Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program (ANSEP)

Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program (ANSEP) students are going from eighth grade to a STEM BS degree in five years.  Alaska Natives are the poorest demographic in the nation and among the lowest performing academically.  We work with students starting in Kindergarten and every year through the PhD. We intend to transform the education system so that the sequential education model we have developed over the past 27 years is available first for every student in Alaska and then the nation.  To do that we need to build a large and powerful advocacy group to influence public policy around education and the way it is funded.  Lots of people need to hear the voices of our students and their families.  Working with Elevate will amplify our impact, help us to share these stories more broadly than we are able to do alone, and inspire thousands of advocates into action.  Elevate is exactly what we need to change the possibilities in the lives of students first in Alaska and then the nation.  

In the early nineties I was doing research on rural village sanitation in Alaska. People there use honey buckets.  Honey buckets drive high infant mortality rates, endemic enteric diseases, and skin diseases.  There were serious communication problems between the Public Health Service engineers and the villagers.  I never met a Native engineer during the two years I worked on this project.  Since I was an engineering professor, I decided to make some Native engineers to improve the situation.  I received a $100,000 check from our first partner organization.  My boss  said "we are sending the check back because we are not going to dumb our engineering program down and have a bunch of Natives around here…everyone knows  Natives can’t do math.”  I was shocked.  Nobody else at the university seemed to care.  K12 educators I met had the same attitude.  This steeled my resolve to change the situation and work until that kind of discrimination was gone forever.  Today our students are going from eighth grade to a STEM BS degree in five years.  We intend to transform the education system so that ANSEP opportunities are available for every student in the state and then the nation.

Alaska Natives are the poorest demographic in the nation and among the lowest performing academically. Most arrive at the University unprepared academically and socially and ninety-five percent fail out. Failure negatively impacts students, their families, their communities, and the State. It is a national problem for minorities. Millions are affected.  ANSEP is changing that paradigm.  ANSEP is a team of hundreds of educational, philanthropic, agency, and private partners. We work with students beginning in kindergarten and every year after to the PhD. ANSEP students go from eighth grade to a STEM BS degree in five years.  Our model bypasses the systemic political and institutional barriers unwittingly faced by our students, builds equity, and is developing an advocacy group aimed at eradicating barriers to education and a professional career forever by influencing public policy around education funding. Thousands of ANSEP students, families, and people within our partner organizations are involved.  We are building momentum.  So far, my students have earned 454 BS, MS, and PhDs from the University of Alaska.  They are working in professional jobs in science and engineering and education.  Our team and I have raised more than $90 million in external funds to support this effort.  

ANSEP’s K-PhD sequential education model develops students to be socially and academically hyper-prepared for university degree programs and then works with them through to the PhD. Students go from eighth grade to a STEM BS degree in five years. Instruction is experiential, hands-on, fun, and involves practicing scientists and engineers at every level. Our pre-college academic objectives are for eighth graders to complete Algebra I and be ready for the university-level freshman writing class. In ninth-grade, ANSEP student teams enroll in regular university courses taught by university professors. Courses earn dual high school/university credit towards a high school diploma and baccalaureate degrees. For every class, student teams work in supplemental instruction sessions led by older students. Student outcomes are dramatically improved.  The social cost of failure is reduced.  Per-student cost is far less for parents and government than the traditional model.  We are building a large powerful advocacy group of parents/families, strategic partners, and alumni to influence education public policy funding so that ANSEP is available for every student in Alaska and then the nation. 

ANSEP is changing the possibilities in the lives of thousands of students. Alaska Natives have been oppressed and exploited for hundreds of years. They were devastated by disease after first contact, enslaved by the Russian fur trade, forced to stop cultural practices that had sustained them for 10,000 years, forced to stop talking their languages by well-intentioned missionaries and teachers, had their artwork stolen or destroyed, and denied access to education and the attendant economic benefits. These events have had serious social consequences. Data indicate that Alaska Natives are performing at the bottom academically and are the poorest demographic in the nation. ANSEP is turning this around.  Thousands of inspired students are participating, earning BS, MS, and PhD degrees in an accelerated fashion, and moving into the STEM professional workforce. Their success is having a profound and positive impact in the lives of their families, their communities, within our partner organizations, the state, and the nation for generations to come. Those who have discounted their capabilities are witness to the accomplishments of these students and professionals. A new perception about Alaska Natives is forming.   There is growing recognition that the ANSEP sequential education model is transferable for every student everywhere. 

During 2021 ANSEP  is directly serving more that 3500 students from Kindergarten through the PhD.  During 2022 we are planning to add 600 new Middle School students taking the total number of students to 4100.

For the Elevate initiative, we will be successful when funding necessary to support the ANSEP Acceleration Academy is institutionalized with state funding and every student in the state can participate.  Then we will begin to transform the rest of the nation. 

This will involve a statewide advertising campaign during the next year. We need thousands of people advocating for the dramatically improved academic outcomes and financial savings that families and government realize through the Academy.  Families save $75,000 or more in college costs and the state saves $40,000 or more per student. One-thousand students saves the state $49 million.  Plus, remediation is eliminated and the social cost of failure is reduced.   

Interim progress measures will include numbers of enrolled advocates, click rates on digital media, drafting of necessary legislation, number of key legislative sponsor/co-sponsors among others.  

The ANSEP logic model describing the short and long term goals for ANSEP can be viewed at https://www.ansep.net/about/pr...

Financial.  Additional resources for the Acceleration Academy will allow us to free up working capital to support the campaign.

Technical. While we understand the public policy steps involved, we do not know how to execute a successful campaign to build the advocacy group we need.

Legal. We know how to go about drafting the necessary legislation.  

Cultural.  Change is hard.  The research shows that people will join an advocacy group when they stand to benefit financially.  We will demonstrate how individuals and the state benefit financially.

Resources available. We have unrestricted working capital available. 

The larger platform, audience, and brand recognition will drive the formation of a large and powerful advocacy group to influence public policy around education funding so that the ANSEP Acceleration Academy is institutionalized with state funding.  I expect that the additional coverage will also result in new funding partners joining our education transformation efforts.

The ANSEP team is primarily Alaska Native ANSEP alumni who have lived the experience and well understand the systemic and institutional barriers to academic and professional success for minority students.  We identify passionate students as undergraduates, hire them when the graduate, and develop them into effective leaders. All employees are required to earn a Master's degree which we pay for.

The racism I encountered at the University shocked me.  I wanted to quit because of the harassment and would lie awake at night. I would see my students' faces. I knew if I quit they wouldn't have a chance.  I asked them what they needed to be successful, and found ways to get it for them.  Those first students designed the University portion of ANSEP.  As they started to graduate, I hired some of them and we started to work on the academic and social preparation issues that minority students face.  We worked our way back through K12 solving one problem after another.  I let them run and be creative.  We hired more ANSEP alumni and now we work all the way down into kindergarten making sure that each student understands the possibilities for their lives and knows they can do anything they want.  Everything is hands on, challenging and designed to be inspirational. Temporary staff are all ANSEP students.

I chuckle when people ask me how I ever though of all the cool stuff we do at ANSEP.  I explain that my students and ANSEP alumni have designed the program.  Together we kicked the wall down.

When I started in 1995, I was very naïve.  I did not understand the systemic and institutional barriers minority students face around education.  When I received a $100,000 donation for scholarships for my first students, my boss said that “…we are sending the money back, we are not going to dumb down our school and have a bunch of Natives around here…” Nobody in the university administration cared.  The attitude was the same when I asked the high schools why students were unprepared.  This steeled my resolve to fix the problem so that this kind of discrimination would never happen again.  I understood the hurt because I was told that I was not college material while in high school. 

I  organized my students, pulled in partner organizations, built an external power base, started solving the problem, was fired, got my job back, was ostracized by my peers, and repeatedly threatened by university Presidents and Chancellors all because of ANSEP.  I channeled the anger, further steeled my resolve, and have changed the possibilities for my students, their families, their communities, within our partner organizations, and the state that will endure for generations.  

There is much more work to do.

Herbert P. Schroeder – Examples of recorded presentations and speeches

2018

2018 University of Colorado Boulder Alumni Awards, George Norlin Award for Lifetime Achievement Recipient, Herb Schroeder, speaker/recipient, Boulder, Colorado, October 25, 2018.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNYCYWzt8_k

2013

Louis Stokes Midwest Center of Excellence Conference, A Call to Action, National Science Foundation Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Model for Broadening Participation in STEM, sponsored by Chicago State University, Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis, Argonne Labs, Indianapolis, Indiana, October 22, 2013. Presentations:

Stop Paying for Failure and Transform Education, Herb Schroeder, keynote speaker, October 22, 2013.                                    

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyjIMIpiXwU

Commitment to Broadening Participation: Five LSAMP Leaders’ Perspectives on Impact, a Panel Discussion, panelist, October 22, 2013. Herb Schroeder starts at 18:45 minutes.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfRN75wO6PM

2010

2010 ANSEP Celebration and Extravaganza – Dr. Herb Schroder, Alyeska Pipeline Service Company, May 12, 2010.  

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0WayKXbgTw

Examples of other presentations and speeches

Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities 2019 Annual Conference, Transforming education:  Improving quality and cost, speaker, Seattle Washington, November 22, 2019.  https://www.nwccu.org/wp-conte...

 National Science Foundation Distinguished Lecture Series, invited lecturer, Transforming education:  Improving quality, cost, and outcomes, co-sponsored by the Engineering Directorate and the Education & Human Resources Directorate, Washington, D.C., August 5, 2019.

 National Science Foundation Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Principal Investigators/Project Directors Meeting, Creating Successful Practices on STEM Broadening Participation, STEM Mentoring – A Conversation with Exceptional Mentors, panelist, Washington DC, February 20, 2019.

 Fifth Annual Arctic Encounter Symposium, The Future of Arctic Security: Energy, Environment, International, Economic, Technology & Building Sustainable Economic Security in the Arctic, Breakout Session 1, panelist, Seattle, Washington, April 19, 2018. https://www.arcticencounter.co...

STEM Mentoring 2030: Emerging Strategies for Inclusive STEM Education, 2017 STEM Mentors Alumni Event, for current and past PAESMEM individual mentor alumni and mentoring programs, convened by American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 2004 PAESMEM mentor, Washington, D.C., April 5-7, 2017.

 Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) Board Meeting, speaker, Anchorage, Alaska, May 5, 2016.

 NSF Day, Lessons from the Field: NSF-funded researchers share best practices, Lunch Panel Discussion, panelist, University of Alaska Anchorage, April 8, 2016.

 The 29th Alaska State Legislature House Education and Early Development Finance Subcommittee Hearing, Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program (ANSEP), Juneau, Alaska, speaker via teleconference, February 9, 2016.

 The 29th Alaska State Legislature House and Senate Education Committees, Joint Hearing, Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program (ANSEP), co-presenter, with Michael Bourdukofsky, P.E., ANSEP Chief Operations Officer, Juneau, Alaska, January 27, 2016.

 National School Boards Association (NSBA 2015) Pacific Region Summer Meeting, Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program, speaker, Fairbanks, Alaska, June 26, 2015.

 INCLUDES (Inclusion Across the Nation of Communities of Learners that have been Underrepresented for Diversity in Engineering and Science) Initiative Working Conference, co-sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the Center for Advancement of Informal Science Education, and the Association of Science of Technology Centers, invited STEM education leader, Washington D.C., June 3, 2015.

 57th Annual Conference, Western Association of Graduate Schools, Transforming the K20 Pipeline for Science and Engineering, plenary presenter, Anchorage, Alaska, March 9, 2015.

 Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) Annual Conference, Alaska Airlines ANSEP Middle School Travel Award Announcement, speaker, Anchorage, Alaska, October 23, 2014.

 National Science Foundation Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) PI/PD Meeting, Leveraging Federal Funding:  Three Examples from LSAMP, panelist, Washington DC, October 3, 2014.

 University of Montana lecture and workshops: 1) Fundraising for Education Reform, 2) Stop Paying for Failure and Transform Education, and 3) Specific Fundraising Strategies Fundraising for Education Reform, invited speaker and workshop presenter, Missoula, Montana, February 4, 2014.

 The 28th Alaska State Legislature Senate Finance Education Subcommittee, Invited Presentation: Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program (ANSEP) Longitudinal Educational Model, co-presenter with Michael Bourdukofsky, P.E., ANSEP Chief Operations Officer, Anchorage, Alaska, October 30, 2013.  http://www.akleg.gov/basis/get...

 The American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), and Virginia Tech’s Center for Enhancement of Engineering Diversity hosted the Surmounting the Barriers:  Ethnic Diversity in Engineering Education workshop, funded by the National Science Foundation. I was one of fifty invited stakeholders selected from communities of diversity researchers, social scientists, organizational change researchers, engineering educators, and individuals and organizations working to enhance the participation, performance, and advancement of diverse populations in engineering education.  Washington, DC, September 26-27, 2013.  https://www.nap.edu/download/1...

2013 Week of the Arctic, Institute of the North, Workforce Development in Northern Regions, panelist, Anchorage, Alaska, August 12, 2013. https://issuu.com/morrisalaska...

 2011 National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME) National Symposium, Confronting the “New” American Dilemma Part II: Responses to the NACME Calls to Action, General Session III, Creating Systemic Change in Recruiting, Enrolling, Educating, Retaining, and Graduating Underrepresented Minority Students in Engineering, panelist, St. Paul, Minnesota, October 19, 2011.  https://www.nacme.org/publicat...

 National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME), National Roundtable: Beyond the Dream: From Developmental Mathematics to Engineering Careers for Underrepresented Minorities, invited expert, Austin Texas, April 15-17, 2009.

 Committee on Equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering and National Science Foundation Centers Forum Mini-Symposium: Broadening Participation of Native Americans in Science and Engineering:  Lessons Learned, Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program (ANSEP), Building a National Model for Excellence in Native American Higher Education Programs, session speaker, Arlington, Virginia, October 29, 2008.

 National Science Foundation Partnerships for Innovation (PFI) Workshop, poster presentation, PFI Graduates Session, TALPA: Technology Applications and Learning toward Professional Achievement, presenter, Arlington, Virginia, March 30, 2008.

 National Science Foundation Partnerships for Innovation (PFI) Workshop Panel, Building On and Continuing the Program after the PFI Opportunity: Graduates' Strategies and Accomplishments, panelist, and Workshop, Increasing Participation of Underrepresented Groups and Institutions Session, co-moderator with Sheik Jeelani, Arlington, Virginia, March 31, 2008.

 National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME) Annual and Corporate Partner Workshop, Expanding Opportunities for Minority Students in Engineering in the Post-Michigan Era, The Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program, presenter, Boulder, Colorado, July 30, 2007.

 South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program (ANSEP), Rapid City, South Dakota, January 23, 2007.

 Oregon State University, Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program (ANSEP), speaker, Corvallis Oregon, November 2006.

 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANSCA) CEO Board Meeting, Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program (ANSEP), speaker, Anchorage, Alaska, June 2005.

 National Science Foundation, 2004 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM), Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program, presenter, Park Hyatt Hotel, Washington, D.C., May 2005.

 National Academy of Engineering, Workshop on Engineering Studies at the Tribal Colleges, Recruitment and Retention of Tribal Students in Two- and Four-Year Educational Institutions, co-presenter with Teresa Gomez and Dawn Valencia; and invited expert, National Academies, Washington D.C., March 15, 2005.

 North Slope Borough School District Principals Conference, Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program (ANSEP),  speaker, Anchorage, Alaska, October 2002.

Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program (ANSEP) students are going from eighth grade to a STEM BS degree in five years.  Alaska Natives are the poorest demographic in the nation and among the lowest performing academically.  We work with students starting in Kindergarten and every year through the PhD. We intend to transform the education system so that the sequential education model we have developed over the past 27 years is available first for every student in Alaska and then the nation.  To do that we need to build a large and powerful advocacy group to influence public policy around education and the way it is funded.  Lots of people need to hear the voices of our students and their families.  Working with Elevate will amplify our impact, help us to share these stories more broadly than we are able to do alone, and inspire thousands of advocates into action.  Elevate is exactly what we need to change the possibilities in the lives of students first in Alaska and then the nation. 

These organizations provide cash, advocacy, student internships.

• Alaska Airlines
  

• Alaska Community Foundation

• Alaska Federation of Natives

• Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium
  

• Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

• Alyeska Pipeline Service Company

• ANSEP Alumni 
  

• Arctic Research Consortium of the United States

• Arctic Slope Regional Corporation

• Association of Village Council Presidents

• Bristol Bay Native Association
  

• Bristol Bay Native Corporation

• Bristol Bay Native Corporation Education Foundation

• Bristol Bay Borough School District

• Bureau of Safety & Environmental Enforcement

• Calista Corporation

• CIA

• ConocoPhillips
  

• Cook Inlet Region Incorporated

• Cook Inlet Tribal Council

• Defenders of Wildlife

• Donlin Gold
  

• Doyon

• Eighteen Alaskan School Districts
  

• ExxonMobil Foundation

• ExxonMobil Corporation

• Hawk Consultants

• Huna Totem Corporation
  

• Kawerak, Inc.
  

• LGL Limited
  

• Mystic Aquarium
  

• NANA 

• WorleyParsons

• National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering

• National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

• National Marine Fisheries Service

• NOAA

• National Science Foundation

• Native Village of Eyak

• North Slope Borough

• Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation
  

• Office of Aviation Safety
  

• Office of Subsistence Management

• Oil Search Alaska

• Orutsararmiut Native Council

• Peak Oilfield Service Company

• Rasmuson Foundation

• Rural Alaska Community Action Program, Inc.

• Saltchuk Resources, Inc.
  

• Sealaska Corporation

• Sharon and Tom Warren ANSEP Scholarship Endowment
  

• Stantec Consulting Services

• Tanana Chiefs Conference

• U.S. Department of Interior, Fish & Wildlife Service 

• U.S. Forest Service, Geological Survey