2020 Archive

Your engagement in UAA’s interim chancellor selection has been invaluable, thank you. More than 300 employees, students, and alumni responded to the attributes survey and we received more than 90 nominations for the role. The Search Committee has streamlined the attributes feedback into nine that describe the desired characteristics for UAA’s interim chancellor (see list below). The vast number of nominations has meant that it will take longer than initially anticipated to produce a “short list,” and when approved by President Pitney these will be the finalists for the position.

Nov. 1 kicks off an exciting month to celebrate Alaska Native/Native American Heritage Month. Native Student Services, Native Student Council, in partnership with the YouAA committee for Cultural and Heritage Month celebrations and a variety of other campus and community partners, put together a wonderful month of events.

The UAA IT Technical Support Center will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 26 and Friday, Nov. 27, in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. The UAA IT Technical Support Center will resume normal operating hours on Sunday, Nov. 29, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-6 p.m. If you have questions or concerns, please contact IT Services Technical Support Center at 786-4646.

CHD ECHO teams are growing, and we need the support of an additional, fantastic project assistant. This is a new position that supports the implementation and expansion of Project ECHO networks statewide. ECHO is an evidence-based model that connects health providers and professionals in underserved rural and urban communities to expert interdisciplinary teams, through videoconferencing, to increase their capacity to provide services within their own practice. We have an established Project ECHO program at CHD.

USUAA is proud to announce Give Thanks 2020, focused on providing Thanksgiving food options to UAA students and Anchorage community members in need. Due to COVID-19, USUAA will not host its annual Thanksgiving Feast, which provides a full Thanksgiving meal free to UAA students and the Anchorage community. This Thanksgiving, USUAA has worked to support those in need by making available a limited number of $30 Fred Meyer gift cards to current UAA students and donating $1,000 to the Food Bank of Alaska.

Please join the School of Nursing Doctoral Nursing Practice (DNP) student’s presentation and defense of their DNP projects on Nov. 19, 2020.

We are nearing the end of the Fall 2020 semester. Help make sure your students are on the right track for degree completion by attending this Change of Grade & Academic Petition Brown Bag session hosted by the Office of the Registrar. We will discuss the requirements and processes from beginning to end. Please save the date, and we look forward to seeing you there!

Do you ever wonder how arctic ground squirrels and bears of Alaska are able to comfortably survive Alaska’s long, dark winters? How do they preserve their muscle mass and bone density despite no food, water, or movement? What are these specialized physiological, genetic and gut microbial mechanisms that turn on during hibernation that make this unique adaptation possible? Could these mechanisms somehow play a role in improving our prospects for healthy aging?

Watch Games of the North on YouTube (tinyurl.com/gamesnorthYT). Learn about Alaska’s rich tradition of athletic competition as we watch four Inuit athletes travel across Alaska competing in the games of strength. Acrobatic and explosive, these sports are vital for survival in the hostile Arctic. As waves of change sweep across their lands, the Games are more important than ever. We will have a discussion following the screening with Native Games competitors; Kyle Worl, Nicole Johnston, Andrew Kashevarof, Donna Bach, and Producer Jonathan Stanton.