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accolades
FALL / WINTER 2008
A PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA ANCHORAGE FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS

FROM THE EDITOR
CONTENTS
Dear friends:
I'm pleased to present the Fall/Winter 2008 issue of Accolades. This
issue, which focuses on the UAA family, has been an incredibly
rewarding volume to edit. Over the past few months of story
compilation, I’ve been thrilled to see how the definition of family has
evolved from the original, "servants of a household, c.1400,” to a much
broader definition, including “a group of people who are generally not
2
Employee Families at UAA .......................2
Cohort Learning at UAA ............................8
Extended Family: UAA’s
Community Campuses .............................12
Needs-Based Scholarships ...................14
blood relations but who share common attitudes, interests, or goals.”
It’s been wonderful to explore the roles that families play in UAA’s past
and its future.
8
UAA Goes Green .....................................18
A Family of Advanced Degree ...............20
There are many talented people who helped to create Accolades. This
issue features pieces by staff writers Jessica Hamlin, Peter Porco and
Jeff Oliver. Photos were taken by Mike Dinneen, Clark Mishler and by
UAA’s own family members. David Freeman has done a wonderful job—
once again—with the magazine’s design. Advancement’s family of story
advisors included Beth Rose, Ivy Spohnholz, Julia Martinez, Megan
Olson and Timea Webster. I’m so proud to be part of this
incredible team.
24
UA Celebrates Statehood .......................21
Faculty & Staff Accolades ......................22
Student Accolades...................................23
Spotlight on Alumni ..................................24
Athletics at UAA .......................................29
A Family Connected .................................30
As a recipient of this magazine, you too are a member of UAA’s
family—whether it be as an alum, an employee, a donor, an advisor, or
a member of the greater Alaska community and beyond, we want you
29
to know that you’re part of who we are and what we can become. Our
roots are solid. What better way to view the future than from atop our
growing tree?
Best,
Kristin DeSmith
Editor
UAA Accolades
Fall/Winter 2008
Volume 7, Number 2
Published by UAA University Advancement
Editor: Kristin DeSmith
Contributors: Jessica Hamlin, Peter Porco, Jeff Oliver
Graphic Design: David Freeman
All photos by Michael Dinneen and Clark James Mishler
unless otherwise noted
For more information about stories included in UAA Accolades,
to make a gift to UAA or to order additional copies, please contact:
University Advancement
University of Alaska Anchorage
3211 Providence Drive . Anchorage, AK 99508
Phone: (907) 786-4847
Toll free: 1-877-482-2232
E-mail: development@uaa.alaska.edu
To learn more about UAA, visit www.uaa.alaska.edu.

FROM THE CHANCELLOR
Dear Friends,
The University of Alaska Anchorage is having a tremendous impact on the lives of Alaskans. We are the largest institution
of higher education in Alaska with almost 20,000 students throughout our campuses. We are also Anchorage’s
6th largest employer with about 3200 staff and faculty. Entire families come through our doors: fathers, mothers, sisters,
brothers, and children come to UAA for work, education and to improve their lives. It is no small surprise that
those who get their education here remain in our “family” not only as alumni, but also as faculty, staff, volunteers,
and when the time comes, their children choose UAA. We take great pride in our “family” and their achievements. In
these pages you will see the contributions of just a few of our UAA families – there are many, many more!
In this issue of Accolades you will also learn about some of the communities
that are flourishing within UAA and helping our students succeed.
Each year 20 Alaskan students are admitted to our WWAMI Biomedical
Program – a medical school partnership with the University of
Washington School of Medicine. Our medical students complete three of
their four years of medical school right here in Alaska. The WWAMI
program is extremely successful and has been ranked first among
primary care medical schools in the country by U.S. News & World
Report. For the 17th consecutive year WWAMI’s programs in family
medicine and in rural health also ranked No.1.
Our WWAMI community is just one example of successful learning communities.
The Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program (ANSEP)
provides a learning community of peer and professional mentors for students.
This learning community, along with high school outreach, summer
bridging programs and internships, are helping us achieve over a 70%
retention rate for our Alaska Native engineering and science students.
Of course, the true mark of a successful community is the example it sets for others. At UAA we are working to do
just that in our sustainability efforts. Faculty, staff and students have been involved in developing UAA’s sustainability
program. Some of our efforts include signing international and national agreements to work toward sustainability and
most recently we signed the U-Med Green agreement with businesses in our neighborhood to collaborate on energy
savings and sustainability. We have a new Office of Sustainability and as of the time Accolades is going to press we
are in the process of hiring a director. We have a recycling program run by students; we have measured our carbon
footprint and are working on ways to reduce it and our energy costs. Sustainability is a true community effort!
As you’ll see in the pages that follow UAA is a vibrant community that is dedicated to teaching, learning, research,
and working to improve Alaska’s future.
Thank you for being a part of our community!
Sincerely,
Fran Ulmer
Chancellor
accolades 1

The Dagon/Mitchell family
Shane Mitchell, Erin Dagon Mitchell, Jo Dagon and Wayne Mitchell

THE UAA FAMILY
Almost all of us have heard the phrase, “family’s only a
phone call away.” And for some of us that means a mother
in the same town, a sister in the next city, or even a
husband in a drift boat on the Kenai River. But for some
employees at UAA, family is just a building away!
Even at work
they’re close
to home
Employee families
at UAA
The Dagon/Mitchell family is four-deep on UAA’s campus, two of them often
working just a stone’s throw from one another in the Wendy Williamson
Auditorium (WWA). Shane and Wayne Mitchell, both ’89 graduates of UAA’s
Department of Theatre and Dance, keep the WWA’s stage alive with action. Shane,
manager of the WWA, helps to book the acts and manage the contracts, where
Wayne, event facilitator at the WWA, keeps the events from happening without a
hitch! This incredible brotherly duo was drawn back to UAA as employees after a
few years away at graduate school. Shane, who spent many years in the WWA as
a student, credits his great experiences in the auditorium as one of the reasons for
returning for a paid position at UAA. Wayne, who was working in a similar job at
Wichita State University, jumped at the chance to work in his “home” auditorium
when his current position opened up at UAA. “What
better place to work than in an auditorium that hosts
global celebrities such as presidents, Nobel and
Pulitzer Prize-winners, as well as local theatre
groups, political debates and musical events,” posed
Wayne Mitchell. “The events at the Wendy really help
to shore up the Alaska community.”
Erin Dagon Mitchell, UAA’s Idea Bank Coordinator
and Marketing Manager for Business Services, sees
one of her family members, Shane Mitchell, many
times throughout the day, even on their way to campus.
Shane and Erin are married, which makes carpooling
to work easy! And Erin is all about making
things easier for folks at UAA. As Idea Bank
Coordinator, she gathers the best of the best suggestions
and ideas for improving and streamlining the
University’s processes, procedures, and policies and
shares them with the departments that could benefit from the suggestions. Erin
really likes her job because it allows for the campus community to be involved in
making UAA an even better place to work and learn. “It’s great to hear first-hand
what the community thinks of the university,” said Dagon Mitchell. “And it’s gratifying
to be part of positive change.” Erin, an alum of the class of 1988, has seen a
great deal of change at UAA over the years. “It’s starting to feel like a true college
campus; when I started here UAA was more like a commuter-campus.”
Erin’s mom, Jo Dagon, can’t carpool to work with her, but she can meet Erin for
lunch when she’s on campus teaching photography classes. Jo, another alum of
UAA (’85), began teaching in the Art Department in 1989, and has taught photography
and drawing to students who have gone on to show their work in New York
City and internationally. “I love my students,” Dagon said. “I sincerely enjoy teaching.”
Jo, an accomplished artist herself, is one of the top 10 photographers in
Alaska; one of her photos hangs on a wall in UAA’s Fine Arts Building.
accolades 3

THE UAA FAMILY
“When people hear my name they ask, ‘Are you related to Jo
Dagon?’,” said Erin. “When I tell them yes, she’s my mom, they go on
about how she was their favorite teacher at UAA. It’s cool.”
When asked about what the “UAA family” means to them, each
member of the Dagon/Mitchell family had a slightly different answer, but
the essence of each was the same—there’s a degree of dependability
here that you don’t get in a regular workplace, that UAA seems a lot
more like a family unit. One of the Mitchell brothers is even a godfather
to one of his co-worker’s children. “The feeling of family filters from one
department into another, making the whole campus inter-connected,”
said Shane Mitchell. “UAA is more successful because it’s a cross-campus
family.”
More from the Dagon/Mitchell family interview:
Disadvantages to being related in the same workplace?
“Scheduling vacations!”
How would you encourage alums to get involved at UAA?
“Join the Alumni Association. Come to events on campus!”
for a sustainable future. Because Dave and Lil see the biological world
differently, it allows them to have individual voices within the department
and at UAA. Key to this married couple’s life together is creating boundaries
between their work lives and their personal lives, such as not talking
about work at home. Instead, they spend their free time running up
and down the mountains in the Chugach range, or cooking delicious
meals for their friends, many of whom come from the UAA family.
A good way to extend the UAA family into the community, Alessa
pointed out, would be for working alumni to help establish more partnerships
between their industry and the university. “We have valuable
human resources at UAA that could be used instead of going with
private consultants,” said Alessa. “UAA is a bubble of potential in
the state.”
When asked what he likes about being at the university Dave said,
“We are all part of a team that can make an incredible difference, and
that’s exciting.” Both Dave and Lil see the areas of undergraduate and
graduate research as having huge growth potential, and one way to
make that growth happen is through private donations. “Scholarships
and fellowships make a big difference in a student’s ability to do
research.” And Dave and Lil should know, as teachers, as faculty mentors,
and as active researchers at UAA.
More from the Pfeiffer/Alessa family interview:
What are the benefits of being related in the workplace?
“Carpooling!”
What do you enjoy most about working at UAA?
“Our colleagues. How quickly UAA is growing.”
Dave Pfeiffer and Lil Alessa
David (Dave) Pfeiffer and Lilian (Lil) Alessa may work in the same building
as associate professors in the Department of Biological Sciences,
but they are in metaphorically different wings when it comes to areas of
specialty in research and teaching. The Pfeiffer/Alessa husband-andwife
team moved to Alaska eight years ago when Dave was offered a
position at UAA. Lil started in the department a short time after Dave, and
they’ve been paving new paths in research and teaching since their
arrival on campus. Dave studies the physiology of stress in marine mammals
and Lil looks at how to effectively manage resource development
Though 300 miles of winding road separate Prince William
Sound Community College (PWSCC) staff member Dawson
Moore and his mother, Judith Moore, professor on the
Anchorage campus, the two couldn’t be closer to one
another. They share many of the same interests, including a
love of the arts.
Dawson, who now coordinates the famous Last Frontier
Theatre Conference in Valdez, literally grew up at UAA,
eventually earning his degree in theatre in 1997. After a stint
in San Francisco, Dawson moved to Valdez to take “the best
job in the world. I love it,” Dawson said about his position at
PWSCC. “This job gives me the opportunity to coordinate
the most meaningful artistic event of my life.” This annual
conference draws hundreds of actors, writers, producers
and directors from around the nation to Valdez every June,
including some of Dawson’s old classmates and colleagues
from the Anchorage campus.
Judith came to UAA in 1984 and now serves as Chair of the English
Department. “I’m really happy with the way my career at UAA turned
out,” said Judith. After nearly 25 years at the university, Judith can truly
call many of her colleagues “family.” She’s seen the faculty and staff
work together through tough times to do the best with what resources
they had. “I’ve been working with these people for a long time and know
their families, their spouses, their children,” said Judith. “There’s a real
commitment and community here.”
When asked about what they saw as some of the benefits of working
for the same organization, they both felt that it added another dimension
4 accolades

Though Janet and Chris are the only two
members of their family currently employed at
UAA, they were quick to point out that the
University of Alaska has touched the lives of all
of the members of their family. In 1963 Janet’s
father and mother, Dr. Wayne Burton and Vivian
Burton, moved their family to Palmer where both
husband and wife worked at the UA Agricultural
Experiment Station.
Judith and Dawson Moore
More from the Burton/Caples family
interview:
What are the benefits of being related
in the workplace?
“Sharing information on things
happening around campus”
Where would you encourage people to
donate at UAA?
“Nursing scholarships and programs
to enhance Disability Services.”
to what might be an ordinary workplace. “Oh, and we get to share a
phone directory,” Dawson said, laughing. Judith agreed. Since both
mother and son have been part of the UAA community for so long, I
imagine sharing a phone directory is just one of the many reasons they
choose to be part of the UAA family.
Janet Burton and Chris Caples
More from the Moore family interview:
How would you encourage alums to get involved at UAA?
Judith: “teaching, helping provide internships”
Dawson: “Have them come see me!”
Where would you encourage people to donate at UAA?
Judith: The Arlene Kuhner Reading Room in the library
Dawson: The Last Frontier Theatre Conference
It’s been said that if you need the inside scoop on what’s happening in a
department at UAA you ask the administrative assistant. Mother and
daughter team Janet Burton and Chris Caples would likely agree. Janet,
a 1994 graduate of UAA’s Master of Public Administration program, is an
administrative assistant for the Logistics Department and has been at
UAA since 1989; Chris, now an administrative assistant for the School of
Nursing, first joined UAA’s family as a staff member for UAA’s Audio
Visual Department. Both mother and daughter are avid photographers,
and they are lucky enough to work for departments that value their creativity
as well as their clerical acumen; Janet’s photos have been used
on the department’s online Logistics News (http://www.cbpp.uaa.alaska.edu/lognews.asp),
and some of Chris’s photos helped secure 1st place
for the School of Nursing in UAA’s “Express Your Pride” photo contest.
As an administrative assistant for a small department, Janet experiences
the UAA family in many ways. “I get to know the students, faculty
and staff very well,” said Janet. “Even after students graduate, they
come back for continuing education and networking, and to recruit
qualified interns and permanent employees for their companies.”

THE UAA FAMILY
As the story often goes, Dave Fitzgerald decided to take a vacation to
Alaska in 1967, got here, fell in love with the place and never left. A few
years later he enrolled in the former Anchorage Community College’s Air
Traffic Control program, earning his associate’s degree in 1974. But one
degree wasn’t enough for Dave; while teaching as an adjunct instructor
in the Aviation Department, he went back to school to get his Bachelor of
Technology in 1977 and a second associate’s degree in computer information
systems in 1984. Dave left UAA for a while to work in the field as
an air traffic controller, then later moved into a management information
systems’ position with Carr Gottstein Foods. Though no longer working at
UAA, Dave continued to take classes at the university, earning two more
degrees, a bachelor’s in management information systems and a Master
of Business Administration. With Dave’s passion for education, it seemed
he was destined to return to UAA. When a teaching position opened up,
Dave jumped at it, joining the College of Business and Public Policy
(CBPP) faculty in 2002. “All my jobs have had an element of training to
them, and I really liked that,” said Dave. “I’ve always enjoyed the college
atmosphere and I couldn’t wait to be part of it again.”
Donna and Dave Fitzgerald
Dave’s love for education must have been contagious; Dave’s wife
Donna, whom he met and married while working at Carr’s, earned her
associate’s degree in Human Services from UAA in 2001, and in 2003
earned her bachelor’s degree in the same field. In 2006 Donna joined the
UAA family as a graduate student assistant in the College of Business,
then in 2007, accepted a full-time program assistant position in the
Community and Technical College’s (CTC) Career and Technical
Education department. “I love being able to make a difference in the students’
lives,” said Donna Fitzgerald when asked about what she liked
about working at UAA. “And I really enjoy my colleagues in the College.
We’re good at working together as a group to reach a common goal.”
When Donna’s not studying for her master’s degree classes, she spends
her lunch hours with fellow employee-crafters sewing quilt squares in
vacant classrooms. “We like each other so much we choose to spend
our free time together. That says a lot.”
Though Donna’s office is in the University Center off Old Seward
Highway and Dave’s office is on the Anchorage campus, they still commute
together to work. “Saves on parking and gas costs,” Dave said.
Depending on the day, one of them takes the UAA shuttle to their office.
“Working in the same place has many perks, and carpooling is just one
of them.”
More from the Fitzgerald family interview:
How would you encourage alums of your departments to get
involved at UAA?
“Join the Alumni Association. Become a member of one of
our Advisory Boards. Come back to campus for the
events….there are so many options.”
Where would you encourage people to donate at UAA?
“Student scholarships - we donate to the PT Chang
Scholarship fund.”
How many Piccards does it take to help run a campus? Well, when you
stretch it out over 30 years and several departments, the answer would
be five. And that doesn’t include the youngsters! Lee and Idamarie
Piccard moved from Plattsburgh, New York, to Alaska in 1976; Lee had
accepted the position of Director of Student Services and he was up for
a new challenge. “One could make a big difference in those days
because there was a great deal of change taking place—there were lots
of opportunities,” said Lee. And he was right. Shortly after arriving in
Anchorage, Lee began work to expand UAA’s tiny athletic program to
include women’s basketball; at the time, UAA only participated in men's
basketball, riflery and cross country skiing. During his first few years at
UAA, Lee helped to secure funds to finish the interior facilities of the
Sports Center (now called the Wells Fargo Sports Complex). In 1979 Lee
took the position of Vice Chancellor for Student Services, in 1988 he
moved into the role of Vice Chancellor for Campus Affairs, and finally in
1990, served as the Associate Athletic Director until he retired in 1994.
Lee loved working with the students and student-athletes. He cites
one of his most important accomplishments as helping to improve the
academic performance among athletes. In his role as Associate Athletic
Director, Lee established an academic advising and tutoring program for
student-athletes; soon after, the overall department grade point average
increased from 2.5 to 3.0.
“UAA and Alaska have been good very good to us, to our family, to
our kids,” said Lee. Idamarie agreed. “We’ve been here for 32 years, and
most of our lives have been centered around the university.” It’s true.
While Lee took on a leadership role at UAA, Idamarie—an employee in
the Anchorage School District—found her own calling at the university
as a score-keeper for both the men’s and women’s basketball games;
she’s been on the scoreboards for nearly 20 years!
And when Lee said our lives, he wasn’t just referring to that of his
and Idamarie’s, but to the lives of their children as well, a family that is
three generations deep at UAA. Alan Piccard, their son, is the Assistant
Director of Recreational Sports at UAA; he just celebrated 20 years here.
Both of his children, David and Angela, are graduates of UAA’s Tanaina
Child Development Center. LuAnn Piccard, Lee’s and Idamarie’s daughter,
is a faculty member in the Engineering, Science and Project
Management (ESPM) program. LuAnn’s husband, Joe Mixsell, is an
associate professor in the School of Engineering, and their daughter,
Sarah, is also a Tanaina alum.
6 accolades

The Piccard family
from left to right: Sarah-daughter of LuAnn Piccard and Joe Mixsell, Idamarie Piccard, Lee Piccard and Alan Piccard
LuAnn and Joe both had great careers in technology in the Lower 48,
but they wanted to do something that “would give back, something that
would encourage Alaskan students to go into engineering and technology
fields,” said LuAnn. So after Joe retired, the Piccard-Mixells began to
check into opportunities at UAA. Luckily, Joe’s call came at the right
time, just as the new Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) was
taking off at UAA; he was just the third faculty member hired in the BSE
program. A year later, LuAnn began her work in the ESPM program.
“Living up to my father’s legacy is sometimes difficult,” Alan said, “but
also very good. He’s a great presence here.” Both Alan and LuAnn agree
that it’s exciting to see the Piccard family fingerprints on UAA’s past and
its future.
“We couldn’t have asked for a better place to come to,” said
Idamarie.
“And if someone asked us if we’d encourage students to go to
UAA,” added Lee, “we’d say ABSOLUTLEY!”
More from the Piccard family interview:
In addition to Lee’s “on-the-clock” contributions, he’s always been
an avid fan of Seawolf athletics; he has never—in the tournament’s
history—missed a single game of the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska
Shootout.
The Piccard family encourages alumni to get involved in a number
of different ways—serving on an advisory board, participating in
Boosters, serving as mentors to current students, helping to arrange
internships.
When Lee retired, the Piccards started an academic-based scholarship
fund for women’s basketball and cross-country athletes.
Excellence in Project Management, student scholarships and the
UAA/APU Consortium Library were among the family’s suggestions as
to which funds or programs to donate.
The response to our call for UAA families for this story was overwhelming.
It was incredible to hear from so many people. Because space was
limited, we could only highlight a few in this issue. We’d like to thank all
those who volunteered to share their stories. Below you will find just a
small number of current additional UAA employee-employee families:
Crickett Watt (Student Union), Amanda Watt (Advancement)—mother
and daughter
Marcia Fischer (University Police Department), Cory Fischer (Physical
Plant), Craig "Chip" Defendorf (Automotive Diesel Technology)—mother,
partner and son
Jerry Tibor (Electronic Student Services), Patricia Tibor (Budget &
Finance), Andrew Tibor (IT)—father, daughter and son
Lori Mumpower (English Department), Janson Jones (English
Department)—wife and husband
Dave Brubaker (Community and Technical College), Brian Brubaker
(College of Education), Marrianne Wood (KPC Process Technology
Office in University Center)—father, son and aunt
Emily Woodhead (Administrative Services), Kathy Woodhead (History
Department)—sister-in-laws
accolades 7

Learning together
means learning
for life
Cohort programs at
UAA offer students
new ways to learn
For some, studying in a group is the best way to learn. For others,
that’s not the case. But the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA)
presents many opportunities for all types of learners. UAA offers
specialized programs for students who choose to participate in group, or
cohort, learning.
To be a member of a cohort means to be a part of a family. Students
attend class together, study together and transition into the professional
world together. A cohort can be defined as “a group of people who stay
together from the beginning to end of a program and who grow through
the process while developing community and support, experiencing
essentially the same stimulus material and challenges of the work environment.”
The learning community approach of a cohort group allows
students to share experiences, ideas and perspectives with other cohort
members to enhance their education.
Research suggests that cohort students and faculty experience
stronger feelings of group belonging, confidence and motivation toward
group tasks than counterparts in non-cohort formats. Students that
develop personal, social and academic skills within a learning community
have an edge that allows them to advance further in their professional
careers.
Student success is a top priority at UAA, and offering cohort-learning
opportunities is just one way that the University is meeting the changing
needs of its students. This article describes a handful of the cohort programs
offered at the University of Alaska Anchorage.
8 accolades

THE UAA FAMILY
17th consecutive year, WWAMI’s programs in family medicine and in
rural health also ranked No. 1.
The Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program (ANSEP) helps
young Alaska Native students transition into and complete their college
experience. ANSEP works with students from the time they’re sophomores
in high school and on into graduate school.
The program is designed to increase university recruitment and retention
rates through hands-on high school outreach initiatives, rigorous summer
bridging programs, focused academic learning communities, organized
student cohorts, networks of peer and professional mentors, community-based
learning, professional internships and undergraduate
research projects. Each component of ANSEP infuses values of community,
family and collaboration in all students to set them up for successful
learning experiences and professional careers.
A group of students in the Alaska Native
Science & Engineering Program stands outside
the ANSEP Building. The building, one of the
newest on UAA’s campus, is a hub for learning
and safety and a community of belonging.
ANSEP students Kelvin Goode and Ivan Chikigak-Steadman
Through UAA’s Alaska WWAMI Biomedical Program, Alaskans can
complete three of their four years of medical school right here in Alaska.
WWAMI is an affiliate of the University of Washington School of
Medicine and is a collaborative agreement among the states of
Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho. WWAMI, an
acronym for the participating states, has teaching sites for medical students
in more than 100 towns and cities across the five-state region.
Twenty students are admitted into UAA’s program each year.
The program has again been ranked first among primary care medical
schools in the country, according to annual rankings of graduate and
professional schools provided by U.S. News & World Report. For the
Chris Arend
Senior civil engineering student Ivan Chikigak-Steadman has been
involved with ANSEP since he started going to school at UAA. “It’s nice
to have a support group to study with,” he said. “ANSEP really pushes
for students to get involved in summer internships. They introduce us to
industry leaders, and help us find and apply for good jobs. I’ve learned a
lot during the time I’ve spent here – it’s definitely helped me prepare for
my future as an engineer.” Ivan adds, “I’ve seen students who start the
program to take advantage of ANSEP’s benefits and end up contributing
their time volunteering, tutoring other students and helping out the program
anytime it’s needed.”
Kelvin Goode is a senior mechanical engineering student who spent
much of his childhood in Egegik, a rural fishing village on the shores of
Bristol Bay. After high school, Kelvin considered going Outside for college
until he received a postcard in the mail about ANSEP. “No other
university has a program quite like this,” said Goode. “I like ANSEP’s
family orientation. Everyone views each other as really good friends.
We’re all here to help each other.” Through the program, Kelvin was
connected to an internship where he tested corrosion on the Trans
Alaska Pipeline. He plans to work for a local mechanical engineering
firm after graduating next year.
“To me, ANSEP means community,” said Jenny Jemison, Class of
2008. “I was constantly surrounded by other people with similar ambitions,
students that were driven to work hard and be successful. When I
accolades 9

THE UAA FAMILY
felt like giving up, there was always someone around to remind me what
I was working for.”
The program aims to affect a systematic change in the hiring patterns
of Indigenous Americans in the fields of science, technology, engineering
and mathematics (STEM) by increasing the number of individuals
on a career path to leadership in STEM fields.
The Master of Science in Project Management (MSPM) Program at
UAA is one of only 15 globally accredited MSPM degree programs in the
world. Building on 40 years of Engineering and Science Management
graduate degree program experience, UAA’s MSPM program has grown
rapidly since its creation in 2004 and is recognized among Alaska’s
industry and agency leaders as a vital element for developing experienced,
qualified project managers across the state.
A unique aspect of this program is its Alaska Airlines cohorts. The
Seattle-based company chose the program to enhance a select group of
their employees’ project management skills. Alaska Airlines recognizes
that well-managed projects make it a more competitive company in
today’s marketplace. The MSPM program is currently training its second
Alaska Airlines cohort, which is scheduled to graduate in January 2009.
The first cohort of 10 students graduated in May 2007.
Alaska Airlines’ John Petroske shares, “This is a very unique opportunity
that has allowed me to advance my personal and professional
development goals and is an investment for my company. As Dr. Ra
quips during class, ‘we are a project management family,’ a family of professionals,
students and friends.”
Students complete a customized, fast-tracked program designed to
meet the immediate needs of Alaska Airlines. The accelerated curriculum,
developed by MSPM department chair Dr. Jang Ra, allows students
to complete coursework in 18 months rather than the traditional two-year
time period. To facilitate the process, UAA professors travel to Seattle
every-other-weekend to teach at the Alaska Airlines campus.
“Our cohort is a blend of individuals from a variety of departments,”
said Horizon Air’s Employee Resources Manager Marilyn Rice. “It has
exposed me to projects outside my area of expertise and has greatly
expanded my knowledge.”
“Having a great group of cohorts to bounce ideas off of is a terrific
benefit of the program,” said Keith Dussell, who works in Airport
Services for Alaska Airlines. “The learning is more rich when you are
surrounded by different perspectives and ideas on how to make a project
successful.”
UAA’s Psychology Department and its northern neighbor, the
University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), have come together to offer a
Joint-Ph.D. in Clinical and Community Psychology with a rural indigenous
focus. The program prepares students for doctoral-level positions in
rural mental health by integrating clinical and community psychology
with an emphasis on rural, indigenous and cultural psychology.
“This program is designed to train providers that are fully aware of
the cultural and geographical barriers in working with people,” said Tina
Woods, 2nd year Ph.D. student and program coordinator for UAA’s
Alaska Natives into Psychology (ANPsych) Program. “Being part of a
Twenty students are admitted into the Alaska WWAMI Biomedical Program each year.
10 accolades

cohort has been the best learning style I’ve ever experienced. We have a
group of individuals that we can rely on for support throughout our journey
of learning. It’s nice to know that we are developing relationships with
people that will become our lifelong resources, colleagues and friends.”
Tina, an Alaska Native from St. Paul Island, signed up for the Ph.D. in
Psychology program because of its rural indigenous emphasis and to be
an example for young Alaska Native students. “It’s important for young
people to see that, ‘if they can do this, so can I.’”
First year student, Rebecca Volino Robinson, adds, “The
experience of learning as part of a cohort is very different
from traditional courses of study. We all come to the table
with different strengths, weaknesses, interests and end
goals.”
The joint-Ph.D. program admits eight students per year,
four from UAA and four from UAF. All of the program’s courses
are co-taught across each campus via video conference.
UAA’s newest cohort group is the Occupational Therapy
Program. Started in August 2008, a group of eight students
will participate in Alaska’s first and only Occupational Therapy
program. UAA partnered with Creighton University, a Jesuit
Catholic school in Nebraska, to launch a distance-learning
pilot program aimed at addressing Alaska’s critical shortage of
occupational therapists. Classes, lectures and coursework
are available online for students to complete at their preferred
times and locations.
“This partnership responds to the lack of educational
opportunity for occupational therapists in Alaska and the
shortage of OTs available to practice in this state,” said Cheryl
Easley, dean of UAA’s College of Health and Social Welfare.
“The program increases the likelihood that the graduates will
remain in Alaska to work.”
(Above) The 1st Alaska Airlines Master of Science in Project Management cohort
group gathered in Anchorage in May 2007 to celebrate their successes at graduation.
(Below) UAA has partnered with Creighton University to offer a distancedelivered
Occupational Therapy pilot program. Officials from Creighton University
paid a visit to UAA in August 2008 for a four-day orientation to meet with students
and UAA administrators.
accolades 11

THE UAA FAMILY
Extended Family:
UAA’s Community Campuses
In a place like Alaska, each of UAA’s four community campuses – in Valdez, Kodiak,
the Mat-Su Valley and the Kenai Peninsula – is, by definition, a far-flung outpost. All
the more important, therefore, is the feeling of cohesiveness, of belonging to a family
of students and faculty drawn from towns and villages that are even more spread out.
At Kenai Peninsula College (KPC), for example, “We definitely
view the college as a family,” says Gary Turner, KPC’s director.
“When you’re small like this, you have to view yourselves as a
family.”
KPC has broad reach, with three subsidiary sites: a campus in Homer
and extension sites in Seward and Anchorage. Some 2,000 KPC students
are taught each semester by 36 full-time and about 140 adjunct faculty. A
staff of about 80, including student employees, helps keeps the college
running well.
Several gatherings during the year, for business and for fun, add to a
sense of family. On the formal side is the annual convocation that alternates
each year between the two campuses. This year, it was held on the
Kenai River Campus in Soldotna, and faculty and staff came in from the
other sites. Joining them were student employees of the college. “It’s really
good to have the students there, to get their perspective,” Turner says.
“Next year, we’ll all go to Homer. We rent one of those big tour buses,
we all jump on it and go. It’s a big potluck.”
In January, the college has a mini-convocation that comes together as
an interactive video meeting among all four sites. “The faculty too consider
themselves a family down here,” Turner said, and so they hold a Faculty
Forum once a month, also as an interactive video meeting.
Then there’s end-of-year events like the barbecue-meeting on the
Kenai River Campus that begins with a two-hour meeting to celebrate the
year’s successes, is followed by a community clean-up of the roads leading
into the campus, and ends with a good old-fashioned picnic. The
Kachemak Bay Campus has a similar end-of-year get-together on the
Homer Spit.
The inherent nature of KPC and the other UAA community campuses is
so obvious as to be tacitly understood. Says Turner: “We don’t have to talk
about ‘family’—it’s inherent to what we are all about—because if you go to
any community campus, you’re going to see a family.”
That would very much include UAA’s Matanuska-Susitna College on
the Palmer-Wasilla border, where the sense of a bonded community is
strong as well.
The yearly convocation, for example, is “fun and intimate,” according to
Mat-Su College director Dennis W. Clark. At Student Appreciation Day,
which is a student-government-produced barbecue, faculty and staff
mingle easily with the students, says Clark. “There seems to be a fairly
tight bond because here they don’t differentiate between students and faculty.
Everyone is welcome.”
The Mat-Su College community includes 1,600 full- and part-time
students, 25 full-time faculty, 80 adjuncts and some 45 staff members. The
relatively compact size only adds to the family sense, according to Clark.
“From time to time, I hear them say, ‘We’re a family, we’re small, we’re
rather intimate.’ I think it’s the fact that everyone knows each other and
they try to work together,” he said.
12 accolades

Kodiak College, in Kodiak, is smaller than Mat-Su College, and here too a
family-type bond is almost inevitable. Full-time, tenure-track faculty number
just nine, but as Kodiak College director Barbara Bolson says, they all fit
comfortably around the conference table.
“They’re very collegial,” Bolson says of her faculty, who also include
two term-faculty members and about 30 adjuncts per semester. “They
socialize and see each other on a regular basis.”
“The campus is very walkable,” she adds.
Complemented by a staff of 40 (17 of whom are full-time), Kodiak
College caters to a student body that, at the conclusion of the Spring ‘07
semester, numbered 670, 90 percent of whom were part-time.
“We’re so small that our faculty and our students are on a first-name
basis,” says Bolson. “Students know not just the faculty they take classes
from but other faculty too.” One practical advantage of such closeness is
that faculty members, besides advising students in their own areas, might
also advise them in other areas as well – in general education requirements,
for example.
“Our size really helps us to keep that family atmosphere and closeness
of communication,” Bolson says. “The downside is that closeness requires
really good communication, so people who work in small environments
become really good communicators. There really is nowhere to hide. You
must work out the difficulties as they come up.”
Students can only profit from a school with a strong sense of bondedness,
according to Douglas A. Desorcie, president of Prince William Sound
Community College in Valdez where about 1,100 students (more than 90
percent part-time) are taught by some eight full-time and 40 part-time
faculty.
“We talk about a sense of family, and here really on this campus, I tell
the staff, ‘Why are we here, what’s our biggest asset, and our top priority?’
Students, students and students,” Desorcie says in answer.
And so, he says, if a faculty or staff member should “see a student
who’s a little down, they’ll say, ‘Hey, how are you doing? Can I help?’ That’s
that sense of care, like a family member would do.”
Class size in some semesters is in the neighborhood of 10 to 12 students,
so faculty and deans can quickly key in on any student who’s underperforming,
says Desorcie. They’ll “try to reach out to that person week by
week to make sure that person’s successful.”
Also stoking the embers of family are the open potlucks that occur on
campus at the rate of nearly one per month.
“These are not just for the staff,” says Desorcie, “but the students
are encouraged and welcome to participate. A potluck is about family,
about giving.”
To give directly to any of the UAA community campuses, visit the university’s Web site
– www.uaa.alaska.edu/ – and click on the “Giving to UAA” Quick Link, then on “Make
a Gift Now!” Select the college of your choice from the pull-down menu.
Or call Harry Need, Assistant Director of Annual Giving, at (907) 786-1010.
accolades 13

Students benefit
from financial aid

THE UAA FAMILY
Andrew Romero can hardly remember when he wasn’t working
hard. Full-time student holding down both full- and part-time
jobs, struggling to earn enough to keep his educational hopes
alive – that’s how Andrew managed it several years ago in Hawaii, and
that’s how he tried to do it on returning to his hometown of Anchorage to
attend UAA in 2003-2004.
Only it proved too difficult and so for several years he dropped down
to taking a single course every so often. But now Andrew, a 25-year-old
computer tech, is back at UAA full-time, working only part-time, and
depending on the kindness of financial aid to earn a degree in both culinary
arts and business management.
Konrad Brandner is another UAA student who says he would not be
able to complete his education were it not for the aid he receives from
the federal government. Over the summer, Konrad works 12 hours a day,
six days a week, delivering pizzas in South Anchorage so he can pay
something toward his bills (spending what’s left over after buying 30,000
miles’ worth of gas, he said).
But it’s the Pell Grants Konrad gets – awards of more
than $2,000 a semester – and the federally subsidized loan
that are essential to fulfilling his plans to graduate in
December 2008 with a degree in air traffic control.
Then there’s Sharlyn Fisher, a 19-year-old freshman in
her first semester at UAA, who embodies one of the core
purposes of financial assistance for higher education: helping
people to escape trying circumstances. Sharlyn, from
the far western Alaska village of Hooper Bay, was raised by a single
mother and is among the first in her immediate family to go to college (an
adopted sister who’s in the Army attended UAA for a time but is in school
elsewhere now).
Sharlyn’s dreams of becoming a medical assistant are being supported
by an array of financial aid coming through the federal Pell Grant program,
the Bethel-based Association of Village Council Presidents, the
Calista Native Corporation and the Louie Bunyan Memorial Scholarship,
named, it so happens, for Sharlyn’s late grandfather.
A total of more than $7 million in federal needs-based financial aid
was given to more than 3,500 UAA students from Fall 2007 through
Summer 2008, according to Ted Malone, director of the UAA Office of
Student Financial Assistance. The bulk of it was given in the form of the
federal Pell Grants, awarded on the basis of a family-finance formula,
which totaled some $6.1 million in that same period, Malone said. Other
federal needs-based awards are given through such programs as the
SMART grants and the Academic Competitiveness Grants.
The remainder of needs-based awards given during that period came
through the state: More than 500 UAA students received $527,250
through the Alaska Advantage Grant program, while another 926 students
were recipients of $525,717 in University of Alaska scholarships.
Altogether, $8.3 million in needs-based funds was awarded to nearly
5,000 UAA students over the last academic year, according to Malone.
That represents 55 percent of all manner of grants, scholarships, workstudy
opportunities and other gifts received by UAA students, the rest
being merit-based aid, or about $6 million in scholarships given on the
basis of skill and talent, Malone said.
Of course, there are students who apply for aid but are turned down,
and those, says Malone, make his work at times “very stressful because
we have to say no.” But overall, his job is as satisfying as one could have
because “we help people fulfill their dreams,” he said.
“Poverty is an inter-generational trait. What education does and
thereby needs-based aid helps to do is break that cycle of poverty.”
All needs-based aid starts with a student and his or her family filling
out what is known as the FAFSA – the Free Application for Federal
Student Aid, which is available online. A comprehensive factual questionnaire,
the FAFSA collects an individual family’s financial data,
“
Poverty is an inter-generational trait. What
education does and thereby needs-based aid
helps to do is break that cycle of poverty.
”
– Ted Malone, director, UAA Office of Student Financial Assistance
crunches the numbers, and through a special federal formula, arrives at
a key number, the Expected Family Contribution, or EFC. That’s the
amount of money the federal government presumes the family should be
paying toward their student’s cost of education.
The all-important EFC determines the amount of federal aid any student
will receive, but it also affects state and institutional funds as well,
since colleges and universities also make use of the EFC.
The University of Alaska grant program, for example, awards funds to
students in conjunction with the Pell Grants, and limits their awards to
those students whose family EFC is $5,000 or less, said Malone.
But many people question the usefulness of the EFC since it so often
represents an amount that families could afford providing they spent
every spare dime on nothing but education. The general FAFSA formula
often arrives at an EFC that “is no doubt higher than most middle-class
people can afford,” Malone said. “The EFC is more an indicator of relative
financial strength” than an actual measure of the discretionary funds
a family has available for higher education.
To compensate for what is often seen as the unreality of the EFC,
UAA’s financial-aid officials award funds to students who just miss being
eligible for the federal Pell Grant.
UAA student Andrew Romero catches up on his homework outside the University
Center during a 10-minute wait for the Seawolf Shuttle. Andrew, a Pell Grant and
scholarship recipient, shares a car with his girlfriend and rides the shuttle from
part-time work at the University Center to his classes and back again.
accolades 15

“Our research,” Malone said, “shows that the people least likely to
go to college just missed out on a Pell Grant” – that is, they’re from families
with an EFC of slightly more than $5,000. “They’re a group of students
who are not offered enough and have no discretionary income at all.”
But there also exists a non-EFC world of financial aid, that of private
scholarships created through charitable gifts to UAA and awarded on
the basis of merit as well as need. A growing number of charitable gifts
of varying sizes are given to support students through scholarships at
UAA. The university is fortunate to receive gifts from a broad array of
donors – foundations, corporations and individuals, including UAA alumni.
Scholarships are set up through the University of Alaska Foundation
A growing number of charitable gifts of varying sizes
are given to support students through scholarships at
UAA. The university is fortunate to receive gifts from
a broad array of donors – foundations, corporations
and individuals, including UAA alumni.
to benefit UAA students, and last year a record number of scholarships –
more than $613,000 – were awarded. About half of UAA scholarships are
endowed, benefiting students today and in perpetuity. For fiscal year
2008, roughly a million dollars was raised for scholarships, thanks to the
generosity of donors who want to help students fulfill their dreams of
joining the higher education family at UAA.
Solomeia Kojin of Anchorage, for example, received $500 through the
Jack & Martha Roderick Scholarship, which is awarded to students in
the College of Arts and Sciences who demonstrate financial need.
“I wouldn’t have been able to finish my undergraduate psychology
degree at UAA” without the Roderick Scholarship and several other
awards she won, Kojin wrote in a letter of gratitude to the Office of
Development. “I have faced many roadblocks to obtaining a postsecondary
education—the most substantial one being my socio-economically
disadvantaged background and lack of funds to pay for tuition and
other college costs.”
Kojin, a graduate of Nikolaevsk H.S. on the Kenai Peninsula, went on
to say that without the scholarships, “my entry into Alaska’s workforce
as an educated and skilled candidate would have been delayed by years,
maybe even decades.”
Pamela Bjelland, also of Anchorage, received an Arlene Kuhner
Memorial Scholarship that greatly relieved some of her burden, she said,
because “I am in the middle of a divorce with two children, and it is a
very difficult time for me financially.” Bjelland was able to stay at UAA
while supporting her family through a job that’s “barely enough to pay for
everyday expenses,” she said.
Biochemistry major Jessica L. McKnight said that the $1,000 Ardell
French Memorial Scholarship she received allowed her to go to college
and participate fully in UAA’s offerings, including the Alaska Native
Science and Engineering Program. That exposure, meanwhile, helped
McKnight win a summer internship with the Anchorage Water & Waste
Water Utility.
Andrew Romero, the 25-year-old who’s studying both culinary arts
and business management at UAA, readily admits that the decline from a
$23-an-hour wage – what he earned a year ago working full-time as a
computer tech for Wells Fargo – to the $9.50 hourly wage he currently
receives doing the same thing for UAA was “hard.” It demanded a
change in his habits and outlook, but he was
helped by the excitement of taking six classes
a semester and being able to see the light at
the end of the tunnel: graduation in 2010 or
2011 at the latest.
“But it would be really hard, really hard,”
he said, without financial aid – the Pell Grant,
the scholarship and the federal work-study
opportunity. They keep him firmly on the new
track.
After all, he never really liked computers,
Andrew says. He has no regrets about the associate’s degree in computers
he earned in Honolulu some five years earlier, which gave him muchin-demand
skills. It’s just that he’s got his eye on something else.
“My dream job,” he said, “is to be a chef.”
HELPING UAA STUDENTS FULFILL THEIR DREAMS
To learn more about applying for UAA’s private scholarships, visit the
online source of information, www.uaa.alaska.edu/scholarships/
To learn how to create a named scholarship for UAA students through
the UA Foundation, visit
www.uaa.alaska.edu/advancement/giving/scholarships-and-endowments.cfm
To support scholarships at UAA, you may give to the university’s
General Scholarship for Students fund, which provides financial
support based primarily on need.
Give online at www.uaa.alaska.edu/giving and choose General
Scholarship Support #20605.
Send check payable to UAA – General Scholarship #20605 to:
UAA – Office of Development, ADM 236
3211 Providence Drive
Anchorage, AK 99508
Questions? Contact the Office of Development at (907) 786-4847 in
Anchorage or toll free 1-877-482-2238.
16 accolades

Learning doesn’t stop once
you’ve graduated:
Opportunities for Lifelong
Education (OLE!)
Do you miss being a student? Have you been looking
for a place to continue your education without the
stress of worrying about your grade point average?
Opportunities for Lifelong Education (OLE!) might be
the perfect program for you.
OLE! is a program open to any adult; however, courses
are specifically designed for people over the age of 50.
A yearly membership allows enrollment in any or all
courses offered through the program. While classes
are sometimes held at different venues around the city,
most of the courses meet once a week in the
University of Alaska Anchorage’s (UAA) Eugene Short
Hall on Friday mornings or afternoons.
The curriculum for OLE! is developed by members
based on their interests and the pool of willing and
available teachers. Courses are offered in a variety of
subject areas. Teachers come from the community and
include emeritus university professors, retired high
school teachers, scholars, researchers, local authors
and amateur enthusiasts.
Anticipated dates for the winter and spring terms are
listed below:
Winter Term: January 16 - March 6, 2009
Spring Term: April 3 - April 24, 2009
The fee for a single year is $150. Membership is for a
complete year, consisting of three terms, regardless of
the starting term. For additional information, or to learn
how to register for these non-credit courses, visit
http://oleanchorage.org/.
Heather Flynn
in Machu Picchu
Help Shape the Future
with Your Legacy
With a planned gift to UAA, you can help shape
the future of higher education in Alaska.
To make a difference in our community and state, a
bequest – a gift through your will or living trust – is an
excellent way to provide for the outstanding higher
education UAA provides. Through a bequest, you can
direct specific assets, your entire estate or a percentage of
your estate to UAA. Or, a charitable gift annuity allows
you to easily arrange a planned gift to the University while
receiving a steady stream of income payments for life.
You can even pick what program your gift goes to.
“I believe it’s my job to give back,” said Heather Flynn,
M.Ed. ’88, who has donated annually to support the
UAA/APU Consortium Library. She has also planned an
estate gift for UAA, set up through her will. Flynn makes it
a point to give away 50 percent of her income every year
to support a variety of charities that hold special meaning
for her. “I’ve been fortunate and am financially stable, and
UAA has helped with that.”
Whichever way you decide is best for you, your legacy
will have a positive impact on generations to come.
I want to know more about gifts to UAA
that provide me with income for life.
Send information about including UAA in my will.
Name:_________________________________________
Address:_______________________________________
______________________________________________
Phone:________________________________________
Office of Advancement . University of Alaska Anchorage
3211 Providence Drive . Anchorage, AK 99508
Sample CGA Rates effective July 2008 for a single beneficiary
Age 60–5.7%, Age 70–6.5%, Age 80–8.0%, Age 90+ –11.3%
accolades 17

MAKING IT LAST
FOREVER
SUSTAINABILITY
AT UAA
accolades

UAA GOES GREEN
Sustainability means different
things to different people.
Sustainability can be an idea, a
financial or environmental concept, an
operational practice, or a personal call
to action—and UAA is committed to
each of these.
Dr. Larry Foster, Associate Professor
of Mathematics, is passionate about
educating people about how to live and work sustainably. “It's important
for any movement to have written declarations, and we do,” he says of
the sustainability efforts at UAA. In 2004, UAA's Chancellor, Faculty
Senate President, and the Union of Students at UAA (USUAA) President
made UAA a signatory to the University Leaders for a Sustainable
Future's Talloires Declaration, a 10-point action plan signed by more than
300 universities worldwide. On January 16, 2007, UAA's Chancellor
signed the American College & University Presidents Climate
Commitment that requires UAA to reduce carbon emissions and take
specific actions toward sustainability. In May 2007, Chancellor Fran
Ulmer reaffirmed this commitment as she became UAA's Chancellor.
John Dede remembers, “We started out 4 or 5 years ago with no
resources and said, ‘this is important for UAA to do. What can we do?’”
Working with Jessica Hamlin and Joe Nedland in the Office of
Advancement, John created and distributed a series of posters that
demonstrate that, “living and working sustainably is a way of thinking.”
“UAA can institute all the policies it wants, but it's the individual people
that determine its success,” John says.
“The beautiful thing that's hard for a lot of people to understand is,
there was never one leader,” says Libby Roderick, Associate Director for
the Center for Advancing Faculty Excellence (CAFE),“Sustainability at
UAA has always been a spirited collaboration among staff, faculty and
students.” Libby has volunteered many hours over the past 5 years to
help institutionalize sustainability at UAA from writing grants for various
sustainability projects to working with staff, faculty, and administration to
create the Office of Sustainability.
Larry, John and Libby worked together with other staff and faculty to
create the “Integrating Climate Change into the Classroom” initiative.
Funded by the Strategic Opportunities Fund, this initiative began as a 3-
day intensive organized by CAFE and the Office of Sustainability to provide
strategies for faculty to incorporate concepts of climate change into
their curriculums. Faculty can find examples of how to incorporate sustainability
concepts into their curriculum on the CAFE Web site at
www.uaa.alaska.edu/cafe/resourcemodules/sustainability/.
Dr. Foster says, “it's the energy of the students,” that will help to
ingrain sustainable practices into the culture at UAA. And Marcus
Welker, a senior at UAA, is using his energy to do just that. Marcus spent
his fourth semester of college in Hawaii. “I took some classes and
became really interested in the environmental movement,” he says. He
returned to UAA and became involved with the USUAA and with the UAA
Sustainability Club. “Then, last year was full bore, let's see what we can
do for sustainability at UAA . . . We're now on the Chancellor's Council
Tyler Morris, director of the University’s recycling program, stands in front
of UAA’s “Veggie Truck,” which runs on bio-diesel fuel.
for Sustainability.” Marcus helped organize the 2nd Annual Sustainability
Fair at UAA with administrative help from Liisa Morrison, administrative
assistant for CAFE.
The recycling program is one of UAA’s most visible sustainability
efforts. Trig Trigiano, Director of Environmental Health & Safety, started
the recycling program with the Environmental Education Club in 1989.
Tyler Morris, a senior at UAA, worked with USUAA and Bill Spindle, Vice
Chancellor of Administrative Services, to institutionalize recycling at
UAA. It is now a student-run effort supported by Administrative Services.
Tyler says he’s most proud of the UAA Recycling “veggie truck.” Last
year, Trig donated a truck that was converted by students and UAA Fleet
Services to run on bio-diesel fuel.
Chris Turletes, Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities, and his team
evaluate the results of sustainability efforts and constantly search for
more efficient solutions. “It’s about good business for us,” Chris says.
Facilities Planning & Construction saves money and staff time while
reducing UAA’s carbon footprint by replacing lighting balusters with LED
lights. Project managers find ways to reuse furniture and carpet to minimize
cost and waste. Landscaping now uses ladybugs as pest control so
they don’t have to use chemicals in the gardens around campus.
Larry Foster found his favorite definition of sustainability from a fifth
grade class in Palmer, “Making it last forever.” It’s the people who make
less of an impact on campus that are making the biggest impact toward
sustainable practices at UAA.
Join the Family
Want to help sustainability efforts at UAA? Visit the Office of Sustainability
online at www.uaa.alaska.edu/sustainability to find more information
about sustainability efforts at UAA and ways you can contribute.
While sustainability at UAA is becoming institutionalized, it’s still largely
funded by private donations from people like you. Please consider a
donation to the Jack and Martha Roderick Sustainability Fund today. Visit
ww.uaa.alaska.edu/advancement/giving to see how easy it is to be part of
the sustainability family at UAA.
Sustainability Awards
• EPA-CESQG of Hazardous Waste 1990
• Mayor’s Pollution Prevention Award 1990
• EPA Region X Pollution Prevention Nomination 1992
• Green Star for Waste Reduction 1994 (Charter Member) 1994
• AK DEC Commissioner’s Award for Pollution Prevention 2001
• Green Star Air Quality Award 2001
Online Sustainability Resources
• Office of Sustainability
www.uaa.alaska.edu/sustainability
• UAA Energy Policy
http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/sustainability/new-energy.cfm
In support of UAA's sustainability effort, Accolades is now available as a
PDF. We are requesting recipients of this magazine to contact our office
(aynews@uaa.alaska.edu or 786-4847) if you'd like to receive the next
issue of Accolades by e-mail only. You'll get to hear about all of the great
things happening at UAA and help to reduce your paper consumption all
at the same time!
accolades 19

A Family of Advanced Degrees
The Graduate School at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA),
in its full-bore drive for academic excellence, encourages teaching
and supports research that are nothing if not rigorous. But the
UAA Graduate School also fosters families, albeit family groups of a
different sort.
The bond between graduate faculty advisors and the students they
mentor is one that not only nurtures professionalism in the various disciplines,
but it also endures far beyond graduation and the student’s going
off to his or her own career. One could ask current faculty members and
deans if they are still in contact with their own faculty advisors when
they were grad students, and many would say they were. Graduate advisors
often stay in touch with the students they mentor. Many faculty
know the places their students have gone to and what those students
have done with their careers, and they can cite their publications.
Faculty will run into former students in many other states and U.S. territories
and around the world, often making a point to visit a former student
if the faculty member happens to be in the student’s town. The UAA
Graduate School dean, for example, took time out of a 2007 conference
in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to visit a former graduate student engaged in
research on another side of the island, a visit that required a bus journey
of several hours into a rain forest. What develops between faculty and
students at the graduate level is a lasting friendship of collegial respect.
Graduate School staff at UAA don’t have quite the same familial relationship
with students, but they form a bond nevertheless. Helping
students navigate the UAA system, they often get the feeling of shepherding
students through the rough waters and shoals of graduate student
life. Staff have a vested interest in graduate student success and
can feel every bit as proud as faculty when the day comes that a student
is hooded and sent on his or her way.
Graduate School staff also work with the Graduate Student
Association (GSA), so that they’re aware of issues that affect the graduate
student’s ability to adequately address his or her academic goals.
Day care, health care, pet care, elder care, work issues, war, transportation
issues and others will affect a student’s ability to complete a program
in a timely fashion. The GSA is often the students’ first sounding
board for these issues, so in listening and caring, another family is born.
Cohorts within individual graduate programs provide yet another
family of support and caring. Student success is greater in cohort settings,
and whether the class becomes a cohort, or a cohort is founded
within the department with other graduate students, students tend to rely
on each other for support and inspiration. Ask any student who’s writing
a thesis or finishing a project if she or he doesn’t talk with other students
to keep them going in finishing the project.
Support, advice, caring, feedback – the best of family life is not left
behind by the students of the UAA Graduate School.
For additional information about UAA’s Graduate School (newly
established in 2008), visit http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/academics/graduatestudies/.
20 accolades

Eight Stars of Gold Shine Brightly
at the University of Alaska:
UAA Celebrates Statehood
The UAA family, of course, is a member of the great family that
is the state of Alaska and all its citizens. As part of that family,
UAA is helping to honor Alaska at the 50th anniversary of its
becoming a state. The campus is playing host for and promoting
several important anniversary events.
The UAA Student Constitutional Convention, which took place in April,
was a re-creation of Alaska’s original constitutional convention in 1956.
The object of the UAA student convention was education: It gave the
students a chance to study the Alaska constitution, Alaska government
and politics, and significant public policy issues in Alaska today, and to
reflect on the importance of the 50th anniversary. They were joined by
community experts and constitutional
scholars to illuminate how important
the original constitutional process was
and how it remains applicable today.
Visit http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/
ConstitutionalConvention for a summary
and the outcomes of the Convention.
The Forum of Young Alaskans
[http://youngalaskans.org/] brought
together young citizens ages 16 to 25 from
large and small communities across the
state on Oct. 4 in Juneau, Fairbanks and
Anchorage and in their own communities
for a statewide dialogue aimed at creating
the kind of Alaska these future leaders wish
to live in. This first-of-its-kind event was
extremely successful with several hundred
participants statewide.
UAA/APU Consortium Library on Oct. 14. The exhibit of Alaska images
was made possible by a generous contribution from the Robert B.
Atwood Foundation. The digital display, with its changing images and
editorials in addition to the permanent display honoring Bob Atwood and
the Anchorage Times, will keep Alaska’s history alive for succeeding
generations.
The three-day Alaska Historical Society Conference titled “Alaska
Visionaries: Seekers, Leaders and Dreamers” took place on Oct. 16-18.
It featured a civic conversation about “Alaska 2058: The Next 50 Years”;
the annual Alaska Day Lecture, part of the Polaris Lecture Series; and
many unique paper and panel presentations
highlighting 50 years of ordinary Alaskans
accomplishing the extraordinary.
Later in the year, a more focused gathering
of young Alaskans will take place, one that will
try to reflect Alaska’s original Constitutional
Convention where 55 of the state’s visionary
citizens crafted the living – and highly praised
– document that became the Alaska
Constitution. The Conference of Young
Alaskans, Jan. 4-6, 2009, will draw 55 young
delegates from across the state to consider
the challenges facing Alaska and her people
today. Together, they will develop policy
statements and propose courses of action.
These delegates represent the voice of
Alaska’s next generation of leaders and the
gathering will demonstrate the potential and possibility of Alaskans putting
aside their differences to work together for the common good.
Egan Day Dinner, Oct. 8, is the annual commemorative dinner and
fundraiser for the Governor William A. Egan Scholarship at UAA, which
honors Bill Egan, president of the 1955 Constitutional Convention and the
first governor of the state of Alaska. The William Egan Scholarship is
awarded to UAA students in political science or history, or to winners of
49th State Fellow Honors of the UAA Honors College.
Who cannot be moved by the seminal headlines that mark the great
milestones of Alaska’s young history? WE’RE IN. CITY RALLIES FROM
QUAKE. FIRST SLOPE OIL FLOWS. They and others from the Anchorage
Times, the state’s largest newspaper through the mid-1980s, were
unveiled at the the Anchorage Times and Images of Alaska exhibit in the
“Our Alaska Constitution – The Next 50 Years,” scheduled for 7-9 p.m.
on Jan. 9, 2009, will be an evening of education and inspiration. The UAA
Justice Center and the American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska are
sponsoring this celebration of our unique Constitution. Attendees will
hear a panel discussion with Vic Fischer and Katie Hurley, who were
representatives at the Alaska Constitutional Convention of 1955-56; Arliss
Sturgulewski and Douglas Pope. The Alaska Concert Chorus, the Bartlett
High School Drama Club, and Alaska Native dancers will perform.
Visit www.uaa.alaska.edu/Advancement/Alaska50th for more information
about UAA’s statehood celebrations.
accolades 21

FACULTY&STAFFACCOLADES
Paul Ongtooguk, assistant professor of Secondary Education, will
spend the Fall 2008 semester in Hanover, N.H., after winning the
Gordon W. Russell Visiting Professorship in Native American
Studies at Dartmouth College.
Ongtooguk, also recently honored at
UAA with a 10-Year Award, has written
one of the chapters in the newly published
Do Alaska Natives Get Free
Medical Care? (and other frequently
asked questions about Alaska Native
issues), dealing with the subtleties of
Native positions, pro and con, on the
issue of resource extraction in Alaska.
And he’s writing a chapter in a book
coming out next spring, Everyday
Antiracism: Concrete Ways to
Successfully Navigate the Relevance of
Race in School. Ongtooguk will discuss
stereotypes about Native Americans.
Dr. Cheryl E. Easley, dean of the College of Health & Social
Welfare, was elected president of the Washington, D.C.-based
American Public Health
Association and took office in
October 2008, becoming the first
Alaskan to be elected head of
the oldest, largest and most
diverse organization of public
health officials in the world.
Easley, a registered nurse, has
been dean of CHSW since 2003.
Her twin sister, Carol Maureen
Easley Allen, also works in public
health. They have both
worked with the poorest of
Americans, and in 1991 they visited
Calcutta, India, working with
Mother Theresa’s Missionaries
of Charity.
Dr. Andy Puckett, post-doc researcher in the UAA Department of
Physics and Astronomy, has done it again. Last winter Puckett
played a key role in determining the odds that a particular asteroid
would strike Mars (it missed). Then in August a team of scientists
from several institutions that included him said they discovered
what has been called a minor planet, an asteroid, a comet without
a tail. The blandly named 2006 SQ372 does have a heckuva distinction:
Of all known objects orbiting our Sun, this object’s orbit takes
it farthest from the Sun than any of the others. At its greatest distance
from the Sun, the 30- to 60-miles-in-diameter object is 150
billion miles away, or almost 1,600 times the distance from the Sun
to Earth. It takes an astounding 22,500 years to complete one orbit.
Dr. Lilian Alessa, associate professor of Geography and
Environmental Studies and of biology, and originator of the Arctic
Water Resource Vulnerability Index (AWRVI, or “arvee”), is the coprincipal
investigator on a project that won a $9 million grant for
the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research
(EPSCoR), which is shared with the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
At UAA, the funds are helping Alessa; Dr. Andy Kliskey, also an
associate professor of Geography and Environmental Studies and
of biology; Dr. Chad Farrell, assistant professor of Sociology; and
Dr. Mark Carper, assistant professor of Geography and
Environmental Studies organize interdisciplinary research on the
issue of human adaptation to climate change.
Shane Mitchell, manager of UAA’s
Wendy Williamson Auditorium and a
UAA theatre grad (’89), received the
Community Service Award (2007
edition) from the UAA Alumni
Association for his “exceptional
service to the community” as a
teacher and theatrical mentor to
thousands of young people. Mitchell
is also one of the most successful
playwrights in Alaska, having written
several dozen plays, many for young
audiences, with a good number of
his works published, commissioned
and/or produced, in numerous venues
Outside, including at the prestigious Cornell U. playwrights
forum and the Samuel French Short Play Festival in New York.
Mike McCormick, assistant director of Student Activities at UAA,
and his team of highly engaged students enjoyed a splendid year
producing numerous shows, including events of lasting impact in
the area of diversity and civil rights. Noteworthy were appearances
at UAA in April, on the 40th anniversary of the assassination
of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., of Dr. Michael Honey, author of a
book on King’s “last campaign,” and of the Louisiana gospel
singing group Zie’l. In September, Student Activities showcased
Minnie Jean Brown Trickey, one of nine African-Americans who
as teenagers braved fierce hatred-based threats and insults while
integrating the public schools in Little Rock, Ark., 50 years earlier.
Mark Madden, associate professor of Aviation Technology, earned
Master Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) accreditation from the
National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI), one of only two
aviation educators in Alaska to hold the prestigious Master CFI
title, which is the only
industry professional
accreditation recognized
by the FAA.
Madden is highly active
in the Alaska aviation
community and serves
on the Board of
Directors of the Alaska
Aviation Safety
Foundation. He’s also a
Federal Aviation
Administration Safety
Team representative for
the FAA’s Flight
Standards District
Office in Anchorage.
Judith Zundel
22 accolades

STUDENTACCOLADES
Thomas Ginn (Prince William Sound Community
College, Bachelor of Science in Nursing Science)
was recently named president of the Chitina
Traditional Indian Village Council. He also serves on
the Board of Directors for the Chitina Volunteer Fire
Department, and is an administrator for the Chitina
Tribal and Community Health Center.
Crystal Dosser (Kenai Peninsula College, Kachemak
Bay Campus, Associate of Arts) was the highest scoring
State of Alaska All-
USA Academic Team
nominee and was named Alaska's
New Century Scholar by the
Association of Community Colleges
and Phi Theta Kappa International
Honor Society. Crystal, a UA Scholar,
represented students from the entire
state at the American Association of
Community Colleges convention in
Philadelphia, PA in April 2008. She was
also awarded a $2,000 scholarship by
the Coca-Cola Foundation. Upon completion
of her associate’s degree,
Crystal plans to pursue degree in
engineering or business at UAA.
Kurdel Roberts (Associate of Applied Science, General Motors
Automotive Student Education Program) started on his path to UAA
as a TRiO student at West Anchorage High School. Now in his last
semester at UAA, Kurdel has landed a job as Lead Transmission
Technician at Alaska Sales and Service.
The University Honors College recently published “The Winners
Circle,” a comprehensive record of stellar achievements of students
in UAA’s highly competitive undergraduate research and
scholarship awards programs. Judged by panels of faculty
experts, these students exemplify the University Honors College
motto, “Excellence and Challenge.”
Summer Engler (WWAMI Biomedical Program) earned the Student
Spirit Award at the 2007 Alumni & Friends Achievement Awards for
her exceptional volunteer service to the University. Engler holds a
Bachelor of Science in
Biological Sciences from
UAA and recently completed
her first year in the WWAMI
Biomedical Program –
Alaska’s Medical School.
Natasha Udovyk (Bachelor of
Arts in Economics) is the recipient
of the Congress-Bundestag
Scholarship for 2008-2009. A
University Honors College student,
Natasha will spend next
year in Germany taking German
language classes and doing an
internship in her field. Natasha
was selected as one of 70
Congress-Bundestag Scholars
from a pool of 700 applications
nationwide.
Wanda Clark (Prince William Sound
Community College, Associate of
Applied Science, Computer
Information and Office Systems) is the
mother of eight children, is a Birch
AmeriCorps member, the administrative
aid for the Valdez Local
Emergency Planning Committee, and
is currently the president of Phi Theta
Kappa. She has earned a Prince
William Sound Scholarship for the
past three semesters and in Spring
2008 she earned Phi Theta Kappa’s
2008 Joan Fedor Award of Distinction
for outstanding achievements in her
community.
Candace Lewis (Bachelor of Arts
in Psychology) was selected as a
2008 Truman Scholar, one of the
nation's most esteemed undergraduate
awards. Lewis, a graduate
of Wasilla High School, is also
a University Honors College student
and received a $30,000 meritbased
grant. She plans to pursue
a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from
the University of Colorado.
Kennaty “Ty” Kerley (Kenai
Peninsula College, Kenai
River Campus, Bachelor of
Business Administration)
received a full-semester
tuition scholarship and landed
a full-time position with
KPC’s Facilities Maintenance.
Kerley serves as an officer in
Art Student League and the
Critical Eye Club.
accolades 23

S P O T L I G H T O N
ALUMNI
In a class
of their own
Many alumni develop strong connections to the
programs they graduate from more so than
their overall graduating class. Graduates of
UAA’s Business Administration, Aviation Technology and
Nursing programs share how the connections they made
with their colleagues and professors during their time at
UAA have helped them succeed in their respective programs
and careers.
Take Ethan Bradford, for example. Ethan graduated
in 1980 when UAA was known as the Anchorage
Community College with an Associate of Applied Science
in Aviation Maintenance Technology. “I guess you could
call me one of the pioneers of the program, so to speak,”
said Ethan. “I was in the second class to graduate from
Ethan Bradford, a 1980 grad of the Aviation Maintenance
Technology program, now works as the Manager of Technical
Services for Lynden Air Cargo, LLC.

Kathy Hillburn, Chief Nurse Executive at the Alaska Native
Medical Center, earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from
UAA in 1996.
the program before the new facility was built. The program gave me the
ability to enhance my skills as an aircraft mechanic in a classroom environment
while still getting hands-on training on actual aircraft.
The instructors had a variety of aviation experiences that brought out
all aspects of what students could expect in their future careers.” Ethan
has more than 30 years of experience working in the Aviation Technology
field, all here in the Anchorage area. He is now the Manager of
Technical Services for Lynden Air Cargo, LLC.
Tony Alsworth, another Aviation Technology grad, signed up for the
program because of its reputation for producing quality mechanics. A
2001 grad of the division’s Airframe and Powerplant program, Tony is
now the manager for Alaskan Aircraft Engines, Inc. “Although I knew
many of my classmates before starting the program, we grew closer as
friends while helping each other out in the areas we were struggling
with,” said Tony. “Many of the students I met and worked with are now
in the Aviation Technology industry, which is a huge benefit.”
Business grad Joey Ausel earned her Bachelor of Business
Administration in Accounting from UAA in May 2005. Joey’s experience
with UAA’s program was so positive that she went on to earn her Master
of Business Administration with a focus on Global Supply Chain
Management in May 2008. Joey now lives in Juneau and works as the
Budget Services Manager for the Alaska Department of Environmental
Conservation.
“The MBA program has core groups that run through it,” said Joey.
“I developed great personal friendships during my undergraduate experience,
and also developed rewarding professional and business friendships
during my time in the master’s program. The relationships I built
with my colleagues exposed me to their jobs and careers, which allowed
us all to share experiences and stories. Learning from other students’
experiences and challenges or successes allowed me to add tools to my
toolbox that I can use if I ever face similar issues. These relationships
are what open doors for many people in this program.”
Recent grad Joel Swanson adds, “Group work is a common theme in
every class, which helps students get to know others in the program on a
much more personal level. The relationships I made in the MBA program
helped drive my success in many ways. They helped drive my career
success by challenging me, while at the same time being extremely
supportive.”
Kathy Hillburn is considered a leader in Alaska’s health care industry
with her more than 23 years of experience. She credits much of her success
to her experiences at UAA. Kathy earned her Bachelor of Science
in Nursing from UAA in 1996. As Chief Nurse Executive for the Alaska
Native Medical Center, Kathy is responsible and accountable for the
overall management of nursing practice. "I got involved in nursing
because I wanted to help people, and especially to improve health care
for Alaska Natives,” said Kathy. “The faculty of UAA's School of Nursing
were very supportive and created an environment for me to be successful.
The success I realize today is a direct result of my experiences
at UAA."
Recent grad Joel Swanson
earned his Master of Business
Administration degree from
UAA in May 2008.
accolades 25

SPOTLIGHT ON ALUMNI
www.uaaalumni.org
UAA wouldn’t be what it is today without the stories of its diverse
alumni. Here we’ll explore families of alumni that have all been
impacted by the University of Alaska Anchorage and have maintained
a strong connection to their alma mater through the years.
Meet the Okeson’s – Alvin and Gloria, and their three children, Phil, Mark
and Cathy. As director of the Matanuska-Susitna College for nearly 27 years
from 1961 to late 1987, Alvin Okeson made quite an impression. He earned
emeritus status and an honorary degree from the University in 1988. He was
again recognized in 1989 by having the campus’ library named in his honor for
his dedicated service to the University.
But setting up the Mat-Su College for success was no easy task. When
the college was just getting off the ground, Alvin’s wife, Gloria Okeson, volunteered
countless hours keeping books for the university. While their parents
were busy keeping the Mat-Su College running, the younger Okesons, Phil,
Mark and Cathy, were tasked with shoveling
snow and sanding icy roads and walkways, and
taking coats at special events. “When my
brother Mark and I were young, we would go
around the campus and empty out ashtrays
since smoking was allowed in the buildings
then,” said Phil Okeson, Gloria and Alvin’s
oldest son.
The family also hosted graduation celebrations and other functions at
their home each year. “It was definitely a labor of love,” said Gloria. To
ensure that classes were full, Gloria would enroll in courses so they were full
enough to be offered to students. “Her college transcript is quite impressive,”
said Phil. Despite all of her “crazy credits,” Gloria earned a bachelor’s
degree in education from UAA in 1985.
All three of the Okeson children took classes at Mat-Su College while in
high school to better prepare them for their transition into college. Pam
Okeson, Phil’s wife, received her Bachelor of Social Work at UAA in 1988.
Pam’s family also has connections to UAA. Her brother, Weston Smith,
earned a degree in computer science from UAA in 2001.
Younger brother Mark Okeson earned a Master of Education in 1994 and is
now the assistant principal at Wasilla High School. Each and every member
of the family has been impacted by UAA. Their daughter, Cathy Okeson, has
also taken classes at the University. Her husband, Don Brown, earned a
teaching certificate from UAA in 1994 and went on to teach math at a local
high school.
Through the years, the family has maintained a strong connection to the
University. “There are so many ties,” said Phil. “Both Pam and I were able to
‘play with the big dogs’ when it came to graduate school because of the
excellent education we both received at the University of Alaska. The
University is a vital part of our community. We show our support by giving
and coming to campus often for lectures and other events.”
The ties that bind
Families of alums connect with their university
UAA alumna Memry Dahl grew up in the Aleutian Islands town of Sand
Point, population 800. After serving on the local and regional school board for
more than 10 years, she decided she needed to go back to school to earn her
degree. Memry completed her first two years of college via tele-course from
Sand Point before deciding to make the big move to Anchorage to finish her
degree. With her three daughters in tow, Memry made the transition and
earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education in 2002. She now oversees
leadership development programs for First Alaskans Institute. She stays
connected to UAA through serving on the College of Education Advisory
Board and also attends many community forums held on campus.
The Okesons
(Left to Right) Mark Okeson, Pam and Phil Okeson, Don Brown and Cathy Okeson, Alvin and Gloria Okeson

Stephanie Myers, Memry Dahl and Tana Myers
Memry’s two oldest daughters are also associated with UAA. The eldest,
Stephanie Myers, completed her Associate of Applied Science in Radiologic
Technology in 2006 and is now enrolled in her last class towards earning a
Bachelor of Science in Psychology. She also ran for the women’s Cross
Country and Track & Field teams during her time at UAA.
Tana Myers, Memry’s second daughter, earned her Associate of Applied
Science in Dental Assisting in 2007 and now works for an oral surgeon in
Anchorage. She connected with her employer though the dental assisting
program, where the surgeon taught classes as an adjunct professor.
Additionally, Memry’s neice, Thea Gundersen, is enrolled in her second year
of the medical technology program.
“UAA is the school of choice for my family,” said Memry. “Coming from a
small village of 800 was a big transition for my family, but each one of us has
been able to find a home at the University – it’s a very warm community.”
Another family with strong ties to UAA is the Dewhurst’s. Jerry and
Shirley Dewhurst are die-hard UAA fans. That could be because three of
their five daughters attended UAA. “Our family has a strong connection to the
University of Alaska Anchorage,” said Jerry. “We are a Seawolf family all the
way and we support the University in every way we can. We’ve had a great
experience at UAA.”
Jerry’s daughter Cindy Deitz initially went to school in New Mexico, but
decided to come home to Alaska and attend UAA where she earned a
Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Another daughter, Maggie Miller, earned her
Bachelor of Science in Psychology from UAA in 2003 and went on to earn a
master’s degree from the University of Minnesota. Their daughter Lindsey
Hunter attended UAA for a year before transferring to UAF to earn her degree
in civil engineering.
A member of UAA’s team, Tlisa Northcutt followed in her mother’s footsteps
by earning a degree from the University. After graduating in 1995 with a
Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Public Communications and spending
some time at a local advertising agency, Tlisa Northcutt came to work at UAA
in early 2000 as a Special Events Coordinator. She is now the Director of
Development for Athletics and is responsible for garnering private fundraising
support to help UAA’s student-athletes and the athletic program as a whole.
Tlisa started her educational journey at UAA and decided to take advantage
of the National Student Exchange Program to attend the University of
Georgia during her sophomore year. She quickly realized that a big school
wasn’t for her, and moved back to Alaska to complete her degree at UAA. “I
liked the small class size here and the personal attention I got at UAA,” said
Northcutt. “There was one professor in particular who really motivated me to
stay focused and declare my major.”
Tlisa’s mother, Mary Touchton, is also a part of the UAA family. She
earned a certificate in dental assisting in 1981 when UAA was known as the
Anchorage Community College. Mary put her education to use by working in
three local dentist’s offices before retiring and moving out of state.
Affinity alum and proud supporter of UAA, Margaret Krieber moved
around a lot while growing up and as a result “had a lousy education.”
Although Margaret doesn’t hold a degree from UAA, she took a variety of
courses from UAA that helped her appreciate her life more. “I got the best
education of my life at UAA,” said Margaret. “I got a lot out of UAA – it was
money well spent. I really like the community feel of the University.”
Margaret is a cancer survivor and wanted to give back to UAA’s heath care
programs. She made a contribution to the University to help endow the
Excellence in Allied Health Fund, which she continues to support annually.
Margaret’s daughter, Brenda Williams, and her husband Jim are both
alumni of UAA. Brenda earned a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Public
Communications in 1981. Jim Williams holds an Associate of Arts in Liberal
Arts and an Associate of Applied Science in Fire Science. The couple now
lives in Florida where Brenda works as a speech language pathologist for a
public school. Additionally, Margaret’s son Mike Krieber took an arctic engineering
course at UAA to earn his Alaska engineering license.
Currently a senior at UAA, student Jessica Morehouse and her mother
have an interesting connection to the University – the UAA Volleyball Team.
Jessica’s mom, Mary (Cashin) Morehouse, was a standout volleyball player
for the Seawolves in 1984 and 1985. Today, Jessica, who’s majoring in biological
sciences, plays on the team as a middle blocker. She has played volleyball
since 5th grade and is an asset to the UAA team.
These families are just a few of many that show how important and connected
our alumni are to our community. To share your family’s UAA story
with us, please e-mail ayalum@uaa.alaska.edu.
Mary (Cashin) Morehouse and Jessica Morehouse
accolades 27

SPOTLIGHT ON ALUMNI
www.uaaalumni.org
Dear UAA Alumni:
The theme of this issue of Accolades is FAMILY. You, as a dedicated
UAA alum, are an important member of the growing alumni family.
Membership is on the rise as we continue doing great things! The UAA
Alumni Association is working hard to provide alumni with a multitude of
networking activities, special events, career services, legislative affairs
outreach and regional alumni programs.
The Association recently elected new executive officers and four
new members to its Board of Directors. Please feel free to contact any
of them with your thoughts and suggestions on how to make the Alumni
Association better. Don’t forget to send your congratulations! I look forward
to working with the new leadership team to continue building a
strong and energetic organization.
I hope that you’ll find the time to come out and support your alma
mater! Get the latest alumni news and events by visiting www.uaaalumni.org.
Also, be on the lookout for our revamped monthly e-newsletter
scheduled to hit e-mail boxes the first Monday of each month.
Please keep in touch! Send any questions or updates to
ayalum@uaa.alaska.edu or call (907) 786-1941.
Sincerely,
Timea M. Webster
Acting Alumni Relations Director
A new Board of Directors
Alumni make up the largest portion of the UAA family (35,000 strong and
growing!). Leading the alumni family is the 15-member Board of
Directors. The BOD represents a diverse group of professionals, all
graduates of the University of Alaska Anchorage. The Board’s efforts
are directed at strengthening the connection between UAA alumni and
the University by overseeing the direction of the Association, hosting
networking activities and communicating on behalf of alumni.
The University of Alaska Anchorage Alumni Association (UAAAA) has
elected Norman J. Wilder, Laurie Bruce, Trevor Fulton and Lorali M.
Carter as new representatives on its Board of Directors. New officers
were elected at the August 16 Board of Directors meeting. For
complete bios, visit www.uaaalumni.org.
Bob Hagmaier, President
bob.hagmaier@comcast.net
Trevor Fulton, Vice President
tm_fulton@hotmail.com
Jeff Roe, Treasurer
jroe@AKDigitel.com
Mary Ann Hanson, Secretary
HansonMA@ci.anchorage.ak.us
Robert Hagmaier, Hilary Currey, Stacy Schubert, Laurie Bruce, George Skladal,
Mary Ann Hanson, Skye R. McRoberts, David Parks, Jeff Roe, Norman Wilder, Trevor Fulton
Not Pictured: Lorali Carter, Vanessa Norman , Karla Beller, Sandy Camp

SEAWOLF SPORTS
T
he Kenya town of Kapsabet, population roughly 20,000, altitude 6,500
feet, is nestled in Africa’s famed Rift Valley, some 160 miles northwest
of the country’s capital, Nairobi.
Kapsabet is a far-away place for the University of Alaska Anchorage to
enjoy a vital connection there. Yet UAA’s Track & Field and Cross-Country programs
owe a debt to the long dirt roads and uplands of the Kapsabet countryside
because they have turned out champion runners, including a remarkable
family that competes for UAA.
“It’s ridiculous to see the number of world-class runners who have come
from there,” said T.J. Garlatz, assistant coach of UAA’s Track & Field and
Cross-Country teams.
Think of Wilfrid Bungei, who took home to Kenya from the 2008 Summer
Olympics in Beijing a gold medal in the 800-meter run. Think
of Bernard Lagat, who competed for the United States in
Beijing without winning but who did win gold in the 1,500
meters and 5,000 meters in 2007 in the World Championships
in Osaka. There’s super marathon runner Martin Lel and former
Olympian Peter Rono. All are from the Kapsabet area.
And then there are David Kiplagat, Paul Rottich and
Elizabeth Chepkosgei – two brothers and their sister – who
have raced and won big for UAA in recent years. (The siblings
have different surnames because of the peculiarities of
Kenyan naming customs.) And now their cousin Ruth Jeptoo
Keino, a new freshman at UAA this year, has joined the squad
to bring to seven the total number of Kenyans on the team.
David, a two-sport All-American who’ll be 25 in January
and will graduate in May 2009 with a degree in both finance
and economics, was the first to come to UAA, and he’s been
pulling to get as many of his 10 siblings over here and onto
the team as possible.
Paul, who turns 23 in January and who plans to graduate
in December 2009 with a degree in finance, was next,
followed by Elizabeth, who’s 26, another finance major, and
who also hopes to graduate in December 2009 “if everything
goes well,” she said.
That everything will go well for these youngsters, at least
here at UAA, seems to be settled fact. They’re talented and
hard-working; all were given full scholarships to race and
study here.
“Things worked out well for us in their coming over and
worked out well for them, too,” said coach Garlatz. “We’ve seen how we can
help them and we in return we got people of high character who will do well
in their classes and run hard.”
The motivation to be a champion runner for a young Kenyan from a small
town – the siblings’ hometown is near Kapsabet and has about 5,000 inhabitants
– is easy to understand. With few cars in the area (too expensive), people
get around on foot, and they run a lot. But more importantly, economics is
the heart of the decision: To run competitively is to have a chance of escaping
what Paul Rottich calls the “economic crisis” of their land.
“People are poor,” Rottich said. “They cannot educate their children past
the 12th grade unless they have a very good job.”
“Running gives you the best opportunity,” Elizabeth Chepkosgei said. “If
you win a race, you can win money.”
Their father, now a retired elementary school teacher, and their mother, a
homemaker and small farmer, paid for their children’s grade-school
education.
“To go to school in Kenya, you have to pay,” Elizabeth Chepkosgei told The
Northern Light, UAA’s student-run newspaper, in November 2007.
Even now, she and her brothers send back to their family home about $200
each month (earnings from campus jobs) as a contribution to their younger
siblings’ schooling, the newspaper reported.
Fast track to Alaska:
Family of Kenyan runners find
a second home at UAA
David Kiplagat, Ruth Jeptoo Keino, Paul Rottich and Elizabeth Chepkosgei (l. to r.), all members of the UAA Track and
Field team, hail from Kapsabat, Kenya. Ruth is a cousin to the other three, who are siblings.
Their arrival at UAA owes much to a relationship that head track coach
Michael Friess enjoyed with the siblings’ older brother, Solomon Kandie, a
champion steeplechase runner who competed for Tulane University in NCAA
Division I events several years ago. It was Solomon who urged his brother
David to go to UAA as opposed to any other American school.
“You don’t know where to go,” David said of the possible choices.
“Solomon said Alaska.”
“If you have an opportunity like that,” Paul explained, “you don’t want to
lose it because you may never get another opportunity like that.”
On the field, the results have been outstanding. Two of the siblings, David
and Elizabeth, have won numerous honors and set five UAA records between
them in their time here – David in the 800- and 5,000-meter runs and the 3,000-
meter steeplechase, and Elizabeth in the 1,500- and 3,000-meter runs. Last
year, David was only the second cross-country All-American ever to compete
for UAA. This season, Elizabeth is UAA’s top returning woman runner. (Read
about more of their accomplishments on www.goseawolves.com.)
Paul, whose first season was 2007, was the second Seawolf to finish at
the UAA Invitational and placed 19th at the Great Northwest Athletic
Conference Championships.
“The team is now competitive on all levels, conference, regional and
national,” said Nate Sagan, UAA sports information director.
accolades 29

GENEROUS DONORS
The Okesons: A Family Connected
T
o say that the Okeson family is connected to UAA is an understatement. Alvin
Okseon and his family played a pivotal role in the development and growth of
the Matanuska-Susitna Community College, a branch of the University of Alaska
Anchorage. Alvin and his wife, Gloria, have three children – Phil, Mark and Cathy –
who have all felt the impact of UAA in one way or another.
Today, this interwoven family stays connected to the University through giving
back to the institution that has played a hand in changing their lives. “Each thing we
give to has a cause,” said Alvin. “You can never go wrong giving to a scholarship
because it gives students an extra incentive that they can’t get elsewhere. We know
that our money is put to good use and we will continue to give to the University.”
Phil and his wife, Pam, add, “We got a lot out of the University and want to give
back. Giving to UAA is an important part of our overall giving plan. UAA is a vibrant
and diverse university that is a vital part of our community.”
To read more about the Okesons, see page 26 of this issue of Accolades.
Gloria and Alvin Okeson stand in front of the Alvin S. Okeson
Library at the Mat-Su College, which was dedicated to Alvin
in 1989 for his years of service to the University.
Jessica Hamlin
Giving to UAA
a lifetime of opportunity
Annual Gifts . Scholarships . Special Gifts . Endowments . Planned Giving
Support UAA this year with a tax deductable gift. For more information on
the ways to give, please contact the Office of Development at (907) 786-4847
or toll free at 1-877-482-2230 or www.uaa.alaska.edu/giving.
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