Sheldon Jackson College
In February of 2011, ownership of the core campus was transfered to the Sitka Fine Arts Camp (SFAC). Contact SFAC via phone 907-747-3085 or email: office@fineartscamp.org for information about currently available property.Unique Educational Opportunities
Sheldon Jackson College is surrounded by thousands of acres of living laboratory. Temperate rain forests, muskeg, tidal zones, wetlands, mountains, and the Pacific Ocean are within walking distance of the campus. There is a full-production salmon hatchery, now operated by the Sitka Sound Science Center (SSSC) next to the core campus. SSSC is located in the Sage science building along with fresh and salt-water aquariums and touch tanks.
Also near the SJC campus is the USGS geomagnetic observatory. Prior to the purchase of Alaska by the United States, the Russians operated a meteorological and magnetic observatory at Sitka from 1842 to 1867. The Geomagnetism Program established an observatory at Sitka, near the historic Russian cemetery, in 1901. The present observatory and seismometer site was established in 1940 and continues to operate.
The wealth of marine life in Sitka Sound attracted marine biologist Ed Ricketts, author of the seminal work “Between Pacific Tides,” to Sitka where he collected numerous specimens and wrote about his observations. The diversity of marine life is still here in Sitka Sound and includes a large population of humpback whales. The Sitka Whale Festival and a marine mammal symposium, are held annually in November as the whales gather offshore in preparation to migrate to Hawaii for the winter.
Sitka’s rich learning environment also includes opportunities for hands on learning in fisheries science with ready access to fish hatcheries, salmon spawning streams, a commercial fishing fleet and local fish processors. According to a 2008 report to Congress by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) there is a serious shortage of fishery scientists. Sitka is an ideal location to develop a marine science research center and fishery science program.
Renewable energy research and development, with targeted workforce development training, is in rapidly growing demand. There is a great need in the United States, and especially in Alaska, to train workers at the vocational/technical and university levels to meet the challenges posed by the quickly developing renewable energy and energy efficiency industries. Sitka offers a working, hydro-electric power plant that is undergoing expansion to double capacity, and potential for development of new hydro-electric facilities on Baranof Island. Geothermal, tidal, micro-hydro, and bio-mass energy production has yet to be fully explored, but shows significant potential.
Outside Magazine, September 2003
In September 2003, Outside Magazine, ranked Sheldon Jackson College among the top 40 schools where you can hit the books and the back country.
"When it came to ranking North America's best places to learn, live, work, and play, we did our homework, canvassing hundreds of colleges and enlisting an able crew of undergrad reporters. Then we narrowed the honor roll down to 40 schools that turn out smart grads with top-notch academic credentials, a healthy environmental ethos, and an A+ sense of adventure." (Sheldon Jackson College ranked 26th out of 40.)
History
Sheldon Jackson College was founded in 1878 as an Industrial and Training School for Alaska natives. In 1911, the main campus buildings were erected, and the training school became Sheldon Jackson School. Changed to a junior college in 1944, it was inaugurated as a four-year college in 1967. Students came to the college from all over Alaska, from Pt. Barrow to Ketchikan.
SJC was considered the birthplace of the Alaska Native Brotherhood and Sisterhood, powerful organizations that were critical in securing Native land claims. Some of the state’s most noted civil rights leaders, clergy, educators and politicians are among its graduates.
The college was closed in 2007 due to declining enrollments and increasing debt. In 1972 it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places; and in 2001 was designated a National Historic Landmark. The Sheldon Jackson Museum is now owned and administered by the State of Alaska. It was the first museum in Alaska and was the first concrete structure built in Alaska.
Over 5000 artifacts in the museum include many collected by Rev, Jackson throughout Alaska. He was also an early major leader in education. The school library contains 48,000 items with ten percent relating to Alaska history; including many first edition books and rare periodicals. James Michener used the Sheldon Jackson library while writing his book Alaska in 1988.
Michener was Here
James Michener couldn't have picked a more picturesque or historic place to use as a base when he researched and wrote his 1988 novel of the Last Frontier. For three years, SJ provided the writer with a small home and access to its Stratton Library and to Sheldon Jackson Museum, (now part of the Alaska State Museum), which contains one of the finest collection of Native Alaska objects in the world, much of it collected personally by Jackson on his travels.
To learn more about SJC campus facilities available for redevelopment CLICK HERE.
