Forrest Karr, director of athletics and campus recreation, has announced the founding of the Nanook Hall of Fame, which will honor men and women who have made outstanding contributions in both intercollegiate athletics and community involvement. The hall of fame is currently accepting nominations for its inaugural class. Inductees will be honored in a ceremony this fall. Nomination forms and more information is available online at alaskananooks.cstv.com/ot/alaf-halloffame.html.
The new UAF Testing Center on Eielson Air Force Base hosted a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony Jan. 11. The center will serve airmen by providing College Level Examination Program and Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support examinations, known as CLEP and DANTES exams, respectively. The creation of the center has been a cooperative effort of UAF's Testing Services, Tanana Valley Campus northern military programs, UA's military programs and Eielson's Education Center. For more information contact Mark Young, northern military programs coordinator, at 907-750-3537 or fnmdy@uaf.edu.
As part of International Polar Year, the Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program and UAF Northwest Campus have launched a speaker series in Nome. This series is meant to facilitate discussions of current polar issues between local residents and academic experts. Topics include the effects of climate change on fisheries and the sea ice pack, storm systems and coastal erosion, and preservation of Native languages and art. The series is being videoconferenced to reach rural communities and schools of northwest Alaska through the Bering Strait School District. For more information, contact Heidi Herter, Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 907-443-2201.
Most campus offices will be closed Jan. 21 in observance of Alaska Civil Rights Day.
Please review the university polices on conduct and safety, available on the Web at www.uaf.edu/reg/schedule/policies.html. In accordance with the federal Drug-Free Schools and Campuses Act, human resources is required to provide an annual notice regarding these policies to all employees and students.
The UA Risk Management Team recently published “UA Transportation Safety Guidelines.” The guidelines apply to UA employees who are responsible for managing and authorizing use of vehicles for UA business. The guidelines are available on the Web at www.uaf.edu/safety under “Plans & Manuals.” For more information, contact Annette Chism, UAF risk manager, at 6164.
Farmer’s Loop bus service begins Jan. 21. The new FNSB grey line will provide service from Fred Meyer East to UAF via Farmer’s Loop Road three times in the morning and three times in the late afternoon, Monday through Friday. For more information, call 459-1196.
Nominations are now being accepted for the 2008 student commencement speaker. The student must be graduating in the spring of 2008 or have graduated in the summer or fall of 2007. This student should also be someone who positively represents UAF. Please submit your letter of nomination to Patti Picha, Career Services, at fnplp@uaf.edu. For more information, visit www.uaf.edu/career/Student_Commencement_Speaker/index.htm.
Keep up the good work! UAF employees have donated $56,750.50 to the United Way since October 2007. The campaign is still underway, so don’t miss the chance to participate. Donations are used in the Fairbanks area. For more information, e-mail Chris Bennett at chris.bennett@uaf.edu or call 2850.
Theatre UAF will hold auditions for “Winter Shorts” and “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead” on Jan. 26 at 10 a.m. in the Lee H. Salisbury Theatre. Auditions are open to the public. Actors of all ages, sizes and backgrounds are encouraged to try out. For complete details, visit us online at www.uaf.edu/theatre/audition.
The Science for Alaska Lecture Series takes place Tuesdays through Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. in the Westmark Gold Room. Lectures are free and open to the public. Upcoming topics include "Polar Dinosaurs: Living the High Life in the Age of Dinosaurs" by Patrick Druckenmiller, curator of earth sciences at the UA Museum of the North, on Jan. 22, and "Unheard Soundscape: The Infrasound World of Man and Nature" by Curt Szuberla, assistant professor of physics, on Jan. 29. For more information, visit http://www.scienceforalaska.com or call 7558.
A faculty, staff and grad student welcome back reception will be held on Jan. 23 from 4-8 p.m. at the Wood Center Pub. Must be 21 or older to attend. Please contact the pub manager at 7805 for more details.
The museum will hold an opening reception for the special exhibit Ainu Ramati: Art and Craft of Northern Japan on Jan. 25 at 6 p.m. A screening of the film "Ainu Past and Present" will follow at 7 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public.
The Arctic Chamber Orchestra will be featuring Italian flautist Massimo Mercelli on Jan. 26 at 8 p.m. in the Davis Concert Hall. Mercelli will perform Mozart’s Flute Concerto No. 1, as well as works by Rossini and Beethoven.
Join the Fairbanks Chapter of the UAF Alumni Association for Nanook Intermission Jan. 26, from 5-7 p.m. at the Wood Center Pub. Admission is free and a fajita bar will be provided. The event will begin immediately following the women's basketball game against UAA. All UAF alumni are invited to attend.
Call to Action Alaska will host “Women and the Word: Putting Women Back in the Biblical Picture,” a presentation by Christine Schenk on Jan. 26 at 2 p.m. in the Wood Center Ballroom. Everyone is welcome. For more information call 455-7629 or 6632.
Outdoor Adventures is sponsoring spring semester trips, including a Stampede Trail cross-country ski Jan. 26 and a snowshoe exploration in the Delta Range Jan. 27. A winter gear swap is scheduled for Feb. 2 from 1-3 p.m. in the Wood Center Ballroom. For more information visit www.uaf.edu/outdoor/ or call 6027.
The UAF Student Job Fair will be held Jan. 30-31 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. in the Wood Center. For more details, visit www.uaf.edu/career or contact Career Services at 474-7596.
The University of Alaska International Polar Year office will host a concert by the Inuit tribal funk band Pamyua on Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. in the Hering Auditorium. Tickets can be purchased for $5 from the UAF Wood Center, Gulliver’s Books, McCafferty’s and the UAF Center for Research Services. Tickets will also be available at the door the night of the concert.
Dr. George Guthridge, professor of English and developmental education at the UAF Bristol Bay Campus, has been named a Fulbright Scholar. Recipients of Fulbright Scholar awards are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement and because they have demonstrated extraordinary leadership in their field of expertise.
The UAF chapter of the Society of Physics Students has been selected as an Outstanding SPS Chapter for the 2006-2007 school year. Selection for this award is based on various activities conducted by the chapter, such as physics research, public science outreach and physics tutoring programs.
The Pacific Walrus Conservation Fund, through the U.S. National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, made a $50,000 gift to establish the Mathew Iya Memorial Scholarship for students studying Pacific walrus at UAF. Iya founded the Eskimo Walrus Commission, which recovers walrus carcasses, usually after the animals die of natural causes, and sells the ivory tusks to native buyers for art and cultural uses. The funds raised support Pacific walrus conservation.
The Annual Giving program is at its halfway point and is again on a record-setting track, with more than $134,000 donated to date by loyal alumni and friends. Outstanding supporters include Kari Burrell, who has consistently donated; alumnus Peter Schust, who gave a gift of $20,000; and the Fairbanks Cancer Center’s pledge of $50,000 over five years. Part of the credit for this surge was due to the first electronic holiday greeting card sent out to supporters.
Nanook hockey faces off against Nebraska Omaha Jan. 18-19 and Miami Ohio Jan. 25-26. All games are at 7:05 p.m. in the Carlson Center.
Nanook women’s basketball takes on St. Martin’s University Jan. 19 at 4:15 p.m. and UAA on Jan. 26 at 3 p.m. Both games will be played in the Patty Center gym.
Nanook men’s basketball hosts Central Washington Jan. 19 at 2 p.m. and Northwest Nazarene Jan. 31 at 7 p.m. Both games will be played in the Patty Center gym.
Nanook swimming challenges California Baptist University Jan. 19 at 11 a.m. and Jan. 20 at 8 a.m. in the Patty Center pool.
For more information on these and other UAF athletic events, visit www.alaskananooks.com or call the ticket office at 5977.
Feb. 7, 2008: Emeriti nominations are due to the UAF Provost's Office. For guidelines and more information, please see the website at http://www.uaf.edu/provost/emeritus/index.html.
Feb. 15, 2008: Last day to apply for graduation. If you expect to finish work for a degree this semester, you must complete a graduation application form and pay the application fee of $20. The form is available on the Web at http://www.uaf.edu/reg/forms/graduation.pdf, at the registrar’s office or at the Tanana Valley Campus student assistance center.
Feb. 15, 2008: Applications for the UA Foundation privately funded scholarships are due. Scholarships are available to students attending any UA campus. For more information, visit http://www.alaska.edu/uafound.
Feb. 18, 2008: Usibelli Award nominations in the areas of teaching, public service and research are due to the UAF Provost's Office. For guidelines and more information, please see the website at http://www.uaf.edu/provost/usibelli/index.html.
Campus Insights
From
Ann Ringstad, Associate Vice Chancellor, University Relations
Pardon our dust: Cornerstone under construction
Welcome to the first all-electronic edition of the Cornerstone employee newsletter. As the new year progresses, we hope you will help us ensure that it continues to include information and features that are relevant to you. What information do you find most useful? What questions do you want to see answered? How can we make this newsletter more user-friendly? We want the Cornerstone to be the place to learn more about UAF and all that is transpiring around us.
The Cornerstone will be published online at http://www.uaf.edu/cornerstone/ every other Friday on payday. Those who subscribe to the Cornerstone listserv will receive an e-mail copy as well.
To sign up for the Cornerstone listserv visit https://lists.uaf.edu:8025/mailman/listinfo/cstone-l, scroll to “Subscribing to CStone-L” and follow the instructions.
Happy New Year to all of you! We are glad to see you back on campus again and are excited about all the possibilities this leap year will offer us. We look forward to working with all of you in our efforts to continue to improve the Cornerstone and its contents. We welcome your comments and suggestions at fystone@uaf.edu.
