Chancellor and Judy Jones invite UAF students, faculty and staff to a holiday gathering Dec. 14, 4 – 6 p.m. in Wood Center Carol Brown Ballroom. Come and enjoy refreshments and meet Rip the reindeer from AFES. A shuttle will run between Wood Center and West Ridge until 6:30 p.m.
The Cornerstone Faculty and Staff Newsletter is going fully electronic. This issue is the last that will be distributed on paper. To join the Cornerstone listserv visit https://lists.uaf.edu:8025/mailman/listinfo/cstone-l. For more information contact University Relations at 7581.
UAF was featured in the November 2007 issue of Admissions Marketing Report. The article lauded UAF marketing the concept of “America’s Arctic University” to students and featured interviews with Scott McCrea, Univeristy Marketing and Publications, and Hope Bickmeier, Admissions.
Environmental Health, Safety & Risk Management asks UAF departments to review the UAF holiday decoration policy, number 1208, at www.uaf.edu/safety/safety_policy.html. Help keep UAF safe as well as festive this holiday season.
Most campus offices will be closed for the holidays Dec. 24 – Jan. 1, and Jan. 21 in observance of Alaska Civil Rights Day. For information on office holiday hours visit www.uaf.edu/univrel/holiday.html.
The holiday season is upon us, so please don’t forget the less fortunate. Help by contributing to United Way. Funds donated are used in the Fairbanks area. For more information call Chris Bennett at 2850 or e-mail chris.bennett@uaf.edu.
Wood Center front desk offers both the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and the Anchorage Daily News newspapers for sale daily. For more information call 7034.
Jeffrey Rothman and other staff members at the GI’s electronics shop developed a new, lightweight data logger that helps researchers get data from the field to the office safely and quickly. The logger can record 10,000 samples per second, provide a precise GPS timestamp for every measurement and record the information to a USB jump drive.
Read about Erin Kelly, the first student to complete a year of classes and go on to the second stage in UAF’s fledgling Peace Corps master’s international program. Kelly is living and working in the largest national park in El Salvador. Check it out at www.uaf.edu/news/featured/07/peacecorps/.
Need a ride? Looking for someone to share transportation costs? Consider carpooling. Try UAF’s online ride matching service. It’s free to students, staff and faculty. For more information visit www.uaf.edu/fs/parkingservices.html.
The last day of class for the fall 2007 semester is Dec. 14. Final exams will be held Dec. 17 – 20 and residence halls close Dec. 21 at noon.
Need information about possible campus closures due to weather or emergency situations? Call 474-7UAF (7823) or visit www.uaf.edu/news/ for updates and information.
The annual Fall Juried Student Art Show takes place through Dec. 13 in the University Art Gallery in the Fine Arts Complex. The guest juror is Joseph Thompson. For more information visit www.uaf.edu/art/.
The UAF Faculty Senate is holding a public meeting Dec. 10 at 1 p.m. in the Wood Center Carol Brown Ballroom. The senate’s Core Review Committee is holding a public meeting Dec. 12 at 10:30 a.m. in 718 Gruening. For more information call 7964.
A screening of the film Call of the Wild will take place Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. in Schaible Auditorium. The event is sponsored by the UAF Office of Public History and the Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society. Admission is free.
The Office of Information Technology hosts training opportunities throughout the semester, including Introduction to Blackboard Dec. 11, Blackboard Gradebook and Assessments Dec. 12, Blackboard Communication Tools Dec. 13, Banner Navigation Dec. 18 and Query Builder Writer Dec. 19. For more information or to register visit www.uaf.edu/oit/training/.
The final Music at One free recitals by UAF music students for the fall 2007 semester takes place Dec. 11 and 13 in Davis Concert Hall. For more information call 7555.
The UAF Brass Choir is hosting a recital Dec. 12 in Davis Concert Hall. For more information call 7555.
The UAF Staff Council is holding a public meeting Dec. 14 at 8:45 a.m. in Wood Center Carol Brown Ballroom. For more information contact Kayt Sunwood at 6311 or kayt.sunwood@uaf.edu.
LARS Arctic Affair Open House takes place Dec. 26 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Come out to view the animals, tour the new meeting house and talk with scientists and researchers. Enjoy hot drinks and cookies. For more information call 7207.
The Bristol Bay Campus will host the Western Alaskan Interdisciplinary Science Conference and Forum, Weathering Change, Monitoring Uncertainty, April 4 – 7, 2008. For more information contact Becky Petersen at 907-842-8318 or bnrjp@uaf.edu.
Wells Fargo recently renewed its support for the UA Museum of the North and the museum’s military appreciation events with a $25,000 donation. Wells Fargo has served as the lead corporate sponsor for the museum’s Military Appreciation Day since 2003.
The Nathan and Lina Gerson Estate made an additional gift of more than $202,000 to support the Gerson Family Scholarship fund for students attending UAF who have overcome great adversity in order to obtain a college education. The estate gave a million dollar gift this past spring.
Flint Hills Resources Alaska donated $25,000 to the UA Museum of the North’s school tours docent program, enabling presentations to thousands of school children annually.
The Hugh and Jane Ferguson Foundation gave $30,000, the final payment of a $60,000 pledge, to the UA Museum of the North to help support, in part, the Rose Berry Alaska Art Gallery.
Chevron North America Exploration Production Company donated $10,000 to the Petroleum Engineering Department to support student development and scholarships. The SPE Student Chapter at UAF received $2,500 from Chevron.
Grace Schaible, a trustee emeritus and Distinguished Alumna of 1993, made several generous contributions this year totaling more than $10,000, in support of a wide range of UAF scholarships, KUAC and the museum.
The fall 2007 GI Employee Recognition Award recipients are: David Matz, Outstanding Staff Performance Award; Patrick Denny, Outstanding Community Service Award; and Gabor Varga, Outstanding Student Performance Award.
The Mechanical Contractors of Fairbanks and Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 375 Labor Management Fund donated $1,000 for a TVC construction management scholarship.
Nanook hockey takes on Ohio State University Dec. 14 – 15. The final series of the Governor’s Cup takes place Dec. 28 – 29. The team faces the University of Nebraska at Omaha Jan. 18 – 19. All games are at 7 p.m. in the Carlson Center. For more information call 5977 or visit www.alaskananooks.com.
Nanook women’s basketball faces Seattle University Jan. 3 at 7 p.m., Montana State University - Billings Jan. 5 at 7 p.m., Western Oregon University Jan. 17 at 5:15 p.m. and St. Martin’s University Jan. 19 at 4:15 p.m. All games are played in the Patty Center gym.
Nanook men’s basketball takes on Western Washington University Jan. 17 at 7:30 p.m. and Central Washington University Jan. 19 at 2 p.m. in the Patty Center gym. For more information call 5977.
Nanook swimming faces California Baptist University Jan. 19 at 11 a.m. and Jan. 20 at 8 a.m. in the Patty Center pool. For more information visit www.alaskananooks.com.
Feb. 22, 2008: Applications for the 2008 Global Change Student Research grant competition are due. For more information call 5415 or 5818 or visit www.cgc.uaf.edu.
UAF Research: International Reputation, State and Local Service
As a state university, we have an obligation to continue to invest in activities that will ensure the economic and social success of Alaska’s residents. By leveraging UAF’s internationally competitive research programs, we can do just that. Right now, UAF ranks 95th in the nation in annual research expenditures. But if we compare ourselves with institutions of similar size and mission, we quickly rise to the top of that list. This kind of investment can, and does, make a significant impact for every Alaskan.
Research at UAF has a direct benefit to the health, welfare and economic security of the people of Alaska. It also plays an integral role in ensuring that the next generation of Alaskans has the skill set and resourcefulness to successfully meet the challenges of our future. As we continue to focus investment in energy and transportation research, biomedical research, climate change, and information technology, our faculty and staff deliver results that help tackle some of Alaska’s toughest issues.
Along those lines, climate change is forcing Alaska to face some substantial challenges. Over the coming year, UAF must continue to grow and coordinate our many activities in this area. By partnering university knowledge with state and local expertise through programs like the Alaska Center for Energy and Power, the Scenarios Network for Alaska Planning and the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy, UAF is assembling the necessary components to further enhance our international reputation in climate change.
I recently had the honor of being appointed to the Governor’s Alaska Climate Change Sub-cabinet. Through the work of this diverse group of leaders, we’ve already begun to share solutions and explore ideas. I look forward to seeing more partnerships like these develop as our state becomes a leader in climate change policy and adaptability.
