents in the area are in their mid-30s and working in professional occupations, an ideal situation for returning to a degree program.

The new Wasilla location will offer a Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Education, so called because up to 12 semester hours will be awarded based on students' work histories, said Anderson. Many specializations, such as airplane mechanics, automotive mechanics, human services and health care are also available. Through collaboration with the Anchorage campus and Internet classes, masters' degrees in business administration, Christian ministry, and education are also possible.

Wayland Baptist's first presence in Alaska was felt in Anchorage in 1985, and Valley residents have been commuting into the city to take classes there ever since. Anderson estimated that 40-50 of the university's students currently tackle the drive.

"We've been asked for years and years by our Valley students to offer classes out here," Campoamor said. In addition, many of the instructors who serve at the Anchorage campus live in the Valley and commute into the city to teach classes. The new Wasilla location should increase convenience for everyone, Campoamor said, since many of these commuting faculty have been recruited to teach there.

"We've been in Anchorage for almost 20 years, and our school continues to grow hand-over-fist," he added. "It's just time for us to expand."

Wayland Baptist is a regionally-accredited, nonprofit Christian university with 12 existing campuses across the western United States. Regional accreditation, the highest form of accreditation, will allow transfer of credits to any other regionally accredited institution, Campoamor said.

Enrollment at the new Wasilla location begins July 26, with the first fall term starting on Aug. 16. This fall, the university will offer three classes: a religion class that satisfies humanities requirements, a theories and practices supervision course specifically oriented toward management and health care, and a criminology course titled "Social Problems."

Though instructors at Wayland Baptist hold strong religious beliefs, the faith persuasion of those who attend isn't a factor, Campoamor said. "What we care about is giving people a chance for education."

Contact Daniel Spoth at daniel.spoth@frontiersman.com.