Tidelines Institute: Microcollege education in the Alaskan wilderness
This webinar is a part of an Innovative Universities Global Webinar Series.
Tidelines Institute, located in Southeast Alaska, is an educational nonprofit organization dedicated to integrating liberal arts education, scientific inquiry, and experiential learning. Tidelines was formed in 2021 from the merger of two nonprofits, the Arete Project and Inian Islands Institute, both founded in 2013 to provide experiential programs in civic and environmental leadership. Operating from two campuses – the Good River Campus in Gustavus and the Inian Islands Campus – the institute offers a range of programs, including the Glacier Bay Semester, short courses, and community workshops. Students have opportunities to explore the region's diverse ecosystems, such as glacial fjords and temperate rainforests, while partaking in activities like gardening, animal husbandry, and wilderness expeditions. The institute also honors Tlingit culture and values, acknowledging that its campuses are situated on the ancestral homelands of the Huna Káawu.
Laura Marcus, Co-Executive Director of Tidelines Institute
- Laura Marcus is passionate about integrating experiential learning with intellectual pursuits, shaping the institute’s educational programs.
- Before founding the Arete Project in 2013, she worked at Deep Springs College and served as a ranger with the National Park Service.
- She holds a B.A. from Yale, an M.Phil from the University of Cambridge, and is a doctoral candidate at Stanford University.
Zach Brown, Co-Executive Director of Tidelines Institute
- Zach Brown studied chemistry and biology in college and pursued a PhD in Earth System Science at Stanford University.
- His research focused on how changing sea ice impacts marine biological communities, particularly phytoplankton, and included multiple research expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic.
- After completing his PhD in 2014, Zach undertook a 2,300-mile solo trek from Stanford to Alaska to advocate for the establishment of the Inian Islands instute, which later became part of Tidelines Institute.
