Mission
The School of Management (SOM) experience goes beyond excellence in the classroom. Working with local and statewide communities, we’re able to host events and support six student organizations. Students participate in these extracurricular activities and are enriched through additional exposure to pragmatic skills and teamwork, as well as leadership, creativity, and critical thinking. Our students meet new people and are challenged to apply what they have learned. We are thankful for people like you, who embrace our mission and make all our goals attainable!
“I want my children to have the role model I never had growing up; to show them how hard work, perseverance and dedication will change their future. I had an outstanding freshman year at SOM and I’m excited to be gaining experience through the Associated Students of Business.”
-Rebecca Leivdal, nontraditonal student, mother of two, and Associated Students of Business VP
Fiscal Year 2010/2011 Giving
Featured Program
Real Estate Investment Trust
A new investment vehicle has grown in popularity in the last several years: the Real Estate Investment Trust . A REIT uses the pooled capital of many investors to purchase and manage income property and/or mortgage loans. They generate returns through revenue from leases, mortgages, and selling properties that have appreciated in value. REITs are traded on major exchanges just like stocks.
We are in the beginning stages of raising capital to create a REIT fund, offering the opportunity to be part of a groundbreaking trust, one of only a few in the nation housed on a university campus. Gifts to this fund are matched 3-1 by SOM and UAF. Once the REIT is established, funds will be managed by students taking the Real Estate and
Alternative Investments course, led by Professor Craig Wisen. This new fund provides an additional experience similar to the Student Investment Fund, a class which greatly enhances the school’s commitment to experiential learning and will eventually fund needs-based scholarships.
“I’m very proud of UAF School of Management and the quality of education it provides. SOM alumni should give back and support their alma mater in each and every way we can. I strongly believe that alumni have a duty to be good ambassadors for their universities.”
– Jo Heckman, 2008 SOM Business Leader of the Year / UA Board of Regents
Student Organizations
Associated Students of Business (ASB)
A valuable resource for students interested in improving their business skills, ASB hosts Alaska business leaders at their meetings, partners with the Fairbanks Concert Association for their fundraising efforts and is teaching entrepreneurship to Interior youth through participation in Alaska Lemonade Day.
Great Alaskan Accounting People (GAAP)
A superb student organization for students to supplement their classroom experience, GAAP members prepare for the professional world by hosting guest lecturers, visiting accounting firms, and through their Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, preparing and filing income tax statements for UAF students and the community, free of charge.
Native Alaskan Business Leaders (NABL)
Supporting rural students interested in business and rural economic development, NABL aims to build self-esteem in its members and foster community involvement and teamwork. When funding allows, members of NABL attend the American Indian Business Leaders Conference and compete in the Business Plan Competition, an event they won in 2006 and 2010.
Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE)
Aligned with the national SIFE organization, UAF SIFE impacts lives through projects such as Project Ummid, where low-income women are offered micro-loans to start their own businesses, and Rural Outreach, where SIFE members travel to remote Alaska villages to teach basic economic concepts and success skills. Each year SIFE competes in a national competition that evaluates the quality of their projects. SIFE took first place at the regional competition three out of five years, and placed in nationals for the first time in 2011.
Students Offering Leadership Development (SOLD)
Open to all majors, SOLD is the newest student organization and is focused on leadership development and community outreach. Activities include a leadership reading series, working with Denali Chamber of Commerce on networking expansion and hosting a successful Beauties and Geeks fundraiser dance.
Students Who Enjoy Economic Thinking (SWEET)
An invaluable venue for students to deepen their understanding of the complexities of economics. SWEET brings students from all majors together to discuss and debate economic topics. SWEET also hosts a guest lecture series, attracting high-profile speakers from around the nation.
Emergency Management & Homeland Security
SOM proudly highlights our newest academic program: the Bachelor of Emergency Management & Homeland Security (BEM&HS). Partnered with the two-year program in Emergency Services at UAF Community and Technical College, the BEM&HS enables students to become highly-competitive candidates for job openings and promotions within emergency services, homeland security, law enforcement, military or other associated professions.
SOM offers the only BEM&HS program in the state of Alaska and we are seeing a boost in enrollments, particularly in the number of military students. Geography is no barrier since the program is offered entirely online, in the classroom or through a combination of delivery methods. In addition to BEM&HS Director Cam Carlson, courses are taught by four adjunct professors who are professionals in their respective fields.
Arctic Innovation Competition
In its third year, the Arctic Innovation Competition (AIC) is an idea contest, coordinated by a committee which includes MBA students, where entrants submit their ideas to vie for almost $20,000 in cash prizes. From practical solutions for everyday problems to visionary concepts for a better future, it is AIC’s goal to build UAF into an international center of fresh thinking and creative problem solving.
Northern Leadership Center
The Northern Leadership Center (NLC) is the hub for leadership initiatives at UAF. The NLC develops leaders by coordinating leadership activities and programs on campus, in the Fairbanks community, and throughout Alaska. The NLC strives to be Alaska’s leading institute for youth leadership training. Additionally, NLC hosts the Susan Herman Distinguished Speaker Series, hosting statewide speakers.