The UA Board of Regents approved an operating budget request of $319.6 million in state general funds, a 9 percent increase over the current state share. The budget included a capital budget request of $306 million in state general funds, including $50 million for ongoing major renewal of facilities as the highest priority and $66 million toward the first phase of BIOS. The board’s next meeting is Dec. 5 – 6 in Anchorage.
The UAF American Indian Science and Engineering Society was named chapter of the year. Lorena Hegdal, a UAF alumna, received the AISES Professional of the Year Award. Both awards were presented at the AISES 2007 national conference held Nov. 1 – 3 in Phoenix, Ariz.
David Stech, professor emeritus of music, will attend a recital Dec. 9 in Paris featuring a set of music score transcriptions he prepared of improvisations originally performed by organist Marcel Dupré
Debra Moses, TVC; Jane Weber, CRCD; and Sandra Wildfeuer, Interior-Aleutians Campus, attended the 33rd international conference of the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges in Minneapolis in November. The conference featured workshops and presentations to improve college mathematics education.
Nicole Mölders, GI and CNSM, was elected as one of nine members of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research nominating committee.
Please consider contributing to UAF’s United Way campaign. UAF’s overall goal is $70,000. Let’s get out there and do our best to meet and beat this year’s goal. For more information call Chris Bennett at 2850 or e-mail chris.bennett@uaf.edu.
Maggie Griscavage, Financial Services, was selected to serve on the National Council of University Research Administrators 50th anniversary annual program committee.
TVC’s medical assisting certificate program was recertified by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Educational Programs and the American Association of Medical Assistants. The program is now nationally certified until 2017.
The Development Office recently provided Empowered by Philanthropy training to the Provost Council and will be offering this training to other departments. The training is designed to instill donor-centric fundraising concepts into university priorities.
The UA Museum of the North store holiday sale continues through Dec. 24. All handmade Alaska Native dolls and baskets are 20 percent off, and all other store merchandise is 10 percent off.
Music at One, free recitals by UAF music students, take place each Thursday at 1 p.m. in the Davis Concert Hall. The next recital is Nov. 29. For more information call 7555.
Geoff Jacobs presents a junior saxophone recital Nov. 29 at 8 p.m. in the Davis Concert Hall. For more information call 7555.
Visit UAF’s online calendar at www.uaf.edu/events/ for information on UAF events or to publicize an event.
The IAB Life Sciences Seminar Series presents “Plague Ecology: Modeling Geographic Distributions and Transmission Dynamics” by Rebecca Elsen, Centers for Disease Control, Nov. 30 at 3:30 p.m. in 214 Elvey. For more information call 7640.
The Georgeson Botanical Garden holiday sale takes place Dec. 1 from noon – 3 p.m. in the GBG gift shop.
The UA Museum of the North is hosting an open house Dec. 1 from noon – 4 p.m. Explore the museum labs, meet with curators and Alaska Native artists and enjoy hands-on activities for kids. Admission is free. For more information call 7505.
The Fairbanks Symphony Association presents its annual fundraiser silent auction Dec. 2 at 2 p.m. followed by the Design Alaska Family Holiday Celebration concert at 4 p.m. in Davis Concert Hall. Concert admission is $30 for adults, $25 for seniors and military, $10 students and children under 12. For more information visit www.fairbankssymphony.org.
Check out the open house and holiday book sale at Alaska Sea Grant, University Marketing and Publications and UA Press Dec.6 from 2 – 6 p.m. on the second floor of the Wells Fargo Building at 794 University Avenue. Save 25 percent on ASG and UA Press publications. Enjoy holiday treats while you shop and visit. Free gift wrapping while supplies last. You can catch the campus shuttle for a free ride! For more information call 7571.
The UA Museum of the North presents “Wood Heat as an Alternative to Oil,” a lecture by John Davies and colleagues from the Cold Climate Housing Research Center, Dec. 6 at 7 p.m. Admission is free. For more information call 7505.
The UAF Percussion Ensemble hosts a concert, directed by Morris Palter, CLA, Dec. 6 at 8 p.m. in the Davis Concert Hall. The UAF World Beat Ensemble led by UAF graduate percussionist Davy Anderson will also perform. Tickets are $5, children 12 and under get in free. For more information call 7555.
The Fairbanks Concert Association presents Chicago City Limits comedy group’s Revenge of the Reindeer Dec. 6 at 8 p.m. and Dec. 7 at 7 and 10 p.m. in Salisbury Theatre. For more information call 474-8081.
A UAF holiday sale, including the Georgeson Botanical Garden and other departments and clubs, takes place Dec. 7 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. in Wood Center.
The UAF Wind Symphony, directed by Karen Gustafson, presents a concert Dec. 7 at 8 p.m. in Davis Concert Hall. Tickets are $10 adults, $5 students, seniors and military, and children 12 and under get in free. For more information call 7555.
The University Chorus is holding a concert Dec. 8 at 8 p.m. in Davis Concert Hall. Tickets are $10 adults, $5 students, seniors and military, and children 12 and under get in free. For more information call 7555.
The UAF Jazz Band, directed by Daniel Cathey, CLA, and the UAF Jazz Combo, directed by Barney McClure, CLA, present a concert Dec. 9 at 4 p.m. in Davis Concert Hall. Tickets are $10 adults, $5 students, seniors and military, and children 12 and under get in free. For more information call 7555.
The UAF Faculty Senate is holding a public meeting Dec. 10 at 1 p.m. in the Wood Center Carol Brown Ballroom. 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 Theata History Honor Society. Admission is free.
Stefanie Attwood, Elizabeth Focella, Iwalani Namauu and Cameron Poindexter are recipients of Exceptional Student Employee awards for 2007. For more information visit www.uaf.edu/career/.
KUAC-FM listeners donated more than $195,000 during the fall fundraiser, breaking records for the second year in a row. Thank you for your support.
The Alaska Virtual Library and Digital Archives project at the Rasmuson Library was named Digital Library of the Week by the American Library Association.
The Alaska Geriatric Education Center received a $1.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The center at UAF is operated through CLA.
NANA Management Services donated $500 to TVC’s Culinary Arts Program Scholarship.
Scott McCrea, UMP; and Patrick Lee, Athletics, were both named to the 2007 Top 40 under 40 list by the Alaska Journal of Commerce.
The UAF Athletics Department, the Carlson Center video production team and Fox 7 received a Goldie Award from the Alaska Broadcasters Association for the best TV Live Sports Event Division 2.
The Development Office recently launched this year’s Annual Giving program. Notable gifts to date include a $20,000 gift from alumnus Peter Schust, class of 1958, and a gift of $10,000 from the Fairbanks Cancer Center as part of a new pledge of $50,000 total to Annual Giving for the next five years.
Emma Rose Dieter, a former program director of IMS, donated an IRA rollover for $10,000 for the Dieter Marine Science Scholarship, plus an additional $5,000 to the National Ocean Sciences Bowl.
Jerry and Barbara Zelenka donated $5,000 to their son Brian Zelenka’s memorial scholarship, on the 20th anniversary of his death on Pioneer Peak.
Dec. 1, 2007: Nominations for the Edith R. Bullock Prize for Excellence are due. For more information visit www.alaska.edu/foundation/grantsandawards/.
Next Steps for the Vision Task Force
The UAF Vision Task Force has completed its review of the UAF Strategic Plan 2010 and presented its recommendations. Chancellor Jones asked the group to provide recommendations to position UAF as one of the premier research and teaching universities in the world by 2017. The VTF presented strong recommendations.
The Vision Task Force was led by Jo Heckman, CEO of Denali State Bank; Kevin Hostler, CEO of Alyeska Pipeline Service Co.; and Paul Reichardt, UAF provost emeritus. The Vision Task Force was made up of 55 leaders from the Fairbanks community and the state, as well as UAF alumni, faculty, staff and students working together to take a critical look at our university and make suggestions on how we should proceed for the next 10 years. We also asked the on- and off-campus community to participate through an extended public comments period. The input was excellent and assisted the working groups as they refined their recommendations.
So what’s next? The recommendations will be published in a report by mid-December and reviewed and categorized using the following five questions: What are we already doing? What can we start now? What will need more information? What will need more funds? What can’t we do?
We will also be developing a process to measure our success. By mid-March, a status report will be published stating what we are doing and where we are going, along with a timeline. Each of the VTF members, as well as UAF faculty, staff, students and alumni, will make sure the university stays on track, that we are working to accomplish the tasks to ensure that UAF is one of the world’s top research and teaching universities by 2017.
UAF extends sincere thanks to all of the people who made the Vision Task Force a success.
