Sheldon Jackson College

Sheldon Jackson College was a small college on Baranof Island in Sitka, Alaska, founded in 1878 as the Sitka Industrial and Training School. It suspended academic operations in June 2007, and its 13-acre campus is now a National Historic Landmark District used by several arts and education groups.[1]

History

Fannie Kellogg and John G. Brady, a future Governor of Alaska, founded the Sitka Industrial and Training School in 1878 for the Tlingit people. It was later named for the Presbyterian missionary Sheldon Jackson, reportedly in 1910, a date the source marks as needing a citation. The college kept a historic relationship with the Presbyterian Church.[1]

Closure

The Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education cancelled the college’s state authorisation on July 17, 2007, after accreditation concerns, and academic operations were suspended on June 29, 2007 because of cash flow shortages. On February 1, 2011 the trustees transferred the main campus to Alaska Arts Southeast, Inc., the parent of the Sitka Fine Arts Camp.[1]

Campus today

The Sitka Fine Arts Camp, Sheldon Jackson Museum, Sitka Sound Science Center, Sitka Summer Music Festival, Sitka International Hostel and, since 2018, Outer Coast College use buildings on the former campus. The Sheldon Jackson Museum, founded in 1887 and described as Alaska’s oldest museum, was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 23, 1972, and the campus became a National Historic Landmark District on August 7, 2001.[1]

FAQs

When was Sheldon Jackson College founded? 1878, as the Sitka Industrial and Training School.

When did it close? Academic operations were suspended in 2007.

What is on the campus now? Arts, science and education organisations including the Sheldon Jackson Museum and Outer Coast College.

Sources

1. Wikipedia: Sheldon Jackson College

Editorially reviewed by Specialty Digest Editorial TeamLast reviewed November 14, 2026Researched and drafted with AI assistanceReport an issue