BOWDEN NAMED TO HEAD UP EEO OFFICE AT UAF

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 5, 2001

Fairbanks, Alaska - Earlina Bowden has been selected as the Assistant to the Chancellor for Campus Diversity and Compliance. Bowden comes to the University of Alaska Fairbanks from the Fairbanks North Star Borough's Office of Equal Employment Opportunity. She was the borough's liaison on diversity and access issues since 1997. Bowden also served as the Equal Employment Opportunity Specialist at Fort Richardson in Anchorage and the Retirement Transition Specialist at Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks.

Bowden will take over for Dorothy Jones, who retires this month after 25 years of service to UAF. Jones was appointed Assistant to the Chancellor for Equal Opportunity by former UAF Chancellor Joan Wadlow in 1993. Before that Jones was acting associate dean of UAF's School of Career and Continuing Education, and before that, professor of computer applications and office occupations.

"We're not going to miss a beat," said Jones. "Earlina has a wealth of experience developing and monitoring compliance on equal opportunity guidelines and regulations relating to the Americans with Disabilities Act."

Bowden has experience investigating internal and external complaints from the EEO Commission, the U.S Department of Justice and the State of Alaska Human Rights Commission.

"Earlina will be instrumental in providing the leadership to continue in our efforts to include diversity in every aspect of what we do," said UAF Chancellor Marshall Lind. "Her ability to promote meaningful awareness through effective collaboration and coordination will go a long way toward meeting our goals."

Becoming a model for gender, racial and cultural diversity and providing access to education is in the top five priorities as outlined in the final draft of the UAF's strategic plan and includes implementation of accountability measures and documentation of improvements.

"It will be great to work in an atmosphere where the administration has such a keen understanding and commitment to EEO/ADA compliance," said Bowden.

Bowden also has advanced training in conflict resolution and mediation, team building and facilitator training as well as prevention of sexual harassment.

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CONTACT: Carla Browning, UAF Public Information Officer at (907) 474-7778 or e-mail: carla.browning@uaf.edu, or Earlina Bowden, UAF Diversity and Compliance at 474-6600.

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