Mark Neumayr, vice chancellor of administrative services, has resigned effective Jan. 1, 2006 to take a position as university counsel for Northern Arizona University. Neumayr served as vice chancellor since March 2002, before that he was senior associate general council for the UA system. Joe Trubacz, associate vice chancellor for finance and business operations, will serve as interim vice chancellor of administrative services.

UAF has a tradition of giving. In 2004 UAF employees gave more than $70,000 to the United Way of the Tanana Valley. This year's goal is $85,000. For more information about United Way of the Tanana Valley, visit www.unitedwaytv.com. For more information about UAF's United Way campaign, contact Chris Bennett at 2850 or fncmb2@uaf.edu.

A new e-mail phishing scam was reported on campus asking for credit card information to avoid PolarExpress ID service interruption. If you receive this e-mail, delete it.

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Read about how the UAF Cooperative Extension Service supports reindeer producers in a broad range of endeavors in the latest UAF online feature story at www.uaf.edu/news/featured/05/reindeer/.

UAF has expanded its recruiting efforts by adding an admissions outreach coordinator in Anchorage. Alice Friend is based in the CES office to offer more accessible services to potential students in the Southcentral Alaska region.

The December 2005 issue of Steve Jone's Chancellor's Report is available online at www.uaf.edu/chancellor/report/.

The UAF Annual Fund campaign has begun. The fund serves to generate funds available to the chancellor for added margins of excellence. For more information about the fund visit www.uaf.edu/giving/annualfund.html.

Anita Hartmann, CLA, received national certification as a certified research administrator from the Research Administrators Certification Council.

Judy Atkinson, Debbie Moses and Jane Weber, all CRCD, participated in the 31st annual conference of the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges in November. Moses and Weber are the Alaska state delegates to the association and Atkinson was chosen as a Project ACCESS fellow.

The UAF College of Fellows held its annual membership breakfast Dec. 6. Changes to the group's structure were discussed. For more information about the College of Fellows, contact Amanda Wall at 6631.

Summer Sessions has a deal for students attending classes during summer 2006. All students, regardless of residency, will pay in-state tuition. For more information visit www.uaf.edu/summer/.

Becky Phillips is the new scheduling coordinator for the Wood Center. Phillips handles non-academic scheduling needs. For more information contact her at 6023 or schedule@uaf.edu.

The Financial Aid Office announces the availability of scholarships for students planning to attend any UAF campus during the 2006-2007 academic year. Applications are due Feb. 15, 2006. For more information visit www.uaf.edu/finaid/.

The last day of classes is Dec. 12. Final exams take place Dec. 14-17, with Dec. 13 as a study day. The residence halls close Dec. 18 at noon. Final grades are due to the Registrar's Office by noon Dec. 20. The halls reopen Jan. 17 and classes begin for the spring 2006 semester Jan. 19.

Most campus offices will be closed for the holidays Dec. 26-Jan. 3. Most offices will also be closed Jan. 16 in observance of Alaska Civil Rights Day.

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The Georgeson Botanical Garden Holiday Sale takes place Dec. 9 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. in the Wood Center. Check out the plant related items for gift ideas.

The UAF Bookstore is holding a customer appreciation sale Dec. 9 from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. and Dec. 10 from noon-5 p.m. Everything is 25 percent off, except textbooks and technology. Textbook buyback runs through Dec. 17 Monday-Friday from 7:45 a.m.-6 p.m. and Saturday from noon-5 p.m.

The UAF Art Department presents "Art Now," a lecture by Matthew Drutt, chief curator of the Menil Collection, Dec. 12 at 7 p.m. in the university art gallery.

The UAF Wind Symphony, directed by Ann Musco, CLA, presents a concert Dec. 9 at 8 p.m. in the Davis Concert Hall. Admission is $10 adults, $5 students, seniors and military and children 12 and under are free.

Theatre UAF presents Four Farces and a Funeral, featuring four one-act plays by Anton Chekhov including The Bear, The Marriage Proposal, The Wedding and On the Harmful Effects of Tobacco. Performances will take place in the Salisbury Theatre Dec. 9-10 at 8:15 p.m. and Dec. 11 at 2 p.m. Admission is $12, $10 for UAF affiliates, seniors and military and $6 for students. Theatre UAF celebrated its 50th anniversary at UAF Dec. 2. For more information call 7751 or visit www.uaf.edu/theatre/.

The University Chorus, conducted by Jaunelle Celaire, CLA, performs Schubert's Mass in G Dec. 10 at 8 p.m. in the Davis Concert Hall. Admission is $10, $5 students, seniors and military. Proceeds will help the chorus pay for its trip to Carnegie Hall in April 2006.

The Alaska Chamber Chorale Holiday Concert, directed by Marvilla Davis, CLA, takes place Dec. 11 at 4 p.m. in the Davis Concert Hall. Admission is $10, $8 students, seniors and military and children 12 and under free.

The UAF Holiday Gathering, hosted by Chancellor Steve Jones and Judy Jones, takes place Dec. 12 from 4-6 p.m. in the Wood Center multilevel lounge. All UAF students, faculty and staff are invited to stop by for some holiday cheer and goodies.

The UAF Staff Council is holding a public meeting Dec. 16 at 8:45 a.m. in the Wood Center Carol Brown Ballroom.

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UAF has been awarded a $3.8 million grant by the National Institutes of Health to complete construction in the Biological Research and Diagnostics Facility.

Judith Kleinfeld, CLA, and Maria Reyes, SOE, were awarded a $38,000 grant from the Alaska Schools Research Fund to study the gender gap in collegiate aspiration and achievement in Alaska.

The UA Museum of the North has received $30,000 from the Friends of the Museum for an exterior building sign.

TVC received a $134,000 Denali Youth Initiative grant to pilot Project RAVE, the Rural Alaska Vocational Exploration. The project is a two-week summer academy for Interior Alaska youth to explore career and technical education opportunities at Hutchison Institute of Technology and TVC.

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The Glacier Classic, presented by UAF and UAA men's basketball, takes place Dec. 9-10 with games at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. in the Patty Center. UAF will play at 7 p.m. both nights.

The Alaska Airlines Governor's Cup pits Nanook hockey against rival UAA Dec. 30 at 7 p.m. and Dec. 31 at 5 p.m. at the Carlson Center. For more information visit www.gonanooks.com.

Cornerstone spring 2006 schedule

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A Look Back--A Glance Ahead

I offer sincere appreciation to all who have made this year just ending one to remember with pride and celebration. Noteworthy highlights include:

• Bringing the Alumni Association back into the university
• UAF School of Education NCATE accreditation
• Alaska Cooperative Extension Service 75th anniversary
• Statewide Integrated Geography Program at SNRAS
• UAF steel bridge team - sixth place nationally among 43 teams; our fifth time in nation's top six since 1993
• Ribbon cutting for museum addition; opening of the traffic circle and Thompson Drive entrance; ground breaking for Cold Climate Housing Research Center; completion of Bristol Bay Campus addition; beginning construction for Chukchi Campus addition; Lena Point funding --we're building for tomorrow
• Three Pulitzer Prize winners on campus for Snedden Lecture series
• Evolution 2005, largest scientific conference ever held in Fairbanks - congratulations CNSM and IAB
• UAF's American Indian Science and Engineering Society chapter won the Distinguished Chapter of the Year for the fourth time in 2004 and received the Continued Excellence Award in 2005
• Princeton Review named UAF among "The Best in the West"
• UAF installed Alaska's first chapter of the National Association of Collegiate Scholars
• Highest ever graduate enrollment --masters at 1,052; doctoral at 250

These and many other accomplishments marked the past 12 months--2006 will see even more. We'll achieve excellence, to a large extent, by focusing on our core mission and following our six pathways to the future outlined in the September Convocation address:

• Student Success -- attracting, retaining and graduating our students
• Quality--becoming better in all that we do
• Enrollment --focusing growth in selected programs and at upper division undergraduate and graduate levels, and appealing to the best and brightest from Alaska, the lower '48 and internationally
• Research-- expanding capacity and growing external grants and contracts
• Philanthropy--providing a margin for excellence through accelerated gifts and donations
• Economic Development-- increasing business, government and university partnerships, and meeting Alaska's workforce needs

Thank you for making 2005 a year to remember, and for committing to 2006 being the best yet!

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