The 2009 Emil Usibelli Distinguished Teaching, Research and Service award winners are John Fox, AFES, for teaching; John Walsh, IARC, for research; and Rich Seifert, CES, for service.

Wayne Marr, SOM, was selected as one of 12 financial tweeters worth following by The Wall Street Journal's SmartMoney.

The UAF Alumni Association's new board members Kathie Wasserman, representing Southeast, and Derek Miller, representing the Fairbanks North Star Borough, were installed at the association's spring meeting May 1 – 2. Board members Dan Flodin, Southcentral, and Elaine Woodruff, alumni at large, were reelected to their seats.

Student and Enrollment Services is sponsoring an early registration promotion. Students who register for fall 2009 classes with at least nine credits by May 15 will be eligible to win prizes.

Alaska Sea Grant and the Marine Advisory Program are now on YouTube. Clips from their videos and DVDs can be viewed online.

The 2009 Longevity Awards list of faculty and staff members with 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 or 40 years of uninterrupted service as of Dec. 31, 2008 is available online.

Don't miss an issue of the Cornerstone. If you recently switched to Google Apps @ UA e-mail, please use the online listserv page to subscribe your new @alaska.edu e-mail address. Please also unsubscribe your @uaf.edu e-mail address.

Open Enrollment for the UA Choice benefits package is available until Friday, May 15.

An emergency response guide is located on the back panel of your UAF telephone directory. Please familiarize yourself with these important safety procedures.

The Office of Information Technology's FY08 Annual Report is now available online.

The last day of instruction for the spring 2009 semester is Monday, May 4. Final exams take place Wednesday – Saturday, May 6 – 9. Residence halls close at noon on Monday, May 11. For more information visit the academic calendar online.

Vic Fischer, an Alaska state constitutional delegate, is the Commencement 2009 keynote speaker. Fischer will sign copies of his book Alaska's Constitutional Convention immediately following the commencement ceremony in the Arthur Buswell Pioneer Room of the Carlson Center.

Trevor Hyatt is the 2009 Joel Wiegert award winner for outstanding senior man.

Alice Orlich is the 2009 Marion Frances Boswell Memorial award winner for outstanding senior woman.

Yvette Curtis Towery is the 2009 Gray S. Tilly Memorial award winner. The award recognizes a graduating senior whose education was interrupted by family responsibilities.

Commencement 2009 honorary degree recipients are Annie Cungauyar Blue, Ted Stagg and Mike Stepovich.

Commencement rehearsal takes place Saturday, May 9, at 10:30 a.m. at the Carlson Center. Chancellor Rogers invites graduates and their guests to the Graduate Picnic directly after rehearsal from 12:30 – 2 p.m. at Wood Center.

Commencement 2009 takes place Sunday, May 10, at the Carlson Center. The processional line-up for graduates begins at 12:20 p.m. and for faculty, administration, honorary degree recipients and the stage party at 12:45 p.m. The Carlson Center opens for guests at noon. The academic procession begins at 1:20 p.m. and the graduation ceremony begins at 1:30 p.m.

The UAF Alumni Association is hosting a commencement reception immediately following the ceremony in the Carlson Center's Arthur Buswell Pioneer Room.

The UAF Bookstore's spring customer appreciation sale takes place May 4 – 11. All clothing, alumni, gift and insignia items and general books are 25 percent off. The bookstore's hours are Monday – Friday 7:45 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Summer hours, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday – Friday, begin Monday, May 11. For more information call 474-6858.

The UAF collaborative arts committee is hosting fundraiser screenings of Chronic Town Monday, May 4, at 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. at the Blue Loon. The film was written by UAF alumnus Michael Kamsky and shot in Fairbanks in 2008. Admission is $10.

The UA Museum of the North is holding a community reception for the special exhibit "RENEW: Fairbanks Cityscapes" from 5:30 – 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 5. The special exhibit continues through Sunday, May 11.

UA Press author Will Troyer will give a presentation and sign copies of his book Bear Wrangler at the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitor Center Saturday, May 9, at 3 p.m.

Spring Textbook Buyback at the UAF Bookstore takes place Wednesday, May 6 – Monday, May 11. For more information call 474-6858.

The Northern Leadership Center lecture series presents Better Together: Community Leadership and Social Capital by Lewis Feldstein Tuesday, May 12, at 7 p.m. in Schaible Auditorium.

OIT is hosting a retirement celebration for David Rohwer on Thursday, May 14, at 2 p.m. in 109 Butrovich. Rohwer has worked for the university for 30 years.

Admissions presents Discover UAF, a series of Saturday information sessions for prospective students and their parents to learn about UAF, ask questions and take a tour. The next session takes place May 16 from 9 a.m. – noon; it will be hosted by CNSM and the Admissions Office. For more information or to make a reservation call the Admissions Office at 474-7500.

The Georgeson Botanical Garden's spring plant sale takes place Saturday, May 16, from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Hanging baskets, annuals and perennials, trees and shrubs, house plants, herbs, vegetables, and tomatoes will all be available. For more information call Pat Holloway at 474-5651.

UAF HR's summer training schedule is now available online. All classes take place in the Rasmuson Library Media classroom. For more information contact Jennifer Youngberg at 474-7557 or jjyoungberg@alaska.edu.

Check out the UAF Weekly Science Calendar, sponsored by the Center for Global Change and Arctic System Research, for science-related events at UAF.

Visit UAF's online calendar for information on UAF events or to publicize an event.

Alaska Sea Grant's 2009 Alaska Coastal Calendar, 50th anniversary of Alaska statehood commemorative edition, won two national awards. The calendar won first place from the National Association of Government Communicators and second place from the Association for Communication Excellence.

UAF's Annual Giving team won the CASE Bronze Award for the Young Alum movie flash.  There were 52 applicants this year. The team worked in collaboration with Marketing and Communications staff and designer Paul Lewis.
 
The 2009 Dennis Demmert Award recipients are Kevin Illingworth, Tribal Management Program; Ashley Munro, Financial Aid; Brian O’Donoghue, CLA; Teisha Simmon, Rural Human Services; and Kay Thomas, Rural Student Services. Students nominate faculty and staff for the award in recognition of their efforts on behalf of Alaska Native academic achievement at UAF.
 
Abel Bult-Ito, IAB, received the outstanding faculty award and Elissa Bratcher, Financial Aid Office, received the outstanding staff award from ASUAF.

CEM's MicroMouse team won its third straight IEEE Northwest and Northeast Area MicroMouse contest.

May 20, 2009:  Updates for the UAF directory are due. Review proofs online. Please update your information in EDIR or notify your administrative contact with any changes. For more information contact Kim Davis at fyphone@uaf.edu.

Cornerstone banner photo by Todd Paris, UAF Marketing and Communications.