UAF Chancellor Steve Jones will speak about his vision for UAF at the 2005 fall Convocation Sept. 29 from 1–2 p.m. in Schaible Auditorium. An ice cream social, sponsored by UAF Auxiliary and Business Services, will take place at 12:15 p.m., right outside the auditorium. For more information contact Sharon Burke at 7587.

The UA Museum of the North is celebrating the grand opening of its new wing with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Sept. 10 at noon and an open house with free admission until 7 p.m. For more information call 7505 or visit www.uaf.edu/museum/.

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UAF has a new campus entrance. Thompson Drive opened Aug. 25 with a grand view of the newly remodeled UA Museum of the North and a pullout for visitors. The Fairbanks Street entrance has been converted to a pedestrian bridge. For more information visit www.uaf.edu/news/.

Ski trail improvements began Aug. 25. A trail will run from the ski hut to the west side of the ASF antenna allowing year-round vehicle access without interrupting ski activities. For more information visit www.uaf.edu/mastplan/northcampus/.

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UAF hosted a crisis exercise Aug. 18. University fire and police departments and UAF administrators worked with the National Guard’s 101st Civil Support Team to test response plans and practice crisis management procedures. For more information visit www.uaf.edu/news/.

A record number of more than 800 new students participated in Orientation activities Aug. 28–31. This is the third consecutive year with record attendance.

Lawrence Duffy, CNSM, recently began a two-year term as president of the American Institute of Chemists.

Michael Castellini, IMS, has been named associate dean of SFOS. Castellini joined UAF in 1989 and has served as director of IMS since 2002.

TVC has named Leonard Beane program coordinator for welding technology and Jim Baird program coordinator for automotive and diesel technology.

Debbie Toopetlook and Gabrielle Russell are new academic advisors for RSS.

ARSC hosted its fifth annual faculty camp Aug. 1–19. The three-week course provided participants with a working knowledge of basic supercomputing skills. For more information visit www.arsc.edu.

The UAF weekly science calendar has resumed for the 2005–2006 academic year. Submit information about science-related events on campus by noon the Wednesday before the event to cgc@iarc.uaf.edu. For more information call Barb Hameister at 5818 or visit www.cgc.uaf.edu.

Most campus offices will be closed Sept. 5 in observance of Labor Day.

The UAF Pub is now open with many events planned for the semester. Season tickets for wine tasting are now on sale and the side room is available to reserve for meetings, presentations or private parties. You must be 21 to enter the Pub. For more information contact Jeremy Bahr at 7805 or fnjnb@uaf.edu.

Alaska Sea Grant’s Marine Advisory Program provided technical training and expertise to the people of Metlakatla for a shellfish-growing program. The program was part of an economic development plan for Metlakatla and Southeast Alaska. For more information visit www.uaf.edu/seagrant/.

IARC is leading an international observation of the Arctic Ocean. Operations are based on the Russian icebreaker Kapitan Dranitsyn, the Norwegian Lance and Canadian icebreaker Sir Wilfrid Laurier. The IARC summer school will be held on the Kapitan Dranitsyn.

Environmental Health, Safety and Risk Management is notifying departments that the UA department deductible for auto physical damage, including owned, rented, leased or borrowed vehicles, has changed to $2,500. For more information visit http://info.alaska.edu/risksafety/.

The last day for fee payment and a full refund of tuition and fees is Sept. 7. Late registration ends Sept. 9. The last day for student- and faculty-initiated drops where the course does not appear on academic record and for a 50 percent tuition refund is Sept. 16. For more information check out the academic calendar at www.uaf.edu/catalog/.

The Center for Research Services is now home to UAF’s research administration offices. The center is comprised of the Office of Sponsored Programs, Office of Research Integrity and the Office of Intellectual Property & Licensing. Under the leadership of the chancellor’s director for research, the center administers UAF’s research activities. For more information visit www.uaf.edu/research/.

The UA Museum of the North is seeking volunteer docents to lead programs using the museum’s hands-on collections and exhibits. For more information call 6948.

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 contact 5372 or scholarships@uaf.edu.

Employee notice, protection for whistleblowers: Any employee may in good faith report to testify before a public agency concerning: a violation of federal, state or local law; a danger to public health or safety; gross mismanagement; a substantial waste of funds or clear abuse of authority; or a matter under investigation by the state. Employee protections and obligations regarding reports of these matters of public concern are fully stated in Alaska statutes 39.90.100 through 39.90.150, which are available for review at UAF University Relations, 201 Eielson Building.

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Career Services is holding a Student Job Fair Sept. 7–8 from 11 a.m.–2 p.m. in the Wood Center multilevel lounge. For more information contact 7596 or fnplp@uaf.edu.

“Magnetic Fields in Nature,” a lecture series presented by Ronald Merrill, University of Washington, begins Sept. 8 with “The Present Magnetic Field: A Historical Perspective.” The next lectures are “The Magnetic Field Record in Rocks: Is it Reliable?” Sept. 13 and “Reversals of Earth’s Magnetic Field” Sept. 15. All lectures take place in Elvey Auditorium, room 214, from 3:40-4:30 p.m. All graduate students, faculty and staff are welcome to attend. The series includes eight lectures and runs until Oct. 4. It is sponsored by Chapman Chair Norbert Untersteiner.

The Law School Consortium, hosted by Career Services, takes place Sept. 12 from 10  a.m.–3 p.m. in the Wood Center multilevel lounge. Regional law school recruiters will help students and alumni learn how to best market their skills and experience for law school admission. For more information contact 7596 or fycsc@uaf.edu.

UAF’s strategic planning committee will meet Sept. 15 from 1–2 p.m. in the Hess Rec. Center. The meeting is open to the public. For more information visit www.uaf.edu/strategic/.

The UA Museum of the North is hosting Light Motifs: American Impressionists from the Metropolitan Museum of Art Sept. 18–Nov. 12. Regular museum admission will be charged. For more information call 7505 or visit www.uaf.edu/museum/.

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The Center for Global Change and Arctic System Research, IARC and the Cooperative Institute for Arctic Research announced that 12 UAF students have been awarded grants through the 2005 Global Change Student Research Grant competition. For more information about the students and their research visit www.cgc.uaf.edu.

Michelle Pope, statewide, has been named a Certified Payroll Professional by the American Payroll Association. The CPP award is based on documented experience in the payroll profession and successful completion of a comprehensive four-hour exam.

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Patrick Lee has been named assistant director of athletics. Lee currently serves as an event management and marketing consultant for E & E Consulting and Marketing Services. He will begin his duties Sept. 6.

Jared Sylvestre and Jason Grinevitch, Nanook hockey, both signed professional hockey contracts with the Berlin Junior hockey team of the Oberliga for the 2005–2006 season. Both graduated in May; Sylvestre cum laude with a Bachelor of Science, and Grinevitch with a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences.

Promotion and Tenure for Academic Year 2004-2005
Award of promotion and tenure is effective July 1, 2005

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UAF defined

Our university is defined by where we are. UAF is America’s arctic university. Our research, teaching and outreach are intimately intertwined with this special place here in America’s high latitudes. Whether it’s arctic biology at Toolik Lake, cold water marine mammals at Seward, Native health at the Kuskokwim Campus or the Fairbanks Cold Climate Housing Research Center, our programs are inseparable from our location here in the far North.

Our university is also defined by what we do. UAF is Alaska’s research university, providing an education steeped in research. The education we offer, both undergraduate and graduate, is research-based and northern-linked. Look at our listing of research centers and institutes. Count the number of undergraduate students engaged in research projects as employees, interns and project assistants. Graduate students are conducting cutting-edge research day in and day out. Education, research and outreach at UAF focus on sustaining ourselves in a place of change. The world is shrinking as technology and transportation bridge the planet.

Climate change manifests most rapidly here in the high latitudes, affecting our economic, social and natural environment. Our 360-million-acre classroom is a place of dynamic shifts and constant perturbations: volcanoes, earthquakes, wildfires and all the other natural phenomena that affect us. No other university offers such a rich setting for high latitude inquiry and learning. This theme will help frame the new UAF Strategic Plan, which we will launch in January 2006. Remember, we’re Alaska’s research university and America’s arctic university, offering research-based education focused on sustaining ourselves in a place of change.

Our Fairbanks campus is a place of change as well. We transformed magically from mud season to glorious summer. My compliments to Facilities Services and our many volunteers for recognizing that our campus appearance speaks volumes about UAF. The campus sends a message even as it welcomes employees, students and visitors.

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