LINDA: So my -- my goal has always been to look at how we can expand knowledge and allow the individual to take an active role in that and not just passively coming to training, but how can they continue either their own education for basic or then advanced. 

And so in 1993, when the basic training center turned to YKHC, I chose to stay on with the university -- and the Kuskokwim campus, the university's gone from restructuring several times over the last 15, 20 years. 

And then it used to be the community college system, and then in 1988, '89, we went through reorganization, and it's now the three major administrative units that we have currently in the state, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Anchorage, and Juneau.  Southeast.  And the Kuskokwim campus was then linked through the college of Rural Alaska through Fairbanks.

And so staying on at the Bethel campus, my role changed from direct basic to a variety of hats, one of the hats being sort of looking at the statewide CHAP program. 

Also to do nursing support and trying to bring a nursing program to Bethel, which we were able to do.  Allied health training, and high school, doing some, at the time it was sort of college course at the high school to interest people in health careers. 

So I had many different components to it, but the most important to me has always been the Health Aide Program. 

So in that role, I have really looked at the Associate of Applied Science Degree, which is the stepping stone from the Community Health Aide Program, as I mentioned, is within the university, and the basic training curriculum, they receive 34 credits. 

That's Session 1 through Session 4, and the preceptorship is 100 level credit in the university, and it's 34.  Those 34 credits, they are able then to get a -- through the university, it's called the same thing, unfortunately it's certificate, Certificate in Community Health. 

Universities give certificates of 30 credits, thereabouts, for what we call applied arenas.  And so those 34 credits are the major specialty area in the Community Health Associate of Applied Science degree, which is a 60-credit degree. 

15 of those credits are general, which is your English, speech, math, and social science arena, and then the 34 credits for their basic, then they take 2000-level health courses and round out with some electives for a 60-credit program. 

So in 1993, I had already sort of helped a few people look at their AAS degree, but I started now looking at it as a statewide basis. 

And the first thing I realized is that once again, I believe that knowledge and information, it's -- the individual needs it.  It's not systems or teachers or administrators, it's the individual. 

So I created a one-page Associate of Applied Science tracking tool.  And that outlined for them what the degree required.  With that tool, I then took their transcripts and made individual course profiles for individuals. 

Once you do that and people see what they have and what they need, and then give them -- a couple things happened.  Because we were working statewide, I said to the university, I have a student in Southeast who needs an English class and it's taught through Kotzebue. 

Well, that was unheard of back then.  You couldn't have a course cross the whole state system.  And I said, well, this is a statewide program.  They said, no, it's UAF.  I said, no, it's a statewide program.  It may be housed in UAF, but you need to find a mechanism where I can get this student to take English 211 so she can finish her degree. 

Well, they hemmed and they hawed, and they did it.  And we were the first to do sort of statewide, and that was in 1993. 

KAREN:  Wow. 

LINDA:  And it was exciting.  It was -- and but we rocked -- we rocked the boat and folks started getting their Associate of Applied Science degree, and looking at information sharing for the individual, but in the university, taking their -- you know, their distance courses and trying to then -- because the catalogs are difficult to read. 

And translating those into materials that were then what I called sneak previews that we published on what were the courses that match the degree, when were they available, and how.  So each semester, those materials are sent out statewide to the health aides. 

And folks all over the state have just been quietly, I think we're up to 65, 70 health aides have received their Community Health Associate of Applied Science, and it is an applied science.  It is a hands-on program, and so it was the AS profile sheet connecting university to allow students cross-regional to take courses.  Now it's just accepted. 

I love the new president of the university because he's really knocked down more walls, but back then, there were high walls in the university between the MAUs.  You certainly couldn't have students cross them.  But we did and it was fun to watch that happen.