Chancellor Rogers issued a challenge to UAA Chancellor Fran Ulmer to compete in the first UAA/UAF Sustainability Cup Challenge. The contest is built around the Sustainability Report Card, published by the Sustainable Endowments Institute. UAF's latest grade was a C-, while UAA's was a B-. The next set of scores will be released in October 2010. Art students at each school will create a trophy made from recycled materials; the school with the highest grade will house the trophy of the losing school during the 2010 – 2011 academic year. The chancellor of the losing school will deliver the Sustainability Cup to the winning school and prepare a meal using locally grown products for its chancellor.

Mike Sfraga, director of the UA Geography Program and associate dean of the School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences, has been appointed by Chancellor Rogers as vice chancellor for students. Sfraga will begin his new duties Jan. 1.

Sign up for your Google Apps @ UA account online. UAF and Statewide have switched to Google e-mail and Google calendar. For more information about this change call the OIT Support Center Training and Development Group at 474-6573.

Barbara Gabel, Office of Equal Opportunity, recently published her first book, a mystery novel entitled Key to Paradise. The book is available at the UAF Bookstore.

UAF hosts a preschool playgroup on the Fairbanks campus Wednesdays from 2:15 – 3:15 p.m. for children ages 1 – 3 with a parent. The group is free, although an SRC membership is required. No commitment is required and drop-ins are welcome. For more information call Katie at 374-3950 or e-mail honuaxelarris@yahoo.com.

The 2009 Alaska Chapter of the American Fisheries Society Meeting was held in Fairbanks in early November. Faculty and students from the School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences played a major role in the meeting. The plenary speakers and organizers were SFOS fisheries faculty Trent Sutton, Jim Reynolds and Mark Wipfli. Symposia chairs included Milo Adkison, Ann Knowlton, Trent Sutton and Aaron Dupuis, all SFOS faculty, staff and students.

The 2010 Global Change Student Research Grant Competition for UAF and UAA graduate and undergraduate students is now underway. Information and the application are available online. Paper copies can be picked up from the Center for Global Change and Arctic System Research at 306 Akasofu Building or the Graduate School at 202 Eielson Building. Proposals are due Friday, March 5, 2010. For more information contact Susan Sugai at 474-5415 or susan.sugai@alaska.edu.

The UAF Toast of Alaska Toastmasters Club holds meetings Tuesdays from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. in 201 O'Neill. The next meeting is Dec. 1. For more information contact Mary Sue Dates at 474-7596 or fbtoast@uaf.edu.

The Office of Information Technology hosts training opportunities throughout the year, including Roxen UAF and Google Documents and Google Calendar Tuesday, Dec. 1; Banner Navigation, Google Mail and Google Talk, and Blackboard Grade Center Wednesday, Dec. 2; TOAD Reader, QMenu and Google Sites Thursday, Dec. 3; and Google Apps Q&A drop-in and Blackboard drop-in Friday, Dec. 4.

The University Employee Assistance Program provider, ComPsych, hosts webinars on select Wednesdays throughout the year, including Getting It All Done: Managing Time, Priorities and Deadlines Dec. 2 at 11 a.m., and Making the Most of Family Occasions Dec. 16 at noon. For more information call Anne Sakumoto at 786-1432.

The UAF Chili Cook-off takes place Thursday, Dec. 3, from 11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. in the Wood Center multilevel lounge. Tickets are $3 for five chili tastings or $6 for unlimited chili tasting. Free cornbread and live music will be provided. The cook-off is a fundraiser for the United Way of the Tanana Valley. For more information contact Cody Rogers at 474-6026 or cody.rogers@alaska.edu.

Music at One, free recitals by UAF music students, takes place throughout the semester on Thursdays from 1 – 2 p.m. in Davis Concert Hall. The next recital is Dec. 3. Admission is free. For more information call 474-7555.

The Financial Aid Office presents Finan˘ial $ense, a series of workshops held each Thursday at 1 p.m. in 413 Gruening. The workshops are open to all faculty, staff, alumni and students. The Identity Theft workshop takes place Dec. 3 and the Student Loan Repayment workshop takes place Dec. 10. Workshops can also be scheduled for a group or to replace a canceled class. For more information call Ashley Munro at 474-1934.

The Northern Lights String Orchestra, directed by Kathleen Butler-Hopkins, College of Liberal Arts, presents a winter concert Thursday, Dec. 3, at 8 p.m. in Davis Concert Hall. Admission is $5. For more information call 474-7555.

Georgeson Botanical Garden presents a holiday sale at Wood Center Friday, Dec. 4, from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m and in the Akasofu Building lobby Tuesday, Dec. 8, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Vendors include FFA, LARS and Knanook Knitters' Club. UAF groups, clubs and departments may sell items for fundraising. For more information contact Kathleen Buchholz at 474-5651 or krbuchholz@alaska.edu.

The Alaska History Store will have a gallery showing at December's First Friday event, Dec. 4, from 5 – 8 p.m., at River City Cafe and Espresso, 523 2nd Ave. The store can print orders in time for holiday giving. For more information call 474-6344.

Outdoor Adventures offers trips and rental equipment to students, faculty, staff and alumni. Upcoming trips include the Lee's Cabin Overnight Trip Saturday – Sunday , Dec. 5 – 6, and Beginning Ice Climbing Saturday, Dec. 12. For more information call 474-6027.

The Design Alaska Holiday Concert takes place Sunday, Dec. 6, at 4 p.m. in Davis Concert Hall. General admission is $30, with $25 for seniors or military and $10 for students and children. The annual silent auction fundraiser begins at 2 p.m. in the Great Hall. For more information call 474-5733.

The UAF string ensembles present a concert Tuesday, Dec. 8, at 8 p.m. in Davis Concert Hall. Admission is free. For more information call 474-7555.

Facilities Services is hosting a retirement party for Kathleen Schedler, associate vice chancellor for facilities and safety, in honor of her many years of dedicated service to UAF on Wednesday, Dec. 9, from noon – 2 p.m. in the Facilities Services equipment bay.

The annual holiday open house and gift sale hosted by Alaska Sea Grant, UA Press and UAF Marketing and Communications takes place Thursday, Dec. 10, from 2 – 6 p.m. on the second floor of the Wells Fargo Building at the corner of University Avenue and Geist Road. Join the festivities with refreshments, door prizes, book signings, free gift wrapping and discounts on UAF books, posters, calendars, apparel and logo merchandise from UA Press, Alaska Sea Grant, Athletics, the alumni association and KUAC.

The annual student print sale is Friday, Dec. 11, from noon – 5 p.m. in Fine Arts 405. The student ceramics sale is from noon – 6 p.m. in the ceramics studio, Fine Arts 415. For more information call 474-7530.

The University Chorus, under the direction of Jaunelle Celaire, College of Liberal Arts, presents A Caribbean Christmas Mass featuring the UAF Percussion Ensemble, directed by Morris Palter, CLA, and Vince Cee, CLA, on string bass Saturday, Dec. 12, at 8 p.m. in Davis Concert Hall. There will be a gourmet dessert silent auction and bake sale at 7:30 p.m. that continues until 15 minutes after the concert. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for seniors/military/students, and children 12 and under are free.

The UA Museum of the North's museum store holiday sale takes place through Dec. 24, with 10 percent off storewide and 20 percent off Alaska Native baskets, whalebone sculptures and masks. Items for sale include handmade Alaska Native art, books, jewelry and more. For more information call 474-1595.

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.

UAF, in partnership with the University of Hawaii, received a $6 million grant from the National Science Foundation to create the Pacific Area Climate Monitoring and Analysis Network.

KSUA, UAF's student radio station, won four Goldies at the 2009 Alaska Broadcasters Association awards ceremony. The awards, including Best Public Service Announcement and Best Promotional Announcement, mark the ninth year in a row that KSUA has been honored. KSUA has won 79 Goldies in student division categories.

The Alaska Nanook athletic event scores from last week are: Home games – women's basketball vs. Gannon, 54-105, vs. Henderson State, 61-75, and vs. West Florida, 70-86 ; hockey vs. Northern Michigan, 3-3, shootout 2-1. Away games – men's basketball vs. Brescia, 80-64, and vs. Kentucky Wesleyan College, 76-113.

Dec. 11: Staff Council elections are open for even-numbered units and the newly formed unit 15 for the Office of Information Technology. Voting is online. For more information contact Nichole Kloepfer at 474-7056 or fystaff@uaf.edu, or Katrina Paul at 474-5116 or klpaul@alaska.edu.

Dec. 11: Sponsorships for ice sculptures on the Fairbanks campus are due. Each year departments sponsor ice sculptures around campus carved by Ice Alaska artists. Sponsorship is $750 per ice block and includes carving. If your department would like to sponsor a sculpture contact Michelle Baxter, Facilities Services, at 474-6265 or michelle.baxter@alaska.edu.

Feb. 5, 2010: Emeriti nominations are due to the UAF Provost's Office. Guidelines and more information are available at the Provost's Office website.

Feb. 18, 2010: Usibelli Award nominations in the areas of teaching, public service and research are due to the UAF Provost's Office. For guidelines and more information visit the website.

April 2, 2010: Nominations for honorary degrees for Commencement 2011 are due.

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