What We Do

The NLC Model

As university faculty, we often think of our work in terms of three distinct categories — teaching, research, and service.  At the NLC, we believe our work is strengthened when we instead view it as one integrated mission. At the heart of our work is community partnership. We provide community service in the form of consulting and facilitation to community organizations. We use the best of our research tool kit to address the challenges our partners face with rigor. Then, we improve our teaching, by integrating what we have learned into our classrooms and developing case studies and teaching materials to provide real world illustrations of academic concepts.  We also work to promote the work of our researchers to ensure rigorous, relevant insights make it into the hands of those best positioned to apply them.

Key NLC activities include:

Research
  • Research symposium
  • Fellows network
Education
  • Degree programs and coursework
  • Teaching cases and course materials
  • Training
Community Engagement
  • Consulting
  • Facilitation

Research

We are proud to sponsor our inaugural Research Symposium, Resilient North: Advancing Circumpolar Enterprise, Security, and Economy through Applied Research, to be held at UAF campus and virtually 1-4PM on December 2, 2026. 

This half-day conference will showcase applied social science research in ÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æ and foster connections within the College of Business and Security Management (CBSM) research ecosystem.  Interested in building your collaborator network? Curious what your colleagues in homeland security, economics, and business administration are doing? Join us to find out. to RSVP and for more event details. 

Are you a graduate student eager to present your research to a broader audience and refine your academic communication skills? We invite you to showcase your work in the Best Poster Award Competition for a chance to win a $500 cash prize.

To participate, please by October 10, 2026. Abstracts should be less than 400 words.  Work-in-progress research is acceptable!

Education

Degrees and Coursework

The NLC offers  for undergraduate students with a core in fundamentals of leadership and specialized coursework in your chosen area of emphasis: business administration, military science, political science, communication, outdoor recreation, and ÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æ Native community leadership.

Check back for updated course offerings as we launch new coursework for master and PhD students and launch the NLC case study library in fall 2026.

Community Engagement

The NLC works with organizations of all sizes, as well as entrepreneurs and individuals operating in ÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æ and the circumpolar North. For example, in partnership with UAF’s Center for Innovation, we have supported individual innovators working on novel and sustainable Arctic-focused technologies to prepare grant and funding applications.  In partnership with non-profit Tanana Chiefs Conference, we have developed a dual enrollment training  to support rural and Indigenous high school students and increase participation in the labor market and higher education.  We are open to exploring how we can support additional community partners.  To discuss working together, please reach out to NLC Director Dr. Kimberly McGinnis.  

Contact us
Schedule an advising appointment