Dear UAA Community,

Summer is a great time to get K-12 students introduced to campus and introduced to the city if they are from rural Alaska.

This week we have eighth and ninth graders participating in a volleyball clinic, 54 middle schoolers putting together computers in ANSEP's summer engineering camp, UAA School of Engineering hands-on camp for kids K-12, and 30 middle and high school students in the Bakery Boot camp.

These are UAA's future Amazing Stories.

Work is progressing on our new Engineering Building – located next door to the Student Union and ANSEP. Watch for an "official" groundbreaking.

This weekend I'm heading to Seattle for a Mariners game at Safeco Field with UAA alumni from Washington, Oregon and Alaska. If you are a PNW alum interested in our alumni gatherings in the region, be sure to contact our new Assistant Vice Chancellor of Alumni Relations, Rachel Morse (rlmorse@uaa.alaska.edu or 907-786-1278) to stay connected.

I'm excited to welcome Matt Thomas as our new Seawolf hockey coach. Matt has an impressive record, fresh off of ECHL finals with the Stockton Thunder. I hope to see you at the games!

We've hired the search firm, Eastman & Beaudine to guide our search for a new Athletic Director (AD). We will have a search committee in place by mid-July. There will be opportunities for public input to the search committee. We hope to have a new AD by early Fall.

Athletics notes

Alyssa Horn is the NCAA Woman of the Year award recipient in recognition of her outstanding collegiate achievements in service, leadership, athletics and academics. Link to article.

You can now stay up-to-date with the Seawolf athletics through Twitter and Facebook. Click here to see all of the links to Twitter and Facebook officially associated with the Seawolves and sign up today.

Staff and Faculty notes

Prof. Deb Periman, J.D., Legal Studies Program Coordinator, and Prof. Ryan Fortson, J.D., Justice faculty, and Theresa Lyons, UAA New Student Orientation Director presented at the "Color of Justice: Fostering Diversity in the Legal Profession and Judiciary ...One Student at a Time" event designed to encourage girls and minority high school students to consider careers in the law and judiciary.

Assistant Professor E.J. David will be heading to Hawaii in July to receive the Asian American Psychological Association (AAPA) Early Career Award for Distinguished Contributions to Research. More on that here.

Research notes

UAA launched its second startup company, CFT Solutions, a Seawolf Holdings company that will create a cost-effective and environmentally friendly way to prevent snow and ice from accumulating by embedding carbon fiber tapes under pavement. Check out how it works.

A disastrous hip surgery outcome led an Anchorage surgeon to connect with UAA's Alaska Ethics Center to co-author a paper with philosophers Stephanie Bauer and Terrance Kelly and work with Alaska WWAMI director Jane Shelby to establish a joint registry. Read more about their work exploring the "colonization" of medical science by medical industry.

The 2013 Annual KIDS COUNT Data Book, compiled by the Institute of Social and Economic Research, shows that from 2005 to 2010, the percentage of Alaska high-school students not graduating on time dropped from one-third to one-quarter. However, not all the news was good. Alaska's overall health index was among the worst (46) in the nation. You can view and download all Alaska Data Books at http:kidscount.alaska.edu

Program notes

The Paramedical Technology Program and Mat-Su College received the "Above & Beyond" award from the Southern Region Emergency Medical Services Council in recognition of the fast actions of the 2012-2013 Paramedic class in responding to a nursing student in cardiac arrest. Students performed a full cardiac code with a successful resuscitation and stabilized the patient until the arrival of Mat-Su Emergency Services.

I'm very proud of all that is being accomplished at UAA. The work of faculty, staff and students is having an impact on lives today and well into the future. Thank you.

Best regards,

Tom Case