University of Alaska Fairbanks Cornerstone

The UA Board of Regents met in Fairbanks June 9-10. TVC's request to delete the certificate of emergency services was approved. The board revised its policy to allow for graduate level transcripted certificates and accepted budget appropriations for FY04. For more information or to view the summary of actions visit www.alaska.edu/bor/.

Phyllis Morrow, CLA, has been named dean of the College of Liberal Arts. Morrow has been with UAF since 1978. She served as interim dean since July 2002 and associate dean from 1999-2002.

Melissa Brown, TVC, has been named the 2003 President's Outstanding Distance Educator. President Hamilton presented Brown with the award at the board of regents' June meeting.

Susan Sugai, SFOS, was recently appointed by President Bush to the United States Arctic Research Commission, which recommends national arctic research policy. She will serve on the commission through February 2007.

Jamie Beyerle, a sophomore on UAF's rifle team, recently won the gold medal at the International Shooting Sports Federation World Cup in Zagreb, Croatia. Beyerle's win guarantees the U.S. a place in the women's 50-meter three -position rifle event for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.

Food service at Wood Center has been relocated to the Lola Tilly Commons for the summer. The Commons is open Monday-Friday from 7 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

Be aware of traffic revisions around campus. Keep an eye out for signs and new instructions. The intersection of West Tanana (Farm Road) and Tanana Loop is limited to one lane traffic from 7 a.m.-5:30 p.m. due to construction on Thompson Drive. Expect delays of up to 10 minutes and watch for flag personnel. The Sheenjek parking lot is closed and there is no parallel parking along the north side of the access lane due to the need for emergency vehicle access.

UAF's Master Planning Committee has ad hoc groups working with Facilities Services on the design of two important areas on campus; the Lower Campus quad (in front of Rasmuson Library) and the West Ridge plaza. Completion of construction projects in both areas will provide opportunities to make them more functional, attractive and consistent with UAF's current master plan. For more information contact Rick Caulfield at r.caulfield@uaf.edu or visit www.uaf.edu/mastplan.

The University Fire Department will be conducting hydrant tests across UAF on June 25. Be alert for fire apparatus and personnel as they test the system. Watch out for wet roads and walkways.

Geophysical Institute researchers contributed to a study on the Denali fault earthquake Nov. 3, 2002 that was published in the May 16 issue of the journal Science.

The Center for Distance Education is moving into the Denali Building at 3352 College Road. The CDE office will be closed June 16-20 for the move. It will reopen June 23 in its new location.

Cooperative Extension Service recently published "Creating Healthy Communities: The Process of Community Discovery" by Larry Dickerson, ANRD, discussing a unique methodology and holistic approach for working with rural communities.

Linda Pol, UAF Post Office, is retiring after 20 years of service. Pol is moving to Mississippi to enjoy her retirement.

Richard Carr, CLA, was recently invited to participate in the National Endowment for the Humanities Institute "Re-imagining Indigenous Cultures: the Pacific Islands" being held in Honolulu June 30-Aug.1. For more information visit
http://pidp.eastwestcenter.org/neh/.

Ice cream Thursdays are back at Wood Center, from noon-2 p.m. offering scoops of ice cream for only 50 cents.

Outdoor Adventures' summer trips schedule is available online. Check out the great adventures available to students, faculty, staff and alumni at www.uaf.edu/outdoor/.

The UA Museum's summer programs, Northern Inua and Dynamic Aurora, are offered at the Westmark Fairbanks Hotel each evening at 7 and 8 p.m. For more information call 7505.

The Midnight Sun Summer Festival is being held downtown June 21 from noon-midnight. The UAF Steel Drum Band, University Fire Department and TVC are participating with demonstrations and a booth. For more information or to participate call Guy Douglas at 452-8671.

The UA Museum's Junior Curators Camp, Native Arts Wood Carving, begins June 30. The camp is for students in grades 7-12 and costs $300. Participants will learn the basics of wood carving and create their own art work. For more information contact 6948 or fymused@uaf.edu or visit www.uaf.edu/museum/educate/.

The UAF College of Fellows is hosting Goodies in the Garden: Raising the Roof July 8 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the Georgeson Botanical Garden. Enjoy home-made desserts and have your gardening questions answered by experts. Admission is $30. R.S.V.P. by July 2 by calling 6402.

The Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival begins July 13. For more information visit www.fsaf.org.

The Golden Days Historical Photograph Reprint Sale is coming up July 17-19 from10 a.m.-7 p.m. in the Sadlers building downtown. Photographs from the library's Alaska and Polar Regions department will be available. For more information call 6344 or 7261.

Kara Nance, CSEM, has received a $196,494 grant from the NSF Federal Cyber Service: Scholarship for Service program to help develop UAF's capacity in information assurance and computer security.

Marty Getz, CSEM; John Aspnes, CSEM; and Gerald McBeath, CLA, were honored by UAF's Native American Business Leaders and Rural Student Services as the 2003 Dennis Demmert Award Winners for their efforts to make UAF the first choice for Alaska Native and rural students.

Christian Psoch, a UAF engineering doctoral student, won second place in the student poster competition at the 14th annual meeting of the North American Membrane Society held in May.

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Employee Service Recognition Program
Staff --- Faculty

from Mark Neumayr
UAF: A Learning-Centered University?

Throughout UAF's plans and promotional literature, we emphasize our focus on learning - in the classroom, the research laboratory, at remote field sites, at workshops in communities from Fairbanks to Unalaska. I was thinking about that recently when I saw an article in an American Association of Higher Education newsletter by Kay McClenny, a senior associate with the Pew Forum on Undergraduate Learning. Dr. McClenny asked, "How would someone looking closely at your campus know yours is a learning-centered institution?"

She then went on to describe six characteristics of learning-centered institutions. I think these attributes, listed below in paraphrased form, are worthy of our consideration as we begin our summer schedules. Perhaps by fall our thoughts will have developed into some new approaches to learning at UAF.

Outcomes for student learning are well-defined.
Student learning is systematically documented and assessed.
Students participate in a diverse array of learning experiences.
Daily decision-making about student learning is based upon timely, valid data.
The institution's emphasis on student learning is central to the recruitment, development and evaluation of personnel.
Institutional documents, collegial effort and behavior of leaders consistently reflect a focus on learning.

Paul Reichardt is provost of UAF

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