Did you know UAA's automotive and diesel program is taught entirely by its own graduates?
Rebecca Lawhorne, UA System Office of Public Affairs
ralawhorne@alaska.edu
July 22, 2026
It all starts with a 1996 Dodge Dakota, half buried in the front yard.
Jared Stouff was 15 when he and his dad pulled it out of the ground. The truck had been sitting there for years. They dug it out and turned it into a project. They replaced about half the truck, piece by piece, just the two of them.
He was hooked.
Stouff later enrolled in , home to the Automotive and Diesel Technology programs, part of the Community and Technical College. At 27, he is now teaching general automotive in the same program he graduated from eight years ago.
He isn't the only one.
A self-sustaining culture
The entire faculty of the automotive and diesel programs are graduates, including the tool room technician. The administrative assistant has even taken courses. The magnetic center pulling these people in? Darrin Marshall, who chairs the division.
Marshall came to the department in his late 30s after getting laid off from the slope. Twenty years later, he's still here.
"As you see people flourishing in this field, you can pick up the ones that have the mentorship mentality," Marshall said. "I've taught some really sharp students that said they will never teach because that's not their passion. But as you see that mentorship ability, you mention to them that this is a cool opportunity."
Rob Siciliano, the department's GM ASEP instructor, is another faculty member who came back after graduation. He kept thinking about the gaps he noticed in the field. "If you have all these great ideas," he was told, "why don't you come do something about it?" He did.
The passion, Marshall says, is contagious. At least two more alumni are expected to join as adjuncts this year.
"All of our team creates so much work for themselves in an effort to grow the program, improve the program and improve the students' learning experience," Marshall said. "I do believe our efforts are being recognized by our students, our industry, and our university."
That culture shows up in small, unique ways. The department designs its own hats in-house. Students earn them by volunteering for SkillsUSA or the annual auto expo. They are not for sale.
Faculty member Josh Brown recently stopped by a transportation company to check on one of his practicum students. The student had his UAA hat mounted on a magnet on his toolbox. Tag and stickers still on.
Brown asked the student about it.
âI love that hat,â the student told him. "I'm never going to wear it."
The big picture
Every shop in Anchorage and the Mat-Su Valley wants to partner with the department because they all need technicians. They get 20 to 30 calls and emails every school year from industry looking to hire. The United States faces a significant shortage of automotive and diesel technicians. 91Ö±²¥is no exception, and its geography and cost of living compound the problem.
Marshall claims 100% of students who want a job get one before they graduate, with many hired in their first semester. The diesel program sees close to a 85% graduation rate, according to the faculty.
Why UAA
Today's vehicles are complex networks of computers and electrical systems. UAA instructors, all of whom hold ASE certifications , give students the theory and hands-on education to understand the electrical system and the tools used to diagnose it. Going straight into the workforce without that foundation means a lot of catching up.
"The stuff we teach you here in two years could take five to 10 years of experience in the field to learn," Stouff says. "You get that jump ahead, you start at a higher level and you advance faster than people who didn't go through a program like ours."
General Motors has partnered with the program for four decades, contracting with UAA faculty to deliver professional development training for GM dealership technicians across Alaska. The department is the go-to program for working technicians in the state.
A department on the rise
The programs are the only post-secondary automotive technical training programs in 91Ö±²¥accredited by the ASE Education Foundation at the Master Automobile Service Technology level, the highest accreditation available.
Recognized as one of the top 20 automotive mechanic schools in the country, close to 90 students are currently enrolled across automotive, diesel and EV tracks. A spring cohort was recently added and is already full.
Josh Brown, who is in his fourth year teaching, built the department's EV and Hybrid Certificate program from scratch with a Technical and Vocational Education Program (TVEP) grant. Outside of a handful of West Coast states, EV technician training programs are rare. Brown's program stands as the only EV training program in Alaska.
The relationships Brown has developed in the community brought in equipment donations the department couldn't have anticipated, including a dump truck from Anchorage Solid Waste Services, which operates a fleet of electric garbage trucks.
The Auto Expo
ran in May 2026, started by former faculty member Nate Berry. The expo has become a popular attraction for car lovers over the years and is a collective effort for the department. Beyond bringing the community together, they are seeing the benefits. Enrollment has been climbing since the expo began and the department is gaining recognition.
It is a window into what the transportation industry in 91Ö±²¥has to offer. A brand new $260,000 Peterbilt sitting next to a 1989 Chevy C10 sitting next to a backyard-built rat rod. It is a recruiting event, a career fair and a community celebration all at once.
Industry is investing
Lithia & Driveway, Lynden Transport, the Municipality of Anchorage, the 91Ö±²¥Raceway Park and others have donated vehicles, equipment and scholarships.
The TechForce Foundation recently awarded two students $5,000 each. NANA Worley revamped their hiring process specifically to bring students onto the slope on a week-on, week-off rotation.
The department is also a recipient of funds from the Metallica Scholars Initiative, a national workforce education program funded by the band Metallica's nonprofit foundation.
Looking ahead
About half the fleet is still older than the 10-year standard required by the accreditation body. The department needs a building twice its current size and is currently on UAA's list of capital improvements. The department is confident they've shown they're worth investing in. Marshall says there have been more conversations about expansion in the last three years than in the previous 18 combined.
The building isn't the only change on the horizon. After 20 years, Marshall is ready to share the load. Brown becomes co-chair next year.
"I'm looking forward to handing him the reins the rest of the way," Marshall said.
