| The Interior-Aleutians Campus (I-AC) of the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) is a non-residential campus serving a culturally and linguistically diverse population in an area of over 200,000 square miles. The I-AC will renovate historic buildings in two of the 57 villages in its service area. One building is in the Village of Anvik and the other in the Village of McGrath. Both buildings are in the McGrath Region, which is comprised of eight villages in the I-AC.
Most of these villages host a population under 150 residents and are lacking in facilities for people to gather. These communities also have a high rate of unemployment and alcoholism. The average regional family income is $15,000 and the average percentage of families in the villages of this region falling below the poverty level is 37%.
The McGrath Region, which is 91% Alaskan Native, has a high unemployment rate and a low average family income. It has an elevated rate of social problems, mostly associated with alcohol abuse, which is rooted in 115 years of accelerated culture change. The renovation of these buildings is vital in its opportunity to provide a sense of regional pride as well as professional development and employment in diverse career areas.
Once the buildings are restored, they will serve as facilities to house local museum collections, a cultural library, university classroom space, office space, a community recreation area, and the establishment of a micro-business enterprise. This comes as a partnership with the McGrath Tochak Historical Society and the Anvik Historical Society. I-AC will also receive support from: KSKO Radio, the City of McGrath, the Iditarod Area School District, the Tanana Chiefs Conference and the Episcopal Church.
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