Alaska Native Language Center Faces Funding Crisis

0:00It's April 3, I'm Cory with the story, and this is Anchorage News today, your AI-powered local news. Linguists in Alaska are raising alarms about the Alaska Native Language Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. This key institute started 54 years ago to preserve and study native languages, faces claims of funding shortages that threaten its core. Mission, a university leaders insist the center is actually expanding under new management. Mission shifts folded the center into the College of Indigenous Studies, moving its publishing operations out of state to Colorado. That sparked worries over lost editorial support and stalled dictionary projects for Native communities. Faculty also point to no permanent director for years, piling workloads and hires without advanced degrees. The backlash hit hard with op-eds in major papers, letters from around the world, and coverage in student media. Many or linguists say these changes overload teaching duties, cutting into vital research on endangered languages.

1:02Protesters gathered on campus, chanting in tongues like Gwitchin and Enupiac to demand action. State lawmakers stepped in with a Senate hearing where adamance touted doubled budgets, rising enrollment, and free community workshops. Faculty countered that short-term teaching focus ignores long-term preservation needs. City Chair Senator Loki Tobin pledged to rework funding laws for stable support. Protest keep rolling every Wednesday on campus, but with lawmakers on board and talks of more resources, the centers fight for Native languages. Mike just gained the momentum and needs to thrive.