Friday Focus: Phil Collins is right

July 18, 2025

— By Tom Hough, executive director of University Advancement

In 1981, Phil Collins topped the pop music charts with “In the Air Tonight.” As a UAF employee and father of three teenage boys, I can tell you that Phil is right, there is something in the air in ��ˮ����Ƶ. It's not smoke (thank goodness); it's back to school, and it's right around the corner.

As the UAF executive director of advancement, I thought it might be worthwhile to share a bit about what I hear from business leaders throughout Alaska on the topic of higher education. If you are a UAF employee or associated with higher education, you are probably very aware of a national narrative trying to convince our current and recent high school graduates that higher education is not worth it. In my role as the advancement executive director, I talk with employers from across the state and from all sorts of Alaska industries on a weekly basis. While I am less able to provide a broad national-level employer perspective, I can definitely share some thoughts from Alaska business leaders.

First and foremost, I would say that Alaska industries are seeking credentialed professionals. I bolded the word credentialed here because language matters, and it’s a great word. In this higher education narrative, I believe we are too caught up in some poor assumptions when it comes to higher education. The assumption is that all college/university education is a four-year or more degree. A much better perspective is to look at higher education from the end point backwards and not the starting point looking forward. Asking a current or soon-to-be high school graduate what career they want to be in and then exploring what credentials are required for that career is a much better conversation than asking, “What are you going to do with a four-year degree in X?”

Alaska employers want credentialed employees. If the prospective student and family look at higher education through the lens of credentials, the investment to achieve the credential is more palatable than focusing on a degree program that may or may not align with future career goals. Recently, I have had conversations with employers about UAF’s programs in process technology, welding, accounting and other disciplines. Those employers are talking to UAF because they want to know what they can do to help us graduate more credentialed professionals in those high-demand areas of their industry. Of the three programs I just mentioned, one of them is a 10-month occupational endorsement (welding), another is a two-year associate degree in applied science (process technology), and the third is a four-year bachelor’s degree in business administration (accounting).

Those three programs mentioned above are in high demand right now and will be for years to come. They are not the only ones either; we have a long list of Alaska employers with high-demand credentialed programs. If you are seeking a high-paying career in Alaska, UAF is your oyster.

The professional credential in the desired career field of your choice will get you hired. As we transition away from another beautiful summer in Alaska, there are young people in all of our lives who are contemplating what to do next, and some of them are hearing that national narrative telling them that a college degree is not worth the investment. I can tell you that, at least for Alaska, that narrative is wrong. Our Alaska industries do want our high school students to pursue higher education. We need credentialed professionals to grow our Alaska economy. I encourage you to get out there and talk to our young people in the community throughout Alaska. The timing is right, back to school is in the air, and it is not too late to decide what you want to be and go be it.

Friday Focus is written by a different member of UAF’s leadership team every week.