The Emil Usibelli Distinguished Teaching, Research and Service Awards for 2005 go to Dana Thomas, CNSM, for teaching; John Eichelberger, CNSM, for research; and Abel Bult-Ito, CNSM, for service. The winners will be honored at a reception 3:30 p.m. May 2 in Wood Center conference rooms C and D.

The UA Board of Regents met April 13-14 in Bethel on the Kuskokwim Campus. The board approved certificate programs at UAF in Medical Assisting; Safety, Health and Environmental Awareness Technology; and Instrumentation Technology. Several property transactions were approved, including purchase of the warehouse on Aurora Avenue used for UAF's central receiving, parking services and several other departments. Board members also had lunch with Kuskokwim Campus students and the Kuskokwim Campus Advisory Council. For more information visit www.alaska.edu/bor/.

Author Richard Nelson from Sitka will deliver the keynote address at UAF's 83rd commencement ceremony May 15 in the Carlson Center. The student speaker will be Phillip Tsunemori. Honorary degrees will be awarded to retired Maj. Gen. Jake Lestenkof, Alaska Constitutional Convention delegate George Sundborg, fisheries biologist Jim Rearden and longtime Alaska journalist and author Stanton H. Patty. More information is available at www.uaf.edu/commencement/ or by calling 7581.

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For information call University Relations at 7581 or visit www.uaf.edu/commencement/ to see the complete schedule of events for Saturday, May 14 and Sunday, May 15.

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The commissioning ceremony for the UAF ROTC class of 2005 is May 14 at 3 p.m. in the Davis Concert Hall. President Hamilton is the guest speaker. The ceremony will confer the rank of second lieutenant in the U.S. Army to six graduating cadets.

Open enrollment for UAChoice extends through May 13. Information about rate increases and other changes is at www.alaska.edu/hr/benefits/.

The Edith R. Bullock Prize for Exemplary Service to the University of Alaska for 2005 was awarded to Jim Lynch, associate vice president for finance and chief procurement officer at UA.

Proper use of UAF's official name and logo is spelled out in a new policy regarding institutional identity. Guidelines are at www.uaf.edu/univrel/guide/.

The Wood Center darkroom is closing and all items are on sale. Stop by the Wood Center front desk, or call 7034 or Jeri at 1936 for more information.

Victoria Moessner, CLA, published an annotated transcription of the diaries of Hermann Ludwig von Lowenstern in German with Edwin Mellen Press.

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A retirement party for David Ogbe, CEM, takes place 3-5 p.m. April 29 in 252 Duckering. For more information call 7734.

Theatre UAF presents the Famous for 15 Minutes New Play Festival April 30 and May 1 with new plays by students, faculty, staff and alumni. For more information visit www.uaf.edu/theatre/.

The Alaska Chamber Chorale spring concert is May 1 at 4 p.m. in the Charles Davis Concert Hall. Admission is $10 for adults, and $8 for students, seniors and military with ID. Call 7555 for more information.

The UAF Brass Choirs and Ensembles spring concert takes place May 3 at 8 p.m. in the Charles Davis Concert Hall. Admission is free. Call 7555 for more information.

The UAF Percussion Ensembles spring concert takes place May 5 at 8 p.m. in the Charles Davis Concert Hall. Admission is $10 for adults, and $8 for students, seniors and military with ID. Children 12 and under are free.

The UAF Northern Region Geriatric Education Center presents "Staying in Touch: Engaging People with Dementia" May 4 in 109 Butrovich. Call 456-1380 for more information.

The Georgeson Botanical Garden's annual spring plant sale will be May 21 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. For more information call Jan Hanscom at 6921.

The 11th annual campus flower planting, sponsored by the College of Fellows, starts at 9 a.m. May 25. Bring gardening gloves and tools, and join other volunteers in planting flowers around campus. For more information call 6631 or visit www.uaf.edu/giving/.

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The 2005 student award winners are: Dane Lenaker for the Joel Wiegert Award; Kiana Bormann for the Marion Frances Boswell Memorial Award; and Raymond Joseph for the Gray S. Tilly Memorial Award.

The Student Support Services Program received a four-year grant for more than $800,000 from the U.S. Dept. of Education Office of Postsecondary Education to provide academic support services to first-generation and low-income or disabled students. For more information call 6435.

The Alaska Press Club award winners for 2005 were announced April 16. Dan Bross, Libby Casey, Sarah Neal, Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock and Robert Hannon, all of KUAC, and Nate Raymond from the Sun Star won awards. For a complete list of winners visit www.alaskapressclub.org.

KUAC's Libby Casey received national recognition at the Annual Community Broadcast Conference in Baltimore, Md. for her work covering the 2005 Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race.

Kevin McCracken, IAB, was awarded $331,558 from the National Science Foundation for his proposal "Megatransect Population Genetic Survey of the Andes and the Adaptive Hemoglobin Respiratory Proteins of South American Ducks."

Todd O'Hara, IAB, was awarded $40,182 from the World Wildlife Fund for his proposal, "Emerging Organic Contaminants in Alaska Polar Bears and Relationship with Hematologic Based Effects Endpoints."

UAF petroleum engineering graduate student Sudiptya Banerjee won first place at the American Association of Drilling Engineers and third place at the Society of Petroleum Engineers conference for papers about research funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. Prasad Kerkar took the third place prize at AADE and UAF received the first Sandy Purdy Award for Research Excellence.

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Jared Sylvestre, Nanook hockey, and Mallory Bergstrom, volleyball, were named UAF outstanding student athletes for 2004-2005.

Five swimmers have joined the new UAF team so far: Hilary Carlisle of Tigard, Ore., Karin Wagner from North Pole, Charlotte DeBruler from Cordova, Miriah Phelps of Homer, and Megan Humphrey of Fairbanks.

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April 30, 2005: Last day for early registration for Evolution 2005, a conference to be hosted June 10-14 by IAB and the UA Museum of the North. For more information visit www.evolution05.uaf.edu.

May 18, 2005: Applications are due for the ARSC Faculty Camp 2005 Aug. 1-19. Contact Tom Logan at logan@arsc.edu.

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Celebrating Student Success
Each year as we approach the end of spring semester and commencement, I am reminded how lucky I am to have a career that keeps me in daily contact with people committed to improving their lives through learning. Students and their success are central to all our efforts at UAF, and I would like to invite you to join me in taking some time over the next few weeks to celebrate and recognize students and what they've accomplished. You might drop by the Duckering Building to congratulate the students who won the regional steel bridge competition and are preparing for a run at the national championship. Spend some time May 3 in the Natural Sciences Facility talking with undergraduate students from across campus about the posters they will be presenting on their research. You could also visit the Extreme Alaska website at www.uaf.edu/journal/extreme/ to view the work of journalism students and send them congratulations on the prestigious national awards they received from the Online News Association. Look at student work in the art gallery just off the Great Hall and leave a note with your reaction to the exhibit, or simply send congratulations to one of our students in programs ranging from music to engineering who has won an individual award.

Our students are the ones who have succeeded in these and many other ways. However, none of them would have achieved success without assistance and encouragement from members of the faculty and staff. So, in addition to saying "congratulations" to all our students who have accomplished great things, I want to say "thanks" to those who have provided the environment and opportunities that gave them the chance to succeed. Maybe you helped a student prepare for a recital or provided a place in your laboratory for an undergraduate research student. Perhaps you assisted with travel arrangements for a group that went to an academic competition. In a myriad of ways you continue to provide students with opportunities, and they capitalize on them. Please accept my thanks and take some time to enjoy the student accomplishments that have come from your efforts.

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