The narrative of Alaska’s Cold War has primarily focused on its strategic military role as part of the United States’ conflict with the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1991. What is less understood is the centrality of Alaska’s universities in shaping the state’s international relations in this period. Profiling the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska, the North Pacific Studies Program at the Alaska Methodist University, and the Alaska Center for International Business at the University of Alaska Anchorage, this presentation demonstrates that higher education played a pivotal role in Alaska’s promotion of global science, cultural exchange, and international trade through research and teaching during the Cold War.

This in an event in the 2025-2026 Cook Inlet Historical Society Speaker Series. These presentations are virtual, free, and open to the public via Crowdcast; the same link can be used to review the recorded event after the program conclusion. Those attending in person should use the 7th Avenue entrance to access the auditorium.

About the Speaker  
Pierce Bateman, is a doctoral candidate at the University of Oregon studying the history of Alaska, the United States, and the Pacific World. He received his MA in Arctic and Northern Studies at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and his BA in history and anthropology from the University of Alaska Anchorage. A lifelong Alaskan, Bateman has worked as an archaeologist, historian, and history instructor throughout the state. Presently, he works as a term assistant professor of history at his beloved alma mater, the University of Alaska Anchorage.

Photo Credit: “Geophysical Institute,” 1969, William R. Cashen Papers, UAF-2005-6-88, Alaska and
Polar Regions Collections &amp; Archives, Elmer E. Rasmuson Library, University of Alaska,
Fairbanks,
https://vilda.alaska.edu/digital/collection/cdmg11/id/41713/rec/2

Cook Inlet Historical Society Presents: Geophysics, Exchange Students, and International Trade: Alaska’s Universities During the Global Cold War