FRATERNITY'S SERVICE RECORD NATIONALLY ACCLAIMED
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 1, 2000
Fairbanks, Alaska — University of Alaska Fairbanks Provost Paul Reichardt has appointed former UAF communication department head John Leipzig as dean of the College of Liberal Arts. With more than 1,000 enrolled students, CLA is the largest college on the UAF campus, with academic programs ranging from arts and communication, to humanities and social science.
Leipzig has been interim dean since the departure of previous CLA Dean Gorden Hedahl in 1998. Hedahl left UAF to become the Dean of Arts and Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. Leipzig's appointment follows both an internal search and an intensive, external national search by a committee of faculty, staff and students.
"This is an exciting time for UAF and I'm thrilled that the Provost has demonstrated his support for my leadership efforts by making this appointment," Leipzig said. "It's clear that the course we've set for liberal arts education at UAF is on the right track. After nearly a decade of funding challenges to the university, I look forward to working with faculty, staff, and students as we explore new opportunities to help build a stronger university."
Leipzig came to UAF in 1982 following a year as an International Visiting Fellow in Communication Studies at Australia's Kuring-gai College of Advanced Education. While at UAF, he has served in key positions through three major assessments and restructurings of the university system.
During his tenure as UAF's communication department head, Leipzig oversaw the implementation of a master's degree program in professional communication in conjunction with the journalism and broadcasting department. Leipzig's research is in the area of organizational communication, particularly communication ethics
Before coming to UAF, Leipzig was an assistant professor of speech communication at Lewis-Clark State College in Idaho, and before that, he was a graduate teaching fellow in speech communication at Kent State University.
Leipzig received his Ph.D. in speech communication from Kent State in 1980. He received his bachelor's degree in speech communication from Western Michigan University in 1969 and his master's in speech communication from the University of South Florida in 1974. He has also been a speech instructor at Culver-Stockton College in Missouri and a high school speech, drama and English teacher in Florida.
-30-
CONTACT: UAF College of Liberal Arts Dean John Leipzig, 907-474-7231.
DPD/12-1-00/01-035
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 14, 2000
Fairbanks, Alaska— The University of Alaska Fairbanks Alaska Alpha chapter of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, the first Greek social fraternity in the state, is racking up honors for its community service activities. With more than 250 chapters nationwide, the Alaska Alphas are ranked third in community service hours for the 1999-2000 academic year. The first- and second-place chapters, the University of Oklahoma and Washington University in Missouri, have roughly twice the number of members as UAF's Alaska Alpha chapter.
According to the U.S. government's assigned monetary value for volunteer service, UAF's chapter generated 4,098 hours, which exceeds $60,000 worth of service to the university and local community.
The chapter's service includes participation in the local Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Kids Voting Alaska and Adopt-A-Highway programs, and they helped with holiday decorations for the Fairbanks Memorial Hospital. Members also dedicate many hours to local volunteer fire departments.
According to Sig Ep's philanthropy chair Stacey Banks, who is also UAF's student body president, the chapter is well on its way to reaching 2,000 hours by the end of the fall semester on Dec. 21. The members hope to reach or exceed last year's total by the end of the current academic year, which concludes May 10, 2001.
The Alaska Alpha chapter was installed at UAF in 1992 and received its charter from the national organization in 1997. Its members, past and current, have excelled in other areas and have assumed leadership positions within the university and the community.
Project America, in conjunction with Sigma Phi Epsilon's national organization, produces a Community Service Report for the fraternity and other Greek organizations each year. Project America works with fraternities and sororities to create programs that encourage and empower their members to be lifelong supporters and leaders in community improvement, and to dispel the stereotypical "frat boy" image through dedication to community service.
-30-
CONTACT: Sigma Phi Epsilon Philanthropy Chairman and ASUAF President Stacey Banks (907)-474-0717 or (907)-474-5896.
TS/TAS/12/14/00/01-37