November 2008

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Please join me in congratulating Kelcie Ralph, the first UAA and University of Alaska student to be awarded a Marshall Scholarship, one of the most prestigious educational awards available to American undergraduates. A UAA economics major and student in UAA's Honors College, Kelcie plans to use the Marshall Scholarship to study at the London School of Economics. Kelcie's accomplishment, along with our Truman scholars -- four in the last five years -- are wonderful examples of the success UAA students are having earning prestigious national scholarships and demonstrate the positive impact of our Honors College.

November at UAA is synonymous with the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout, now in its 31st year. We are delighted to be able to spend our Thanksgiving week watching our Women and Men's Seawolves teams compete with some of the best teams in college basketball. Last night's game was a terrific start with our Women Seawolves' 72-44 win over Cal State Northridge. I hope you have a chance to catch some of the games!

Paula Williams was selected as our new Director of Sustainability. Paula will be working with the Sustainability Council to help us move forward in our sustainability and environmental practices. One effort already underway is our partnership in the U-Med District. In October we signed an agreement with the Municipality of Anchorage, Providence, Alaska Pacific University, the Anchorage School District, Green Star, Southcentral Foundation, Alaska Psychiatric Institute and the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium to collectively find ways to practice and improve waste reduction, energy conservation and pollution prevention. Today we had the first meeting of all the partners to determine the best ways to accomplish these goals. Stay tuned for updates on how we are working together to reduce our impact on the environment.

I hope you've had a chance to attend at least one of the events this month in celebration of Alaska Native/Native American Heritage Month. Student discussions, lectures, movies, plays, potlucks, drum making, and fry bread socials are just a few of the many activities coordinated by the UAA Diversity Action Council and the Alaska Native/Native American Heritage Month Planning Committee. Thank you to organizers for all your hard work and many opportunities to celebrate diversity at UAA! For a list of events the rest of this month go to www.alaskanativeheritagemonth.org.

It's not too late to catch UAA Theatre's production of "Godspell." The musical continues until December 7.

And, SAVE THE DATE for the Chancellor's Winter Holiday Celebration on Thursday, December 11 from 3-5p.m. in the Student Union Den. Please join us for food, music, and fun!

Q: When was the last time the UAA Hockey Team was nationally ranked?
A: UAA was ranked No. 19 this week in the USCHO.com/CBS Sports Top 20 Poll. This is the first bonafide ranking since 2004 -- although the Seawolves also received a ranking for one week in 2006. Seawolves Hockey has had its best 14-game start since 1992-93 with a 7-5-2- overall.

Q: What is "Med Tech"?
A: I visited faculty this month in our Medical Laboratory Technology program in Allied Health and learned more about the important work they are doing. UAA's Med Tech program provides training for medical laboratory technicians throughout the state, for which there is always great need since clinical laboratory tests are performed in conjunction with a wide range of diagnoses and procedures. We have approximately 60 students enrolled as majors on UAA's campus. Med Tech courses are also distance delivered to students in Unalaska, St. Mary's, Bethel, Delta Junction and other places throughout the state.

Q: What is that new bus on campus?
A: UAA is testing out a new hybrid bus on loan from Cascadia International. The only one of its kind in Alaska, the hybrid bus reduces fuel usage and emissions by combining power from an electric motor and a diesel engine. The 40-passenger bus will be used on the express route between the Gorsuch Commons, UAA Campus Bookstore and Rasmuson Hall for three months.

Q: How did students get involved in the Resource Development Council's 29th Annual Conference?
A: We owe a big thank you to the Resource Development Council for inviting UAA students to attend the conference, "Alaska Resources 2009: Alaska at 50", for free. Nearly 20 students took advantage of the Resource Development Council's offer and heard from industry experts, government policy makers, Native Corporation executives, legislators, and educators on the critical issues that impact Alaska's oil, gas, mining and other resource development sectors.

Q: How much do you know about UAA's Aviation Technology and Culinary Arts Programs?
A: Test your knowledge of these programs and maybe learn something new in programmatic videos completed this summer. Or just check them out for fun. Aviation Link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iqIrV_C9Jg
Culinary Link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzzJAl9rjw4

Did you know:

• UAA senior Rhea Cardwell was named to the Daktronics All-West Region Second Team for volleyball -- she is the first Seawolf since 2002 to earn all region honors
• Cross Country runner Elizabeth Chepkosgei is the first UAA woman to earn All-America honors, while her overall placing in the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships was also the best ever for a Seawolf woman.
• Seawolf women's and men's cross country squads placed ninth and 11th, respectively in the Championships, marking the best national finishes in the history of the UAA cross country programs

And an update on election season:

• More than 2000 ballots were cast in the Student Union on Monday, November 3 and Tuesday, November 4
• At its peak, election volunteers processed over 200 ballots an hour

As always, thank you for all you do to make UAA a great University.

Wishing you a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!

Sincerely,