UAF’S CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER RETURNS TO KEY ROLE AT ARCTIC REGION SUPERCOMPUTING CENTER

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 15, 2002

Fairbanks , Alaska — Frank Williams, vice chancellor for administrative services at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, is returning full-time to his duties as director of the Arctic Region Supercomputing Center this week. Williams has held a dual appointment as ARSC director and administrative services vice chancellor since 1999. Williams held an interim appointment as UAF’s chief financial and budget officer following the June 1998 retirement of former administrative services vice chancellor Michael Rice. Williams first came to UAF in January 1992 to become dean of the school of engineering.

In the decade Williams has been with UAF, he has been tapped for several key administrative roles, including engineering school dean, director of the Institute of Northern Engineering, director of the Arctic Region Supercomputing Center and vice chancellor for administrative services.

UAF Chancellor Marshall Lind said Williams’ expertise and background is needed as the supercomputing center assumes a more active role in supporting computational aspects of oceanography, weather and climate modeling, ionospheric physics, visualization and the emerging field of bioinformatics. Recent advances in gene sequencing technology have created an enormous amount of data and information for scientists requiring innovative uses of supercomputers and statistical methods.

ARSC became operational in 1992 and supports advanced computational research, science, and engineering, with an emphasis on the high latitudes and the Arctic. In additional to the immense computational power ARSC has brought to UAF, the center has advanced research by supporting projects and joint appointments of faculty in other institutes and colleges within the university.

"It’s been a fantastic opportunity for me to work with such an outstanding administrative services team to oversee UAF’s budget and facilities. And now I’m very excited to have the Chancellor’s endorsement to devote more time to strengthen partnerships with federal agencies and research institutes on behalf of UAF," Williams said.

Federal funding for ARSC provides supercomputing resources for non-classified research conducted by government agencies as well as academic researchers. Most recently, Williams oversaw installation of the world’s first Cray SV1ex, setting the stage for procurement of a $31 million upgrade of the center’s scientific computational capabilities.

UAF Chancellor Lind has asked Mark Neumayr, currently the senior associate general counsel for the University of Alaska, to step in as interim vice chancellor for administrative services, overseeing UAF’s budget, business operations, purchasing, personnel, fire and public safety departments, and facilities services.

"Mark has a long association with UAF and has first-hand knowledge of our institution’s financial challenges," said Lind. "I have every confidence in his abilities and his understanding of the central mission of UAF as a teaching, research and public service institution."

Neumayr has been with the university since 1982, serving in a variety of positions in the general counsel’s office. Before that, he was an attorney with a corporation dealing with banking, finance and real estate. Neumayr received a business administration degree and a law degree from the University of South Dakota.

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CONTACT: UAF Senior Public Information Officer Debra Damron (907) 474-7581 or by e-mail to debra.damron@uaf.edu

DPD/3-14-02/02-052