Oct. 2011

Dear UAA community and friends,

I hope you've had a chance to join us this past month for some terrific events including celebrating the opening of the new Health Sciences Building, our UAA Alumni Association's 2nd Annual Green and Gold Gala, the Kendall Hockey Classic - a great win for our Seawolf hockey players, UAA's amazing women's volleyball team, "The Language of Trees" on UAA's Mainstage and much more.

UAA Health Sciences Building Grand Opening

We invite you to join us in November as we celebrate 50 years of engineering programs at UAA and School of Nursing anniversaries including the A.A.S (40 years), the B.S. (35 years) and the M.S. in nursing (30 years).

As we celebrate milestones of strong and important programs at UAA like engineering and nursing, we are mindful of the need to continue to work to meet Alaska's workforce and education needs. To this end, President Gamble and the University of Alaska system have begun strategic direction listening sessions with community members to provide guidance for "Shaping Alaska's Future 2017." External stakeholder meetings are scheduled at UAA Dec. 12 - 7:30-9 a.m. and Jan.  12 - 11:30-1p.m. and 5:30-7:00p.m.  Meetings for members of our UAA community will be scheduled later in the year. We encourage you to participate in listening sessions.

Join me in welcoming Bill Hogan, the new interim dean of the College of Health (COH). Bill comes to UAA with strong leadership experience in the field of health care administration both in the public and private sector, including service as commissioner with the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services. Thank you to Acting Dean Susan Kaplan for her leadership during this transition. Susan will take on a new role as administrative dean within the COH, and will work closely with Bill in moving the new college forward.

Student Notes

Anchorage campus student body president Ryan Buchholdt was recently selected to travel to Russia in November as part of the Open World Leadership Center's Kremlin Fellows program. Ryan is one of 15 student leaders nationwide selected to participate in this prestigious opportunity.

UAA student Marcella Dent has won a White House internship, beginning this fall, according to the Anchorage Daily News. She will be working in the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs.

Faculty Notes

Orson Smith has accepted the position of interim dean of the School of Engineering.

Welcome new Atwood Chair Richard Murphy. Former Anchorage Daily News photo editor and a part of the team of photojournalists that won a Pulitzer Prize for public service, Richard will teach within the UAA Department of Journalism and Public Communications for the spring 2012 semester.

Prince William Sound Community College Adult Basic Education Director, Michael Holcombe received the Alaska Adult Education Association's President's Award for exemplary work.

Lolita Brache, Kenai Peninsula College's Kachemak Bay Campus Adult Basic Education/GED instructor, was awarded the 2011 Educator of the Year award by the Alaska Adult Education Association.

Staff notes

Mike McCormick, UAA's assistant director of Student Activities, received the Governor's Award for Arts and Humanities (Arts: Business Leadership) for Whistling Swan Productions.

Program Notes

Alaska Quarterly Review (AQR) author Edith Perlman's collection "Binocular Vision: New & Selected Stories," containing four stories originally published in AQR, is a finalist for the 2011 National Book Award in fiction. Read a review of Pearlman's work in The New York Times.

The U.S. Department of Education has approved the Educational Opportunity Center grant application from UAA. The five-year award, $1.8M, supports counseling and information to prospective adult students.

The Center for Behavioral Health Research and Services (CBHRS) Arctic FASD Regional Training Center has been refunded through September 2014. This is one of only four regional training centers funded by the Centers for Disease Control. Congratulations to co-directors Mark Johnson and Chris Brems.

The Low-Residency MFA Program in Creative Writing, which just graduated its first class in the newly-redesigned delivery model, was recently ranked 13th out of the top 50 low-residency programs in the country by Poets & Writers magazine.

Research Notes

UAA Justice Center's 2011 Alaska Victimization Survey results for cities including Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau were released this month. The Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault contracted with UAA to provide these results.

UAA's Environment and Natural Resources Institute (ENRI) has 14 National Science Foundation-funded research projects employing more than 15 Ph.D. and master's students. ENRI also expanded formal collaborations with major federal and state ecological research agencies, regional research center, and land stewardship agencies.

Safety Notes

Statewide Environmental Health and Safety conducted an audit of UAA. Minor areas of improvement and correction were noted, but no compliance deficiencies were cited. The team also participated in UAA's Annual Nighttime Safety Walk along with staff, students and faculty to identify safety concerns.

Safety Tip

We've had our first snow which means icy walkways and roads. Wear your Spikies! If you need Spikies you can get them at the UC Wolf Card Office, the library, Parking Services and Human Resources.

Note of Thanks

Acceptance of the Atwood Foundation donation

The Atwood Foundation donated $1.4M to endow the Robert B. Atwood Chair of Journalism, bringing the total the Foundation has contributed to $2.4M. The Foundation and UAA are challenging alumni and friends to contribute the $100,000 additional funds needed to ensure the Chair is appropriately funded.

The Tina DeLapp room in the new Health Sciences Building was named in honor of a $1.5M contribution from Providence Alaska and recognizes School of Nursing professor emeritus Tina DeLapp's extraordinary contributions.

The 2011 Green and Gold Gala

The 2nd Annual Green and Gold Gala raised more than $50,000 for student scholarships. Thank you to our all-volunteer UAA Alumni Association for a spectacular evening. If you missed this, make sure to put it on your calendar for next year.

Be safe and enjoy all that UAA has to offer!

Best regards,