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ScholarWorks@UA is University of Alaska's institutional repository created to share research and works by UA faculty, students, and staff.
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Recruitment, Retention, and Retirement Plan Structure: Evidence from TeachersIn 2006, the State of Alaska closed its defined benefit retirement plan and required all newly hired public education employees—mostly teachers—to join a defined contribution plan. This paper examines whether that change in pension structure affected recruitment or retention in Alaska’s public education workforce.
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Applied Project management Methodologies to Create a Volunteer Engagement Guide for New Hope Nonprofit Organization's Volunteer ProgramNonprofit organizations (NPOs) rely on volunteers to sustain operations and fulfill their missions, yet many realize persistent challenges in recruiting, training, and keeping them. New Hope Compassionate Ministries (NHCM), a nonprofit organization in Alaska, has struggled to attract and keep volunteers for inventory and restock days—limitations that directly impact its ability to combat food insecurity. This project applies structured project management methodologies to find and address NHCM’s volunteer engagement gap. Through mixed-methods research, including surveys and interviews, the project analyzes current volunteer recruitment and retention practices to uncover underlying barriers. Findings inform the development of a Volunteer Engagement Guide designed to improve recruitment strategies, streamline coordination, and strengthen volunteer commitment. Using project management tools and techniques, NHCM will establish a sustainable volunteer training and feedback system that fosters ownership, transforms volunteers into active stakeholders, and enhances the organization's capacity to serve the community effectively. This initiative shows how project management principles can be adapted to nonprofit contexts to drive lasting operational impact.
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Application of a Nonprofit Project Management Methodology to Solid Rock Bible Camp Infrastructure PlanningOver the last decade, several costly infrastructure issues have been presented to Solid Rock Bible Camp (SRBC) due to deferred maintenance, poor record-keeping, and short-term, donation-based funding. This has cost the organization substantial time and money and has risked its ability to obtain insurance for its infrastructure. The application of project management principles to SRBC’s unique nonprofit structure and values identified SRBC's current infrastructure needs, pursued future infrastructure solutions, and prioritized future project recommendations. This project documented the campus’s current state and compared its inventory to industry standards and the needs of its stakeholders to find deficiencies. These deficiencies were prioritized by stakeholders based on their impact on SRBC’s mission statement and then ranked using a cost-benefit analysis. The products of this project delivered to SRBC included: Current Infrastructure Inventory, Photographs of Each Structure, Estimated Rebuild Costs, Infrastructure Report Card, Summary of Deficiencies Identified, Summary of Solutions and Costs, Prioritization of Project Solutions, and Site-Specific Best Practices.
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Creating a Virtual Event WebsiteThis Best of 10 Virtual Race project involved creating a virtual athletic event website designed to motivate participants to engage in multiple types of physical activity while providing a fair and engaging leaderboard system. Traditional virtual events often favor participants who specialize in a single activity, such as cycling or running long distances, making it difficult for multi-sport athletes to compete. This project addressed that gap by implementing a scoring system across multiple categories such as cardio, ball sports, racket sports, weight training, outdoor activities, etc. where lower cumulative scores indicate better overall performance. This approach encourages participants to improve in weaker areas and explore activities they may not normally try. The platform was built using RunSignUp, which allows secure registration, payment processing, activity logging, and leaderboard management. The project included updates and refinements to ensure usability, scoring accuracy, and a user-friendly experience for a broad audience of active individuals. A trial event is planned to be held to validate the platform, demonstrating that it meets project goals and supports a fullscale launch. The final deliverable is a fully functional, scalable, and intuitive website capable of hosting virtual fitness events that are inclusive, competitive, and engaging, providing a new way for participants to challenge themselves across multiple activity types.
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Assessing Readiness for Point-Of-Care Ultrasound Implemenatation in a NeoNatal Intensive Care UnitPoint-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is an emerging diagnostic tool in neonatal care, yet widespread use in NICUs remains limited by provider training, confidence and organizational readiness. The purpose of this evidence-based practice project was to evaluate whether a brief POCUS educational intervention improved NICU provider readiness for adoption. Using a pre/post design, NICU providers at a regional tertiary NICU in Alaska completed the POCUS Readiness and Adoption Survey (PRAS) immediately before and after a structured 45-minute POCUS orientation presentation. The PRAS measured six domains: knowledge, attitudes, change efficacy, organizational support, intent to adopt, and perceived barriers. Twelve providers completed both surveys. Paired t-test analysis demonstrated significant improvements in knowledge (p < .001), attitudes (p = .022), change efficacy (p = .011), organizational support (p = .001), and intent to adopt POCUS (p = .006). Qualitative responses emphasized enthusiasm for POCUS integration and identified needs for structured training, clear credentialing pathways, and increased equipment access. Guided by the Iowa Model and Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovations, this project established foundational readiness and identified system-level barriers to adoption. Findings indicate that when provided with an appraisal of evidence, there is support for moving forward with comprehensive POCUS training, competency development, and interdisciplinary implementation planning to enhance diagnostic safety and neonatal care outcomes.
