SHORT TAKES
FOR MAY 9, 2002
Coming to America
Dima Batsev was a bit culture shocked when he first came to Alaska from Yakutsk, Russia in 1993. He came to attend eighth grade at North Pole Middle School as part of a sister cities program. After returning to Russia for one year, he came back to Alaska to attend West Valley High School for the fall of his sophomore year and then back to Russia to finish high school. Batsev enrolled at UAF in 1996, spending the first semester improving his English skills. He had decided to get a business degree and considered attending the university at St. Petersburg in Russia, but says back then and even now many universities in Russia do not have experience teaching business due to the relatively new economy. Batsev considered other schools, but knew UAF’s School of Management had an excellent reputation and because he had already been to Fairbanks and had many friends here, it made his choice easier.
Batsev has been with UAF’s student investment fund since the fall of 1999. He planned to study marketing, but after taking the required finance class he changed his emphasis to finance. Last summer, he was selected to participate in an internship with Lazard Asset Management located in the heart of New York City at Rockefeller Center. Lazard is one of the money managers of Alaska’s Permanent Fund managing more than $70 billion globally. He spent his 10-week internship researching global energy needs and studied natural gas pipelines, electric transmission and alternative power generation to identify industry investment opportunities. He will leave Alaska once again, in July, to accept a permanent position with Lazard as an investment analyst.
Contact: Dima Batsev at (907) 455-7071 or e-mail: dbatsev@hotmail.com.
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Voegeli Flying High with Provost Prize
Nathan Voegeli, a transfer student from Wichita, Kan. is this year's recipient of the Provost’s Prize for 2002 in recognition of outstanding accomplishments at UAF. Voegeli will graduate with bachelor’s degrees in mathematics, physics and philosophy.
Voegeli impressed his mathematics professor after finishing the entire semester’s homework assignments and the exams for his statistics class before spring break. In the philosophy department he was selected as Outstanding Student and received the Outstanding Senior Thesis award. While a student at UAF, he has also earned certification in airframe maintenance through an on-the-job training program. Voegeli has his private pilot’s license and plans to spend the next year working and traveling before going to graduate school.
Contact: Dana Thomas at (907) 474-6103 or Nathan Voegeli at (907) 388-9026.
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First Graduates Offer Shot in the Arm to State’s Nursing Shortage
Among the 903 graduates from the University of Alaska Fairbanks this year will be the first 15 students from the Tanana Valley Campus Registered Nursing Program. The highly competitive two-year associate of applied science degree program, which began in fall 2000, was taught in conjunction with the University of Alaska Anchorage School of Nursing.
With the state facing a severe shortage of registered nurses in the coming years, the program plays a crucial role in meeting an important need in Alaska's health care workforce. The program combines theory and clinical practice. Courses are taught via computer and audio-conference with the Anchorage nursing faculty, while clinical experience is gained through local clinics and the Fairbanks Memorial Hospital.
The individuals in this year's graduating class have found their academic endeavors to be invaluable, as many of them have already secured local employment. In fact, all but three of them are remaining in Fairbanks. In addition to participating in commencement on May 12, Tanana Valley Campus will have a special pinning ceremony for the students on May 11 at 6 p.m. aboard the Tanana Chief Riverboat.
Contact: Debra Piedrafita, Program Coordinator, (907) 474-6093 or e-mail: ffdp@uaf.edu.
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Tilly Award-Winner Committed to Alaska’s Children
Bonnie Edmondson, a Tlingit Indian from Ketchikan, majored in both social work and Alaska Native studies at UAF. She is the recipient of this year’s Gray Tilly Memorial Award, given to the outstanding non-traditional graduating student. After high school, Edmondson joined the military and served as a security specialist in the U.S. Air Force for nearly five years. In college she found her passion in social work and Alaska Native culture.
Edmondson has a grade-point-average of 3.96 and is this year’s outstanding student in social work. Her professors appreciate her willingness to share her own life experiences to promote an understanding of the needs of Alaska’s children and her efforts to promote cross-cultural communication and understanding in class with open and honest discussion.
Edmondson is married, has a 4-year-old son and took care of two foster children her last semester at UAF. She plans to work in the community before attending graduate school.
Contact: Bonnie Edmondson at (907) 488-9856 or e-mail: edmondson@gci.net.
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Commencement Speaker is Balanced Player
This year’s student commencement speaker, Amy Woodruff, rounds out the playing field with a wide array of interests. Woodruff was selected as an All-Conference forward on the Lady Nanook basketball team and earned Academic All-Conference honors as well. She also received the McDonald’s Most Assists with Children, or MAC, award. She is currently majoring in editorial news journalism with a minor in geography. She has a 3.48 grade-point-average and serves on both the UAF and conference Student Athlete Advisory Board. She is also a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and is an assistant coach for the West Valley High School softball team. After graduation, Woodruff plans to pursue a career in sports information or promotions.
Contact: Amy Woodruff at 455-3233 or e-mail: fsakw1@uaf.edu.
CJB/5-09-02/02-069