Dear UAA community,

All eyes are focused on wrapping up finals and, for more than 2,100 students, graduation is in sight. Congratulations to our entire UAA community on a job well done!

It's been a record-breaking year at UAA. Seawolf debaters moved into the top 10 (number 9!) in international standings for the first time. UAA became one of 11 universities nationwide selected to participate in VetSuccess on Campus program. Taylor Rohde--the Bill MacKay Athlete of the Year--is the first UAA student-athlete ever to be named National Player of the Year and Seawolves were ranked 10th in the Learfield Cup--the highest ranking in UAA history.

Across our campuses faculty are winning awards for innovative use of technology and e-learning; students are winning prestigious scholarships and grants; and let's not forget our facilities team that worked overtime this year clearing and stacking record-breaking snow and keeping the campus running safely.

Innovate Awards, established this year, are promoting research and entrepreneurship and our International and Intercultural Task Force successfully completed the American Council on Education's International Laboratory program and is moving forward. These key initiatives will help students, faculty and our community thrive and compete in the global marketplace.

The Anchorage campus is changing -- we broke ground for the new sports arena and this year the Legislature appropriated $58M to begin construction of the new engineering building.

As I look back over my first year as chancellor, I am very proud of our "Team UAA" and proud to be a Seawolf!

Student Notes

Club Council, UAA's representative body of over 80 campus clubs, presented their annual Student Involvement Awards to the following clubs:

• Student Club of the Year: Human Services Club
• New Student Club of the Year: Video Gaming Club
• Program of the Year: Tied between Heifer International for their Barn Dance and Student Veterans of UAA for Veterans Awareness Week
• Student Leader of the Year: Kris Katkus, president of The Family and also Kris Americorps Volunteer
• Advisor of the Year: Lexi Prunella advising The Family
• Outstanding Community Service Program: Architecture and Engineering Club for work with Habitat for Humanity

Erick Romig, mentored by Dr. Patricia Fagan, was selected for a U.S. Student Fulbright award to Spain.

Arctic Engineering graduate student Ben Still received the URS Arctic Engineering Graduate Fellowship for the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 academic years ($50,000 total award).

Biology student Michelle Shero has been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Fellowship, with a stipend rate of $30,000 per 12-month fellowship year, funded for a maximum of three years, plus tuition and fees. Michelle is UAA's first recipient of this fellowship.

Alan Massey received a U.S. Student Fulbright award for 2012-2013 to Germany.

MacKenzie Merrill, member of Mat-Su College's Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, is the national winner of the Coca Cola Scholarship.

Andrew Cochrane, School of Engineering student received the $2,000 OURS Discovery Award recognizing overall academic excellence including exceptional achievement in research or creative activities.

The team of Michael Allen Horton and Jonathon Gabriel Clark Stinson won the Department of Political Science's James Madison Cup competition on knowledge of the American Constitution.

Read all of this month's edition of CaseNotes here.