If once you have slept on an island, you'll
never be quite the same.         

                                       -Rachel Field 

Testimonials

For me, the Yukon Island program was more like a learning adventure.  (It) gave me an opportunity to learn and experience fellowship in a place of pristine and unparalleled natural beauty.  The adventure of coming to the island in a boat, passing majestic mountains and bird rookeries as we sailed on deep blue waters to the sandy shore, seemed surreal…Mixing classroom learning with the natural living experience of the great outdoors was simply extraordinary. 
-DeBora McIntosh, graduate student

The grandeur of the Alaskan scenery creates a spiritual sensibility that forms a context for learning that prompts one to avoid the trivial and make the awareness of the profound more available for reflection and meaning.  To live together for three days in such a magnificent locale deepens the learning because there are few distractions, and students and teachers alike can immerse themselves continuously in what they find to be relevant.  With learning as the focus, they can literally harness the majestic in the service of the birth of new knowledge. 
-Visiting Professor, Dr. Raymond Wlodkowski

I learned a lot about community in that setting and it was wonderful to hear students share personal experiences in Alaska and elsewhere.  It was a great group and the bonding was evident.  The walk on the island with the stop at the homestead house brought people to a deeper level of thought about the experience, and homemade bread and fresh salmon on the beach gave an added dimension to it all! 
-Visiting Professor, Dr. Vivian Johnson

Most of all, I treasure the depth of sharing that comes from being together, in a common way, on the boat, at the table, in the woods, hiking, studying, and sleeping.  Trust and appreciation grows among us.  As people tell personal stories, emotions are stirred and rare insights are passed along.  Everyone begins to feel that we are a phenomenon of connection to a larger picture of education and humanity. 
 -Ann Wing Quest, graduate student