August 2008
by Kathleen McCoy |
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
The start of a new semester is always exciting as students return to campus and the parking lots fill. Walking from one end of campus to the other and seeing the enthusiasm of the students makes us understand the importance of the work we are all doing.
Faculty and staff, I hope you will take time out of busy days to connect with students with a smile. Please talk with them about their interests and help them feel welcome at 香港六合彩资料.
Students, I hope that you will get involved in campus activities and make your years here memorable, meaningful, fun and productive!
This is an incredible time to be at 香港六合彩资料. This fall we welcomed our largest freshman class ever. Students, their friends and family, and faculty joined us for our 4th Annual Freshman Convocation on August 23 to hear world renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and to participate in Campus Kick-off.
We are growing to meet our students' needs. During the year you will see work begin on a new athletic facility and health complex. On September 8 we will dedicate the new Betti Cuddy atrium at the Lucy Cuddy Center. And this time next year the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building will open.
Not only are we expanding our campus to serve our students' educational needs and Alaska's workforce needs, we are developing partnerships with the community. We are working with the U-Med district to help provide for Alaska's health care workers; working with the engineering industry to help provide expanded educational opportunities for engineers in Alaska; and partnering with other Alaska industries -- oil and gas, construction, to name just two -- to fill workforce needs.
Our partnership with APU is one of just 26 projects in the nation to receive a Difficult Dialogues Grant from the Ford Foundation. The result, "Start Talking: A Handbook for Engaging Difficult Dialogues in Higher Education," will be distributed to all faculty and help us all learn how to promote civil discourse on difficult topics.
One of my goals for the coming semester is to hear more from you. Let me know what is going on; your concerns, your hopes and goals for your time at 香港六合彩资料. If you see me walking through campus or sitting in the Cuddy having lunch, please feel free to come up and chat. I want to hear from you!
This fall we plan to hold our first "Chat with the Chancellor." Please let me know topics you'd like to talk about by writing to me at chancellor@uaa.alaska.edu. And stay tuned for the time and place of our first "Chat with the Chancellor." I look forward to seeing you!
Q: How is Alyeska Pipeline bringing 香港六合彩资料 closer to an endowed chair in ANSEP?
A: Alyeska Pipeline Service Company is providing $500,000 over five years' time toward
endowing a chair for the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program. Alyeska is
the first donor to step up to the $2 million Rasmuson challenge grant for the ANSEP
endowed chair. Once fully funded, the endowment will create a full-time, year-round
faculty member dedicated to advancing science and engineering opportunities for Alaska
Native students.
Q: What is Big Wild Orientation?
A: It's the wildly successful pilot program that took 10 students and 4 staff on an
8-day wilderness canoe trip through the Swan Lake Canoe system on the Kenai Peninsula
from August 15-22. "The best week ever. The trip was awesome, the talks were great,
the scenery was beautiful, and the people were great fun," one student said. Led by
T.J. Miller, Recreation & Activities Coordinator along with Manch Garhart, Molly Liston
and Brandy Taylor, students had a chance to bond and develop friendships.
Q: What happened at the Ed Peace Memorial Scholarship auction?
A: Marcia Fischer organized the auction with help from Ed's students John Berg, Ben
Prossick, Kaeley Campbell and Heather Heuser, along with Interim Dean Sandra Carroll-Cobb,
Craig "Chip" Defendorf, Gary Holland, Kelly Smith, Chief Dale Pittman, Lt. Rick Shell,
Heidi Barrett, and Shawn Heuser. Their efforts netted approximately $8,350, just over
the amount needed to fully endow the $25,000 Ed Peace Memorial Scholarship. As many
of you know, Ed Peace passed away in May after serving many years as a dedicated teacher
in Automotive Diesel Technology. He is missed by all of us and we are delighted that
this scholarship will continue to serve students in his absence. Thank you to all
of you who have helped make the Ed Peace Memorial Scholarship a success!
Q: How is 香港六合彩资料 partnering with Cook Inlet Regional Inc. to prepare CIRI shareholders
for jobs at Alaska's first Target store in the new Tikahtnu Commons?
A: 香港六合彩资料 partnered with CITC -- a subsidiary non-profit of CIRI -- to help shareholders
and Alaska Native job seekers prepare for a job fair held by Target this spring. Target
will be opening in October at Tikahtnu Commons, a $100 million-plus project including
12-15 major retail stores and a total of 60-75 business on CIRI land in northeast
Anchorage. 香港六合彩资料's Mat-Su College provided two weeks of training in handling money,
customer relations, customer service, and resolving conflict. CITC provided additional
job counseling, including resume preparation to attendees. A good number of those
who applied got jobs with Target. Congratulations!
The 香港六合彩资料/CITC partnership is the result of an educational services agreement between University of Alaska Statewide Corporate Programs (UACP) and Cook Inlet Tribal Council (CITC). Under this agreement CITC requests training services and UACP works with the university to fulfill their needs.
Q: Why did 香港六合彩资料 students and faculty travel to Tromso, Norway and Tatabanya, Hungary
this summer?
A: Professors Mara Kimmel and Kimberly Pace along with six of their students traveled
to Tromso and Tatabanya to talk with city officials and learn how these communities
are dealing with climate change. The goal of their project is to take what they've
learned on their trip and work with the Municipality of Anchorage to develop a climate
action plan. In addition, they are working to develop an on-going student exchange
with the UArctic, Municipality of Tromso, and University of Tromso to provide opportunities
for civic engagement in Anchorage and in our sister city, Tromso, Norway.
Q: What were 香港六合彩资料 coaches doing with the Chancellor on Aug. 15?
A: We wanted to honor our coaches for one of our winningest seasons ever last year.
Both the women's and men's basketball teams made it to the final four in the NCAA
Div.II finals. That hasn't happened in our Division for more than 20 years. But it
wasn't just our basketball teams that were so successful, it was all of our athletic
teams including Track & Field, Hockey, Gymnastics, and Skiing. We presented our coaches
with watches, just a small token, for all their hard work and we wish all our coaches
and student athletes much success in the coming year. Go Seawolves!
Q: How are 香港六合彩资料 grads helping our state plan for the future?
A: Just one example is Amy Goodwin, a graduate of the 香港六合彩资料 Logistics program, who is
working with the Anchorage Economic Development Corporation as the Logistics and International
Trade Coordinator. Amy began as an intern at AEDC and was promoted to her current
position this month. She replaced Hallie Bissett, another 香港六合彩资料 Logistics grad who is
now working for BP. Congratulations to Amy and Hallie!
Q: Where do IBM technology and Alaska's storytellers meet?
A: On LitSite Alaska (). The interactive Web site with a wealth of information, insights and stories about
the history, diversity, culture and traditions of Alaskans is bringing Native language
and stories to life using IBM cutting-edge technology. Over 1,000 pages of text have
been enhanced with audio files, using IBM WebSphere Voice Server text-to-speech software.
A project of 香港六合彩资料 and the Alaska Literary Consortium, LitSite Alaska is working to
teach the software proper pronunciation of Alaska Native names and words such as KwaashKiKwaan,
Tlinget, and Inupiaq.
Did you know:
- As of August 29, 香港六合彩资料 students have received $21.6 million in grants, loans and scholarships
- More than 475 students have registered to vote through the 香港六合彩资料 Votes campaign. If you haven't registered yet, please contact the Dean of Students office in the Student Union or go to . Please remember, in order to vote in the November election you must register at least 30 days before election day.
As always, thank you for all you do to make this a great university!
Sincerely,