SHELDON JACKSON COLLEGE
Sitka, Alaska
The College
Sheldon Jackson College (SJC) of Alaska is the state's oldest educational institution. Originally established in 1878 by Presbyterian missionary Sheldon Jackson to provide for the education of Alaska's Native people, the College today enrolls students from twenty-six states. Sheldon Jackson College remains affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), while encouraging an understanding and sensitivity to other faith traditions. Building upon 127 years of successfully educating Alaskans, Sheldon Jackson College continues its founding mission to integrate learning and faith within a multicultural campus environment that is especially sensitive to Alaska Native and environmental perspectives.
Sheldon Jackson College began as the Sitka Mission School in 1878. The following year it became the Sheldon Jackson Institute, open for boys only. Six years later, it was reestablished as the Sitka Industrial Training School. 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.
Location
The campus of Sheldon Jackson College and the city of Sitka, Alaska, are located on the western shore of Baranof Island in southeast Alaska. Encircled by mountains and settled between ancient forests and the Pacific Ocean, Sitka is considered one of Alaska's most beautiful seaside ports of call. SJC is located within the 16.8-million-acre Tongass National Forest, which is the largest temperate rain forest in the world. The island-studded waters of Sitka Sound provide shelter from the Pacific Ocean, and Mount Edgecumbe, an extinct volcano, rises majestically from nearby Kruzof Island, dominating the horizon. Warmed by the Japanese Current, Sitka provides a moderate climate with cool summers (50 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit), relatively warm winters (20 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit), and rainfall of nearly 90 inches per year.
Sitka (population 9,300), Alaska's fifth-largest city, is a community of rich cultural heritage, and many reminders of Sitka's past are still visible today. Native totems in Sitka National Historical Park are silent testimony to Sitka's heritage as an Alaska Native settlement hundreds of years before the Russians arrived there. The Russian Bishop's House and St. Michael's Russian Orthodox Cathedral are reminders that Sitka was the capital of Russian America and was once known as the Paris of the Pacific.
While Sitka is firmly rooted in history, it is a vibrant and cosmopolitan city. Since no road system services Sitka, travel is arranged by air with Alaska Airlines or by sea with the Alaska Marine Highway Ferry System.
Majors and Degrees
Sheldon Jackson College offers academic programs in business, elementary education, environmental sciences, human services, individualized studies, liberal arts, outdoor leadership, and secondary education (language arts and science).
Academic Programs
The academic program at Sheldon Jackson College incorporates classroom instruction, hands-on education, wilderness experiences, Alaska Native perspectives, and active participation within a supportive and cozy community. It is the intention of the College that each student who graduates from Sheldon Jackson College will have obtained not only intellectual competence and technical career skills but also a storehouse of discoveries and memories that will provide graduates with the ability to live a productive life.
Sheldon Jackson College uses a semester academic calendar. The fall semester runs from September to December, and the spring semester runs from January to May. A typical course load consists of five courses (15 credit hours) in the fall and spring semesters. A bachelor's degree requires the completion of 120 credit hours.
Academic Facilities
The 214-acre campus of 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. The College operates a full-production salmon hatchery, and the science building houses fresh and salt water aquariums with flow-through water systems.
Stratton Library houses more than 100,000 biographical items in a variety of print and nonprint media. Because of its historical breadth, it furnishes academic and research support about early Alaska to the entire world as well as the SJC and Sitka communities. Noted author James Michener wrote his novel Alaska while in residence at Sheldon Jackson College.
Stratton Library participates in a number of consortiums that significantly increase its resources. These include the Western Library Network, which allows access to the holdings of 3.5 million bibliographic records of more than 250 libraries in the Northwest; GNOSIS, the University of Alaska's statewide information system; interlibrary loan; Dialog, which provides computerized literature searches; and the Internet and World Wide Web. It has an extensive collection of Alaskana materials including C.L. Andrew's collection of rare and first edition books about Alaska and a collection of more than 900 glass plate negatives taken in Alaska by E.W. Merrill between 1899 and 1923. Stratton Library also houses the Learning Assistance Center, which provides tutoring and assistance to students with special needs or learning disabilities.
In addition to academic and residence buildings, the campus also consists of the Hames Physical Education Center, with an indoor swimming pool, racquetball courts, a full-size basketball court with seating for 600, and a weight room. The Sheldon Jackson Museum, located on the SJC campus, contains the finest collection of Alaska Native artifacts in the world.
Costs
Tuition and fees for 200405 were $10,600. Room and board costs (based upon a double-occupancy room and nineteen-meal plan) were $7300. Travel costs vary. Books and personal expenses were estimated at $3200.
Financial Aid
Sheldon Jackson College recognizes that financing a college education is a major factor in obtaining a college degree. Ninety-seven percent of the students who attend SJC receive financial aid. In addition to "full participation in federal and state financial aid programs, SJC offers academic scholarships, institutional grants, and campus work programs.
Students applying for financial aid should complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), along with the application for admission to Sheldon Jackson College.
Faculty
There are 25 full-time faculty members at Sheldon Jackson College, 70 percent of whom hold doctorates. Faculty members are selected for their concern for students, their love of Alaska, and their commitment to the Sheldon Jackson College mission. The College has maintained a commitment to small classes, in which professors come to know each student not only by name, but by background, potential, and personal interests. The student-teacher ratio is 8:1 and the average class size is 10.
Student Government
Students are elected to the Associated Student Body of Sheldon Jackson College (ASBSJC), which allocates budget expenditures for all student clubs and organizations. The ASBSJC also acts as a student voice in policy matters and makes recommendations related to improvements in educational programs or campus facilities.
Admission Requirements
Sheldon Jackson College enjoys a noncompetitive admittance policy. In order to be accepted, applicants must have graduated from an accredited high school (or present an equivalent credential) with a minimum 2.0 grade point average. Transfer students must have a minimum 2.0 grade point average to be admitted. Applicants who do not meet these requirements will be considered for admission through the Sheldon Jackson College Achievement Program. Applicants are asked to submit a letter of reference and a personal statement.
Application and Information
Application forms are accepted on a rolling basis. Application materials may be obtained by contacting:
