Friday Focus: Transitioning ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½â€™s R1 initiatives from research to operations
Taryn Lopez, ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ Geophysical Institute research associate professor
June 27, 2025
— By Taryn Lopez, ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ Geophysical Institute research associate professor
Just over two years ago Chancellor White asked me to chair ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½â€™s R1 Steering Committee and lead ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½â€™s pursuit of R1 status. While a daunting task, I accepted this role as I knew from experience that working on a strategic initiative with our fearless and forward-looking Chancellor would allow me to actively contribute to positive change at ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½.
From a broad perspective, achieving R1 status will give ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ the local, state, and global recognition for being the research powerhouse many of us know ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ to be. This is a respectable goal. Within ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ many of us have an additional take on this goal. We see this as an opportunity to reevaluate the status quo and reinvent ourselves into the university we want to be: A high caliber university where students, staff, faculty, and administrators work together to deliver exceptional education and conduct impactful research that serves Alaska. This is a goal we can all support.
Over the past two years I have had the pleasure of working with more than 80 faculty, staff, students, and administrators across ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ in the pursuit of these complementary goals. These participants contributed through R1 Working groups, an R1 Strategy workshop, forums, Core Cabinet discussions, and in ad-hoc fashion. Some highlights of our collective accomplishments include:
- Researching how ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ currently operates and what opportunities exist to advance our R1 goals, including tracking student data, recruiting and retaining faculty, incentivizing effective student mentorship, and more.
- Conducting graduate student and faculty surveys to identify the challenges and opportunities related to degree completion and student mentorship.
- Distributing nearly $12M in state funding to support current and recruit new PhD students ($6.8M and $2.3M, respectively); build faculty capacity and recognition for effective student mentorship ($1.1M); and fill critical graduate-student related staffing, software, and marketing needs ($1.7M).
The outcomes of this work and recommendations to help ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ achieve R1 research status are presented in nine Working Group reports and four updated reports released this year. While we made substantial progress towards our R1 goals, it became clear this past winter that we would need help implementing several ideas. At the same time, ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ unit leaders with the agency to implement these ideas were looking to engage. With these two complementary perspectives, Chancellor White and I decided that it was time to pivot. ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ is ready to transition R1 research into operations.
I am excited to pass the torch of ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½â€™s pursuit of R1 Research Status from the R1 Steering Committee to the Graduate School Director, Emeline Jones, to implement ideas and suggestions identified over the past two years. Director Jones will have the support of an R1 dedicated staff member and an R1 Implementation Advisory Board. I want to thank Chancellor White for all the opportunities he has given me and the ~80 Working Group and Steering Committee members who put their hearts and time into this effort. I look forward to continuing to be involved in a supporting role and seeing all the great things ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ will achieve!
Friday Focus is a column written by a different member of ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½'s leadership team every week. On occasion, a guest writer is invited to contribute a column.