Board of Regents' February meeting
February 21, 2011
At their February meeting in Anchorage, the UA Board of Regents approved $1 million
for both UAF and UAA to go forward with planning and designing engineering buildings.
For UAF this brings us closer to meeting our space needs in a high-growth, high-demand
program. We now believe we'll be able to make the goal set by the regents to double
the number of engineering graduates by 2012.
The board also approved a UAF bachelor of arts degree in film. This degree is an example
of how we can respond to a specific workforce need and focus an existing program to
better serve our students.
Regents approved the UA Academic Master Plan. I want to thank Provost Henrichs for
providing much of the language in more than two-dozen versions of the plan as well
as UAF faculty members Jon Dehn, UAF Faculty Senate president; and Cathy Cahill, Faculty
Senate president-elect; they worked tirelessly to get the plan to its final stage.
The collaboration on this project is to be commended as well.
Bringing the UA system in line with hundreds of other public colleges and universities,
the board approved a revision to UA’s non-discrimination policy to include sexual
orientation. President Gamble proposed the change at the request of students, faculty
and staff. A number of students over the past two years really made a difference by
telling their stories. Regent Ashton Compton, as well as ASUAF leaders including president
Nicole Carvajal and others also kept the issue in front of the board and asked the
president for his support. Regardless of the policy, we should always strive to create
a welcoming place for our students, promote a culture of respect and tolerance, and
embrace and celebrate our individual differences.
The board's next meeting will take place April 7-8 in Palmer.
More information is available about the regents' actions on the Statewide Public Affairs website.