Dr. Gretchen Bersch has dedicated her life to adult and continuing education. She created the master’s degree in Adult Education at the University of Alaska Anchorage, coordinated the Credit for Prior Learning program, co-created the UAA/Magadan student exchange program, trained teachers in rural villages, and created a series of filmed interviews with 80 of the world’s top scholars in the field of adult education. Bersch was nominated for the Professor of the Year award from the Carnegie Foundation and received the University of Alaska’s Edith R. Bullock Prize for Excellence. She was a U.S. representative for the UNESCO conference on adult learning held in Germany and co-chaired the humanitarian relief effort Operation Magadan. In conjunction with a UNESCO meeting in Budapest, Hungary, Bersch was inducted into the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame. While fully retired, she serves on the Olé! board and organizes adult education activities through her learning retreat center at her family’s homestead on Yukon Island.
Link to slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/wwthbb0xpd8yxh4w7eb2a/Women_in_Action_UU_2024.pdf?rlkey=pg0lits908x2bvlscqunc20xq&dl=0
Ernest Gruening, Alaska Territorial bill (link also on page 6 of slides): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUP2fNZ3LPc
For much more, see https://www.alaskawomenshalloffame.org/alumnae/gretchen-bersch/