Regents to discuss UAA athletics, budget and end-of-year housekeeping

The University of Alaska Board of Regents is set to meet at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Thursday, June 6, and Friday, June 7. The June meeting is stacked with a full agenda of items as the board wraps up business for the fiscal year before a short summer break. A special meeting of the full board has also been called for Wednesday, June 5, in the Butrovich building.

Wednesday's meeting will address the university budget and ongoing UAA athletics issues. The meeting begins at 5 p.m. and is open to the public.

On Thursday, the full board will tackle a busy agenda, starting with the presentation of the Staff Makes Students Count Award. The Staff Make Students Count Award, established in the spring of 1999, recognizes university staff that has provided outstanding service to students anywhere in the UA system, including rural campuses and extended sites.

Ongoing facilities discussions will include the sale of the Diplomacy Building on the UAA campus and use of the proceeds to help offset the purchase of the Bragaw Office Building. The board also hopes to use proceeds from the sale of the Bill Ray Center on the UAS Juneau campus toward Phase 2 of the UAS freshman residence hall construction.

In other business, the UA Facilities and Land Management office received a competitive offer to purchase timber from the university at Edna Bay, Kosciusko Island. Approval of 2013 Edna Bay Timber Development and Disposal Plan would authorize UA Land Management to respond to the current offer for timber harvesting and enter into a contract.

UAF faculty, staff and students will give a presentation on extension and outreach activities, including research, Alaska Space Grant Program, Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program and the Cooperative Extension Service.

UA President Pat Gamble and Associate Vice President Michelle Rizk will discuss the legislative appropriations and propose a FY14 operating and capital budget distribution plan for board approval. The board will also discuss approval of FY14 budgets presented from student governments and the natural resources fund.

Regents will discuss approval to modify the existing art acquisition endowment for the University of Alaska Museum of the North. The museum would like to have the option to use the earnings from the art acquisition endowment to help maintain and care for existing art collections.

Regents will close out the day with discussions on authorization to sign a rescission agreement with Alaska Pacific University that would rescind certain land restrictions established in 1998 and join Alaska Pacific University's motion to rescind. The board will also discuss approval to add an additional member to the board of directors for Seawolf Holdings LLC.

On Friday, the full board will begin the day with public testimony at 9 a.m. followed by presentations from each chancellor on Strategic Direction Initiatives (SDI). Consultant Terry McTaggert will lead a discussion for the board on SDI.

Approval for revisions to regents' policy on a name change to the UAF Council Board of Visitors and proposed edits to the senior citizen tuition waiver will also be before the board.

Other agenda and action items include: approval of FY15 operating and capital budget development guidelines; approval of a Bachelor of Arts in secondary education at UAF and a Master of Science in mechanical engineering at UAA.

The board will consider approving the deletion of an undergraduate certificate in practical nursing, an undergraduate certificate in industrial welding technology and an undergraduate certificate in nondestructive testing technology at UAA.

The board committee on facilities and land management will consider approval of an amendment to the campus master plan and formal project approval for the UAF campus-wide solar array installation; a project change request for the UAS freshman residence hall, phases 1 and 2; and a schematic design approval request for the UAF antenna installation Alaska Satellite Facility AS311.

Associate Vice President Saichi Oba will facilitate a discussion on tuition setting at the University of Alaska including a review of regents' policy and examples of guiding principles from other university systems and colleges.

The board and executive staff will depart Friday afternoon for the Fairbanks International Airport to attend a presentation and reception by ERA Alaska.

The full board is scheduled to hear public testimony at 10 a.m. on Thursday, June 6, and at 9 a.m. on Friday, June 7. Comments are limited to three minutes per individual. Written comments are accepted and will be distributed to the Board of Regents and President Pat Gamble by the Board of Regents' Officer following the meeting.

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