October 7, 2011
A team of evaluators from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities visited UAF this week to review UAF’s institutional accreditation and make recommendations to improve quality and effectiveness. The committee presented recommendations at the conclusion of their visit Oct. 5. The evaluators commended UAF for the thorough and inclusive nature of the development of our institutional core themes; for our commitment to serving Native and rural populations across the state through effective educational programs and responsiveness to local community and state needs, including the collaborative community partnerships that help sustain Alaska's rural economy; and for the depth and breadth of our research, teaching and outreach focused around Alaska, the circumpolar North and its diverse peoples.
The preliminary recommendations fell into three areas: The systematic coordination of planning and evaluation processes of core themes to ensure programs and services align with core themes objectives; evaluation of resource allocation processes and institutional capacity relative to the core themes; and the systematic implementation of program and degree learning outcomes assessment and the use of those assessments to guide program improvements. UAF is among the first universities to go through the accreditation process under the commission's newly-adopted standards and continuous evaluation process. One result is that UAF will be required to submit a year-one report in fall 2012. A draft of the site visit report will be provided for corrections of error of fact, then the team will provide information to the Board of Commissioners including any additional reporting requirements. The commission is expected to take action on UAF's accreditation at their January meeting.
A $4 M equipment donation from BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc. makes UAF Community and Technical College one of only a few programs in the nation to offer a working wellhead in a classroom environment. Process technology program students will have an opportunity to train on the equipment.
More than two dozen UAF students are studying abroad in 16 countries this fall; 16 plan to continue in 2011/2012 academic year. UAF welcomed 73 international students this fall, including 43 degree-seeking students and 30 exchange/study abroad students.
Two days of lectures and panel discussions about the effects of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act on Alaska took place on campus this week addressing issues from the economic, environmental, social, cultural and educational impact of ANCSA in the 40 years since its 1971 passage.
Bernard Coakley, a marine geologist with the Geophysical Institute, and a 12-person crew aboard the research vessel Marcus G. Langseth, hope to find the fossil plate boundaries associated with the Amerasia Basin beneath the Arctic Ocean. This large depression in the ocean floor was created during the Mesozoic Era, the age of the dinosaurs, but how the tectonic plates shifted to open up and create the basin remains a puzzle. UAF undergraduates and doctoral candidates are participating.
Vice Chancellor Mark Myers, Associate Vice Chancellor Dan White, and Rajive Ganguli of the Mining and Geological Engineering department presented at the Alaska Strategic and Critical Minerals Summit in Fairbanks Sept. 30. The conference, organized by the State of Alaska, highlighted potential for exploration, development and processing of Alaska's rare earth elements.
Researcher Anna Liljedahl, of UAF's Water and Environmental Research Center, together with Sergei Marchenko, of the Geophysical Institute, will lead a permafrost hydrology modeling project to better understand the effects of climate change on specific regions of Interior Alaska--particularly three areas used for training by the U.S. Army of Alaska.
Maryanne Allan, '11 PhD indigenous studies; Bill Brody, professor emeritus; Ray Barnhardt, director of the Alaska Native Knowledge Network; and Angayuqaq Oscar Kawagley (posthumously); will receive the Governor's Awards for the Arts and Humanities. The awards event will take place in Anchorage Oct. 19.
Ray Barnhardt, professor of cross-cultural studies, was recognized with the Emma Walton Distinguished Service Award, presented by the Alaska Science Teachers Association at their biannual conference in Fairbanks last month.
Nineteen teachers from rural Alaska recently attended a salmon-themed, in-service training in Fairbanks. The training supports a classroom incubation project coordinated by the CES 4-H Natural Resource and Youth Development Program and co-sponsored by Alaska Sea Grant and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Doyon, Limited donated $15,000 to the SMART Academy hosted by UAF Summer Sessions & Lifelong Learning. The month-long summer program is designed to develop reading, math skills and physical fitness for students entering seventh, eighth or ninth grade.
The Subsistence Sharing Network Project, led by researchers at the School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences, received the Secretary’s Partners in Conservation Award from the U.S. Secretary of the Interior in Washington, D.C. last month. The project began on the North Slope in 2008.
UAF Alumni Reunion weekend took place in Fairbanks Sept. 22 - 24. Dozens of alumni attended events including the Alumni Awards luncheon where President of Kiwanis International, Sylvester Neal, received the 2011 Distinguished Alumnus Award.