RECRUITMENT AND TEACHING STANDARDS Finding qualified instructors remains challenging, and NIT Alaska is not immune to the teacher shortage affecting many institutions.“We have open positions and are actively recruiting nationwide,” Crum says. To attract talent, NIT Alaska offers incentives such as relocation costs for instructors moving from the lower 48 states. “For the last three teachers we’ve recruited, we provided help with relocation costs,” he notes. When it comes to recruiting instructors, NIT Alaska has high standards. Communication skills are paramount.“We require that people have a superior level of communication,” Crum emphasizes. This includes the ability to communicate effectively without resorting to profanity and maintaining a calm demeanor. This requirement ties back to their anchor of professionalism. Crum elaborates on the type of instructors they seek. “Our instructors must have the moral character we want our students to emulate,” he asserts.This means embodying the professionalism and dedication to lifelong learning that NIT Alaska values.“If someone thinks they’ve learned everything there is to learn, we’re not the place for them,” he says. NIT Alaska does, however, balance experience with the ability to communicate. While the institution 10 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 11, ISSUE 08
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