UAA Seawolves are the BEST in the WEST UAA Seawolves are the

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SPRING/SUMMER 2008
A P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F A L A S K A A N C H O R A G E F O R A L U M N I A N D F R I E N D S
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CONTENTS
Seawolf Sports................2
Basketball Teams
Dear Friends:
New Sports Center
I'm pleased to present the Spring/Summer 2008 issue of Accolades, a
biannual magazine published by UAA's Office of Advancement. This
2
UAA Debate Team
issue is packed with incredible stories of donors, students, alumni, fac-
Speaks Up........................6
ulty and programs. As an alum myself, I'm particularly proud to feature
our NCAA Div. II Western Region men's and women's basketball cham-
Celebrating the Arts
pions on the cover of this issue. It's been heartwarming to see the
& Humanities.................12
state of Alaska rally behind its 2008 home team, its home town
6
University.
There are many talented people that helped to create Accolades. This
Visual Arts and Music
Theatre and Dance
Creative Writing and
Literary Arts
issue features pieces by staff writers Jessica Hamlin, Peter Porco and
Alaska Quarterly Review
Ann Marie Wawersik. We are lucky to include two student contributors
The Humanities
in this issue too: Morgan Sneed and Jennifer McMullen. Other
Community Campuses
Advancement team members that served as story advisors included
Scholarly Research
Beth Rose, Ivy Spohnholz, Julia Martinez and Stacey Marsh. I am
incredibly grateful to work with such a fantastic team of professionals.
12
Faculty Accolades........22
Spotlight on Alumni......23
As you read through the stories of this issue, I hope you feel inspired.
Alum Tracks
Each piece, whether it be about the new low-residency MFA program,
the Seawolf Debate Team, the basketball champions or a featured alum,
is a testimony of the great things happening at UAA. If you haven't
been on campus in awhile, I invite you to stop by and experience the
Generous Donor............30
23
Sonja Sheffert
incredible energy of success and discovery. It is indeed great to be a
Seawolf!
Best,
Kristin DeSmith
Editor
UAA Accolades
Spring/Summer 2008
Volume 7, Number 1
Published by UAA University Advancement
Editor: Kristin DeSmith
Contributors: Jessica Hamlin, Peter Porco, Ann Marie Wawersik
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.
F R O M
T H E
C H A N C E L L O R
Dear UAA Alumni, Friends and Family,
This Spring/Summer edition of Accolades will provide a small glimpse of the many wonderful
programs and events at UAA. I think you’ll agree that it’s quite impressive.
The issue kicks off with a tribute to our history-making year in the Athletic Department. Not only did
both UAA men’s and women’s basketball teams reach the NCAA Division II semifinals, but our Track
& Field team set nine school records in their opening meet in Las Vegas and our Ski Team finished
8th in the United States. It’s been quite a year. All of these successes make
it more apparent than ever that we need to build a new sports facility to
replace our 30-year-old Wells Fargo Sports Complex. We’re working
on it!
Success at UAA isn’t limited to our Athletic Department. Read in these
pages about our remarkable Debate Team. Through the years UAA debate
teams have earned regional, national and international recognition. At the
2007 World Universities Debating Championship, the UAA team reached the
semifinal round beating teams from Stanford, Yale, Cambridge and Oxford.
Their performance made them the top debate team in North America and
put them in the top two percent of teams in the world. An amazing achievement.
Our Music Department, Art Department, and Department of Theatre and
Dance are celebrating their own successes, many of which involve
collaboration and interaction with our community. Jazz Week, Symphony of
Sounds, gallery shows, dance performances, operas and a season of full-length plays make UAA a
vital part of Anchorage’s arts community.
We cannot accomplish all of this without your support. I was particularly moved by Erica Cline
Blackledge’s story of friendship and loss that led to the creation of the Quianna Clay Debate
Scholarship. I think you, too, will be inspired by this story.
From athletic events to theatre performances, UAA is a place that continues to provide experiences
that feed our spirit, inform our minds, and expand our horizons. Thank you to our students, staff,
faculty, friends, alumni and supporters for creating a vibrant UAA!
Sincerely,
Fran Ulmer
Chancellor
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The BEST in the WEST
This year UAA enjoyed the greatest single season of basketball in the
school’s history. Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams each
had record-breaking success, and together the Seawolves had an
astounding 59-11 combined record for the 2007-08 season.
The men’s team won the Great Northwest Athletic Conference
(GNAC) and the West Regional titles, while the women’s team finished
2nd in GNAC play and went on to win the West Regional championship
as well with their surprising upset to the No. 2 team in the nation, who
had previously been undefeated.
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Both teams went on to the “Elite Eight” NCAA Division II quarterfinals with the men traveling to Springfield, Massachusetts and the
women to Kearney, Nebraska. For only the second time in the history
of the NCAA Division II basketball playoffs, both the men’s and
women’s teams from the same school won their quarterfinal games
and moved into the national “Final Four.”
UAA is especially proud of all its fine student-athletes. Both teams
were nationally ranked throughout the year, with both teams finishing
No. 4 in their respective final polls. The Seawolves were also awarded
the men’s and women’s GNAC Players of the Year as well as the men’s
Coach of the Year.
SEAWOLF SPORTS
WOMEN
Name
Position
Ht.
Yr.
Hometown (Previous School)
2
Jennifer Salazar
G/F
5-9
Sr.
Houston, Texas (South Houston HS/Garden City [Kan.] CC)
3
Elisha Harris
G
5-7
Jr.
West Jordan, Utah (West Jordan HS/Coll. of Eastern Utah)
4
Kalhie Quinones
G
5-7
Sr.
Loveland, Colo. (Thompson Valley HS/Otero JC/Utah State)
5
Limor Pelleg
G
5-5
Jr.
Rishon LeZion, Israel (Gymnasia Realit/Israeli U-21 National Team)
11
Erin Cunningham
G
5-6
Sr.
Yuba City, Calif. (Marysville HS/Yuba CC)
13
Dasha Basova
F/C
6-3
Jr.
Moscow, Russia (Northeastern [Colo.] JC)
15
Ruby Williams
F
5-10
Jr.
Phoenix, Ariz. (Maryvale HS/Central Arizona Coll.)
20
Ashley Thompson
F
5-10
Jr.
McCammon, Idaho (Marsh Valley HS/Coll. of Southern Idaho)
21
Maria Nilsson
G/F
6-0
Sr.
Skovde, Sweden (Sanda HS/Northeast Nebraska CC)
24
Danielle Dekel
G
5-10
Jr.
Kibbutz Ein Shemer, Israel (Ribet (Calif.) Academy/Central Arizona Coll.)
25
Nikki Aden
G/F
5-8
Fr.
Portland, Ore. (West Linn HS)
30
Lillie Parks
F
5-11
Jr.
Rialto, Calif. (Eisenhower HS/Chaffey College)
33
Krista Leman
G
5-6
Fr.
Ninilchik (Ninilchik HS)
41
Jess Merkley
F/C
6-1
Fr.
Anchorage (South Anchorage HS)
54
Rebecca Kielpinski
C
6-2
Jr.
Mandan, N.D. (Mandan HS)
RS
Denise Benavides
G
5-3
Fr.
Houston, Texas (Alief Hastings HS)
Richard Orr
Brad Norton
Brad Norton
No.
MEN
No.
Name
Position
Ht.
Wt.
Yr.
Hometown (Previous School)
1
Kevin White
G
6-4
195
Fr.
Manly, Australia (Scots College/San Diego Christian)
2
Chris Bryant
G
6-4
200
Sr.
Metlakatla (Metlakatla HS/Drake)
3
Lonnie Ridgeway
G
6-3
195
Fr.
Anchorage (Heritage Christian)
11
Doug Hardy
G
5-11
185
Jr.
Anchorage (Bartlett HS/Idaho State)
14
Luke Cooper
G
6-0
165
Sr.
Melbourne, Australia (Parade College/Eltham Wildcats)
21
Cameron Burney
F
6-7
185
Jr.
Steamboat Springs, Colo. (Steamboat Springs HS/Otero JC)
22
Phillip Hearn
G/F
6-6
200
Fr.
Anchorage (West HS)
23
McCade Olsen
F
6-8
215
Sr.
Riverton, Utah (Riverton HS/Eastern Wyoming CC)
25
Jeremiah Trueman
F
6-9
210
Jr.
Stratford, New Zealand (Nelson College/San Diego Christian)
30
Kyle Doerr
F
6-7
205
Fr.
Rapid City, S.D. (St. Thomas More HS)
32
Colin Voreis
F
6-7
230
Fr.
Vermilion, Ohio (Vermilion HS)
34
Carl Arts
F
6-6
210
Sr.
Valdez (Valdez HS)
45
Jared Kettler
C
6-6
220
Sr.
Dana Point, Calif. (St. Margaret's Sch.)
RS
Kenny Barker
G
6-3
210
Sr.
San Diego, Calif. (Clairemont HS/UAF)
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SEAWOLF SPORTS
S
ince the Wells Fargo Sports Complex (WFSC) was built in 1978, it
has served as the home base for a great number of athletic
achievements for the University of Alaska Anchorage. The original building was designed for recreational use by non-traditional commuter
students and housed only three competitive sports: basketball, riflery
and skiing.
In 1979, the UAA women’s ski team won the Association for
Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) national championship and
skier Britta Kjellstrand became the first UAA national champ in any sport.
The ice rink was installed in 1980 and within four years the UAA
hockey team gained NCAA Division I status. In 1989 the hockey team
won the NYE Frontier Classic, now called the Kendall Hockey Classic, for
the first time, and has enjoyed four more championships since then. To
accommodate the large and loyal fan base, UAA hockey has been playing
games at the Sullivan Arena since 1982.
This last year the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout celebrated
its 30th Anniversary. The beloved event was held its first five years at
the Buckner Fieldhouse on Fort Richardson, but quickly outgrew that
facility and has enjoyed great success at the Sullivan Arena, being televised nationally by ESPN since 1986. Still, the Seawolves’ basketball
teams have enjoyed winning over 80 percent of their home games at the
Wells Fargo Sports Complex which seats 1,100.
In 2001, UAA joined the newly formed Great Northwest Athletic
Conference (GNAC) and has been leaving a strong Seawolf mark. The
cross country and track and field programs have racked up a long list of
competitive accolades including nine individual conference champions.
Our running athletes now use the state-of-the art, indoor complex the
SportsDome at Changepoint to train year-round.
Then, on March 8, 2008 the Seawolves had a landmark day. The
track and field teams set nine school records in their opening meet in Las
Vegas. The ski team finished 8th in the USA. The women's basketball
team defeated Billings and set a new school record for wins in a season.
And the men's basketball team defeated Western Oregon by 30 points,
claimed the GNAC title and set a new record for wins in a season. It
was truly a historical day for all the coaches and student athletes.
Three decades after opening the Wells Fargo
Sports Complex, UAA now serves more than
15,000 students and student athletes participate in
11 different competitive sports. Each year the
UAA athlete and fan participation grows, almost as
fast as the list of winning accolades.
However, UAA’s current sports facilities are
considered the least adequate compared to other
universities competing in our conference. We have
less than half the available recreation space
(85,000 square feet compared to 215,000 square
feet) considered appropriate for our school
body size.
A new UAA sports complex has been proposed
that would serve as a facility for student athletes,
physical education majors, student recreation,
community health and recreation and as an
additional venue for public events.
UAA Chancellor Fran Ulmer is working with a
dedicated team to develop the best plan for this
new, multi-use sports arena. The planning team is
led by Vice Chancellor for Administrative Services, Bill Spindle, and Vice
Chancellor for Advancement, Megan Olson.
"We will involve the UAA family, our neighbors and the Anchorage
community in this process,” said Chancellor Ulmer. “Construction of a
sports complex to meet the needs of both our students and the
Municipality is an important step in strengthening community partnerships and developing the Anchorage campus.”
After Gov. Sarah Palin vetoed the $1 million in planning money last
year, the team reached out to hundreds of university and community
members to get their feedback on building a new sports facility on UAA’s
campus. The research found that public support of UAA sports was incredibly strong.
Construction of a sports complex to
Eighty-four percent of people surveyed
meet the needs of both our students
believe a new facility would improve UAA
programs and 83 percent believe a new
and the Municipality is an important
facility would make UAA more attractive to
perspective students. After hearing feedstep in strengthening community
back on both sides of this issue, UAA offipartnerships and developing the
cials have developed a two-phase plan to
turn this project into a reality.
Anchorage campus.
Phase 1 of this plan includes building a
sports facility on UAA-owned land north of
student housing on the corner of Providence
– UAA Chancellor Fran Ulmer
Drive and Elmore Road. This new sports
facility would not be a mega-facility as originally envisioned, but rather a 13,000 square foot facility designed to
accommodate 10 of the 11 intercollegiate sports. This new proposed
location would also provide on-campus students easy access to the
facility.
Phase 2 of the plan includes building a separate 7,500-seat hockey
arena that would be developed in partnership with the Municipality of
Anchorage. Location for this facility is still under consideration.
As UAA moves forward with Phase 1, we continue to welcome feedback.
Several preliminary sports complex and arena concepts are available for
viewing and comment at GoSeawolves.com.
Seawolves Outgrow Their Den
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UAA Debate Team coaches Steve Johnson
and Shawn Briscoe stand at the center of
the award-winning team.
UAA
Debate Team
SPEAKS
UP
Debate traces its roots
back to ancient Athens,
where citizens gathered in forums to discuss
and debate the most pressing issues of the day.
Even today, debate is part of our every day life.
Debates are prevalent in political elections, on
high school and college campuses worldwide,
and in every day conversations with friends and
business colleagues.
The University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolf Debate Team was founded in 1982 as part of the
Anchorage Community College by professor Dr. Doug Parry. Starting on a shoestring, the team
would hold regular practices, but when they wanted to compete in tournaments out of state
they would have to go hat-in-hand to local businesses for money. Some years they would compete in four or five tournaments, and others only one or two, depending on the economy and
continued next page
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UA A D E B AT E T E A M
how much money they could muster. The team had a very successful
start, and within a few years they were the dominant community college
debate program in the region.
In 1989, Arliss Sturgulewski, who is a great friend of the University,
cooperated with Dr. Parry and other friends of the debate program to
include it in the state budget to fund the team for the very first time.
Since then, the University has funded the Seawolf Debate Team.
The Seawolf Debate Team is the only intercollegiate forensics program in Alaska. It represents UAA, the University of Alaska system, and
the State of Alaska in competitive speech and debate activities against
not unlike a competitive sports team, the pursuit of excellence in com-
students from around the world. UAA debaters compete against some of
petitive debating is a significant undertaking. Typically there are
the most prestigious schools in the world, including the University of
between 12 and 16 debaters that are qualified to be on the traveling
Cambridge, Yale University, the University of Oxford, Stanford University
squad, and of that squad anywhere between six and 10 debaters travel
and many others. Director Steve Johnson came onboard with the
to any given tournament.
“Most debaters have some common personality traits,” said Steve
Johnson. “They’re gregarious, social and are very aware of regional,
national and international events and politics. They’re genuinely interested in how those events relate to them. Debaters tend to be somewhat egocentric – you have to be to be a good debater. To represent
your arguments with confidence in a way that will be compelling
requires that you believe in what you’re saying. And to believe in what
you’re saying, you have to believe in yourself.”
Johnson works hard to identify a debater’s strengths and weaknesses, and puts a lot of effort into making sure they reach their full potential
as a debater. “That’s what really fascinates me as a coach,” Johnson
said. “What is going to make this debater the best they can possibly be?
Do they need to be challenged more? Rewarded more? How you put the
pieces together in any one individual takes a lot of thought and hard
work.”
What is Debate?
The simplest description of a debate is that a resolution is proposed and
different groups of people argue different sides of that motion. Debate
is an essential tool that hones communication, analytical and research
skills while deepening knowledge on specific topics in politics, history,
economics, law and philosophy for developing and maintaining democracy and open societies.
“The best analogy to make is to ice skating,” said Johnson. “There
Michaela Hernandez proves
program in 1995 and has led the team to success on numerous
are a variety of different sports that stem from ice skating, from hockey
her point during a public
occasions. Coach Shawn Briscoe joined the winning team in 2007.
to pairs dancing, to singles performance, but they all use ice skating as
debate. At right, Nick Byrne
argues his point.
At the beginning of a semester, the Seawolf Debate Team starts with
between 25 and 35 people. To qualify for a slot on the traveling team,
students commit a great deal of time and energy to prepare and practice;
8
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the medium. Academic debating is the same way.”
Collegiate debate formats practiced in the U.S. include parliamentary, Model Congress, Model UN, mock trial events – all of these are
competitive debating in different forms. The Seawolf Debate Team practices the World Universities Debating Championships (WUDC) format,
also called the international format. This is the most widely practiced
collegiate debating format in the world.
What separates the international style of debate from others is that
it’s considered extemporaneous, meaning debaters don’t know what the
motion is until 15 minutes before the debate begins. “We have a rough
idea of what the topic will be,” said Johnson. “We do our best to prepare by researching what’s going on in the world. We put together a
book of our research that comes with us to our competitions.”
The WUDC format has four teams of two people each in a round.
Two teams argue on the pro side, and two argue on the con side.
However, all teams are competing against each other, so the teams
strive to be more convincing than the others. This adds a whole dimension of strategy to the debate. “You get eight very different perspectives,” said Johnson. “It makes things very interesting, especially when
there are creative, intelligent and engaged people participating.”
“I love so many aspects of debate that it is hard to pick one,” said
Severin Randall, a member of the Seawolf Debate Team. “I am passionate about argumentation. It sounds geeky, but how to analyze and structure arguments fascinates me. I also love following current economic
and political events all over the world. I am not sure where else I could
find other people willing to talk about the recent elections in Serbia or
terrorist groups in Nigeria.”
Successes
The Seawolf Debate Team has been successful
since its beginning, consistently earning regional and national recognition for the University
while competing on the National Parliamentary
Debate Association (NPDA) circuit from 19952005. The most significant achievement of this
era was Ben Garcia and Chris Richter’s 2002
National Championship where they beat more
than 200 other U.S. teams to be ranked the
best debate team in the nation.
Named Rookie of the Year in 1999, Quianna Clay debated for UAA
Debater Severin Randall
from 1998-2000. She joined the team at the end of her sophomore year
participates in a public
after being hand selected by Steve Johnson. “I had Quianna in a public
debate and discussion on
speaking class, and when she got up to speak she just blew me away,”
the controversial Pebble
said Johnson. “She had an extraordinary presence, and people gravitat-
Mine project.
ed toward her. She went from never having debated before to being
Rookie of the Year at the end of her first year of competition. At the end
of her second year, she was in semifinals at Nationals. Of all the teams
in the U.S., she was in the top four.”
After refocusing the program from NPDA to International Style
Debate in January 2005, the Seawolves garnered immediate international attention by winning the Rotterdam Open Tournament in the
Netherlands. The team also won the U.S. Universities Championships in
2005 and placed second to Harvard University at
the U.S. Universities Championships in 2006. At
the 2007 World Universities Debating
Championship, the team of Chris Kolerok and Tom
Lassen reached the semifinal round, beating
teams from Stanford, Yale, Cambridge and
Oxford. Their performance ranked them in the
top two percent of teams in the world and as the
top debate team in North America.
accolades 9
In its third year, the tournament continues to grow and has generated
a strong presence on UAA’s campus and in the community. In 2006, the
program started with 12 teams. In 2007 it grew to 20 teams. Now in
2008, 28 teams, or 56 students, are involved.
The tournament is open to all UAA students who aren’t currently on
the competitive debate team. The program provides students the opportunity to hone their critical thinking and advocacy skills by bringing students together for a series of five Tuesdays during the dark, cold months
of January and February. Students learn how to debate and are paired
up to compete against one another for the grand prize of $2,000.
Winners selected from each individual debate go onto a semifinal round,
and the top two winners from each semifinal round proceed to compete
in the final round.
Students discuss anything that’s controversial, including alternative
energy, health care, predator control and more. “We try to choose topics
that are timely and that will make students feel connected,” said
Johnson.
“I heard about the Cabin Fever Debates and thought it sounded like
fun,” said Randall. “My partner and I ended up winning the ’07 tournament and Professor Johnson encouraged me to begin attending team
practices regularly. It was an intimidating but exhilarating experience
that really got me hooked on debate. Before I even did my first debate, I
knew it was something I wanted to do because when I watched the
competitive team do a demonstration debate, I couldn't wait to have my
chance to talk. It was really exciting this year when I was part of the
competitive team demonstrating how to debate to other new people.
Ben Garcia and Chris Richter
Engaging the Community
topped a field of 282 debate teams
The team’s missions are to provide opportunities for people to participate
The team is about more than just competitive debating. It hosts a
at the 2002 National Parliamentary
in critical public discourse, and to train others in skills needed to partici-
major public policy debate each semester, inviting members of the public
Debate Association’s annual
pate in the political process as engaged contributors.
to campus to engage in discussions on important and relevant topics.
championship, beating such
One of the difficulties the team faces is that they are the only colle-
Everything came full circle.”
The team also reaches out to the local middle and high school communi-
intellectual powerhouses as Notre
giate debate team in Alaska so to compete they have to travel Outside.
ties by hosting the Alaska State High School Drama, Debate and
Dame, UC Berkeley and Rice
“We don’t have any home games,” said Johnson. “That’s one of the
Forensics Tournament each year.
University.
reasons we decided to start the Cabin Fever Debates, our intramural
debating tournament.”
Learn more about the Seawolf Debate Team by visiting
http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/seawolfdebate/.
Visit http://greenandgold.uaa.alaska.edu/podcasts/ to listen to a podcast
interview with Steve Johnson, director of the Seawolf Debate Team.
Professor Johnson is an associate professor in the Department of Communication and Discourse Studies,
and is the director of the Seawolf Debate Team. He has been involved in competitive debating for more
than 20 years. He has held a variety of leadership positions in academic debating, including president of
the National Parliamentary Debating Association, the largest intercollegiate debating organization in the
U.S. Johnson is active in international debating and currently serves as the secretary for the World
Universities Debating Council. He has also been involved with the Chinese English Language Debating Championships since
2004, and has served as chief adjudicator for the past two years of the tournament.
10
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UA A D E B AT E T E A M
H o n o r i n g a Fr i e n d
Encouraged by her parents to stay close to home after graduating
from high school at 17, Erica Cline Blackledge enrolled in classes
at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Her plan: stay in Alaska for
two years, satisfy her general education requirements and then
transfer to a college out of state. Inspired by her involvement in
debate at Robert Service High School, Erica immediately auditioned for UAA’s Seawolf Debate Team and joined the team her
freshman year. As a result of her involvement with the team, Erica
ultimately decided to complete her degree at UAA. Erica kept busy
by double majoring in management and marketing, and double
Erica Cline Blackledge and Quianna Clay
minored in communication and justice.
During her second year on the team, Erica met her debate partner and friend Quianna Clay. Steve Johnson
sensed a connection between Erica and Quianna and knew they would make a great pair. During the next few
years the team known as “Alaska CC” (Clay-Cline) formed a unique bond. They traveled throughout the country and
competed internationally together in parliamentary debate. Together they practiced for countless hours, briefed
issues and conducted research. “The bond between debate partners is hard to describe,” said Erica. “We could
finish each others’ sentences.”
The team received two citations from the Alaska State Legislature for their success and eventually advanced to
semifinals at National Parliamentary Debate Association Nationals. After graduating from UAA, “Alaska CC” parted
ways, both attending law schools out of state. After completing her first year of law school, Quianna was returning
from a trip to the Kenai Peninsula and was tragically killed in a car accident.
“Qui taught me that you can’t take life too seriously,” said Erica. “I tend to take things too seriously, but Quianna
always made sure I would take a step back from it all and relax – she made me enjoy life. She had a great heart.”
Erica and her husband, who is also a UAA grad, knew they eventually wanted to make a philanthropic contribution to the University. “I knew that once we were in a position to give back to UAA, the Seawolf Debate Team would
be our focus,” said Erica. The couple recently started the Quianna Clay Debate Scholarship in honor of a great
friend and debater. The scholarship will keep Quianna’s memory alive, while helping to support other students who
make the commitment of time and energy to participate in debate.
Erica Cline Blackledge now works as an attorney for an international law firm in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Find out how you can give back to UAA. Contact UAA’s Office of Development
at (907) 786-4847 or visit www.uaa.alaska.edu/advancement/giving/.
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11
T h e A RT S
& HUMANITIES
C E L E B R AT I N G
C E L E B R AT I N G T H E A RT S & H U M A N I T I E S
Symphony of Success: Music at UAA
n any given day during the school year the melodic sounds
of saxophones, violins, and even an occasional oboe greet
visitors as they enter the UAA Fine Arts Building. Students in this
academic program not only concentrate on honing their craft, but
are steeped in the practice and theory of music. UAA’s Music
Department is a source of musical energy that spills joyfully into
the campus community and beyond.
Faculty and student concerts, student recitals, as well as
recordings are dynamic contributors to the cultural climate of
Southcentral Alaska. This year Alaska Pro Musica, one of the
most durable combos in the state, consisting of faculty members
Walter Olivares on violin, Mark Wolbers on clarinet and department chair Timothy Smith on piano, released a new CD.
“Stravinsky: L’Histoire du Soldat,” the trio’s first nationally
distributed album, featured two world recording premieres by
composers with strong connections to Alaska: Craig Coray, an
adjunct instructor in the department who lives in Anchorage, and
Kenneth Benshoof of Seattle, Wash., who was raised in Fairbanks
and has family there.
In addition to teaching, UAA’s music faculty participate in community music organizations and perform with local symphonies,
opera companies, concert choirs and orchestras. They offer performances and master classes at local schools, directing or
assisting with youth symphonies, judging district and state solo
and ensemble competitions, and hosting jazz, keyboard and choral
festivals. Members of the faculty have gained national recognition
as composers, writers and recording artists and have presented
concerts statewide and throughout the U.S., Asia and South
America.
The faculty serve as models for students, who during their
career at UAA, perform in local music events, teach in the community, work at local music stores and participate in Anchorage
music organizations.
Academically, students choose one of three degree programs:
Bachelor of Arts in Music, Bachelor of Music in Performance, and
Bachelor of Music with an emphasis in Music Education. There’s
also a minor in music for students majoring in other academic
areas. Students benefit from what can only be called an optimum
physical learning environment. Classes are held in the Fine Arts
Building, a modern $30 million facility with state-of-the-art, 220seat recital hall; clean, well-lighted classrooms; computer access,
a listening lab, soundproof practice rooms, lockers and quiet
areas for study and relaxation.
UAA strives to not only educate students, but to serve as a
public square for the community. Annual events such as Jazz
Week and the Symphony of Sounds offer a chance for students
and faculty to showcase their skills, but also gives the community
the opportunity to hear the incredible music being performed
at UAA.
Whether playing for themselves or the community, students
and faculty in the music program know the truth of the Confucius
statement that says human nature is impossible without music’s
special pleasures.
O
A Collage of Mediums: Art at UAA
I
n “Sankofa: Years & Caretakers,” an exhibition of monoprints
featured at the Alaska State Museum earlier this year, UAA art
professor Garry Kaulitz traveled into his past to reclaim it and
therefore move forward. He laid his personal history before the
viewer, chronicling the past and stepping into the future.
Through the UAA Art Department and its programs, both students and faculty delve into art history but also recapitulate the
past and embrace the future through their practice and learning of
sculpture, photography, ceramics, painting, metal-smithing, drawing, digital imaging, foundations and other disciplines. The result
is an art education that addresses the difficult and critical issues
of our time while encouraging students to pursue an educated
imagination to “make a difference in society.”
The art department takes a comprehensive multi-studio
approach to encourage independent thinking, foster energetic
creativity and develop in every student knowledge of art’s critical
and historical functions.
Prof. Kaulitz and other members of
the talented faculty help their students
acquire technical skills, confidence in
working with a variety of materials,
and the knowledge necessary to
evaluate the great heritage of past
and contemporary art and design.
Students choose either a Bachelor of
Arts program that gives them the
experience of problem solving in a
liberal-arts context; a Bachelor of Fine
Arts program that gives them professional art training; a Bachelor of Fine
Arts in Digital Graphics and Design
whereby they receive training in
applied arts; Art Education, for
teacher preparation; or a Continuing
Education program as either as a
pre- or post-baccalaureate student.
Study of the past, imitation and
re-invention of proven techniques of
artistic creation, and artistic discovery
are milestones on the road to knowledge and practice of art.
V I S U A L ART
MUSIC
Opposite page: UAA art professor Garry Kaulitz pulls a
colagraphic print while students Nancy Stallings and
Sandra Lower look on. Above: Alaska Pro Musica members
and UAA music professors Walter Olivares, Timothy Smith
and Mark Wolbers.
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Swing, Saunter, Set, Stage:
Theatre and Dance at UAA
T
THEATRE
and DA N C E
C E L E B R AT I N G T H E A RT S & H U M A N I T I E S
he show always goes on for the UAA Department of Theatre
and Dance. The production of plays and dance performances
keep the university’s stages and studios busy throughout the year.
Production is at the heart of the award-winning theatre program. Every year, UAA Theatre produces a series of full-length
plays on its state-of-the-art Mainstage, a convertible thrust stage
that’s one of the most thrilling playhouses in Alaska. Students also
produce and direct full-length and one-act plays in the Jerry
Harper Studio Theatre.
The Theatre and Dance program enjoys strong ties to the
in fact, was a 1999 production of “King Lear” that depended for
world beyond the campus. Its actors, for example, are not limited
much of its success on a 69-year-old veteran actor in the title role.
to students. The plays are cast at open auditions, and besides
That was Jerry Harper, who died in 2005 and whose name graces
theatre majors and non-majors, directors recruit members of the
community. One of the highlights of the history of theatre at UAA,
the studio theatre.
This year, the department ventured into a new kind of arena.
The cast of “She Stoops to Conquer,” the Restoration comedy by
Oliver Goldsmith that was a Mainstage production in late winter,
produced a handful of intentionally silly videos, under the title
“She Stoops to Gossip.” During the run the cast posted them on
the online video farm, YouTube.
The department schedules special Mainstage shows as “High
School Matinees” so Anchorage secondary school students can
attend the theatre at deeply discounted rates.
The UAA Dance program is among the most vital in Alaska
and is the first in the state to offer dance-degree programs, leading to a B.A. in theatre with a dance emphasis or a minor in
dance. UAA Dance, too, maintains an active performance role
within the community through its continued residencies for guest
artists – important names in the field of dance who teach, perform
and direct performances while forging ties to such organizations
as Out North Contemporary Art House, Alaska Design Forum,
Homer Arts Council, International Gallery of Contemporary Art,
Alaska Dance Theatre and others.
Those who support UAA Theatre and Dance show their
affection for one of the greatest arts organizations in Alaska in
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many ways. They become season subscribers, saving more than
Photo by Micha Sanders
Above: The 2005 UAA production of Shakespeare’s last play, “The
Tempest,” was called a “work of enchantment” by one newspaper
reviewer. Right: Theatre and Dance faculty member Katya
Kuznetsova shows how the freedom and grace of dance lift the spirit.
30 percent of the cost of individual tickets. Staffers at the UAA
Theatre box-office (907) 786-4849 can explain how to subscribe.
Among next year’s scheduled Mainstage productions are
Shakespeare’s “As You Like It,” Euripides’ “The Trojan Women,”
and the musical “Godspell.”
Supporters contribute to the Masterpieces of the Theatre
Foundation Account to help pay for honorariums, equipment,
travel and training. They donate to the William R. Wilson
Scholarship Account to support the production, publication and
encouragement of original drama at UAA; to the Dayle Skore
Memorial Foundation Account to provide scholarships and
awards to students admitted to the Theatre and Dance program;
and to the Chandler Braley Memorial Dance Scholarship fund to
give financial aid to a male dancer in the UAA Dance Program.
The UAA Alumni Association piggybacks on UAA Theatre and
Dance productions through its “Curtain Call” program. This is a
pre-play reception for interested alumni who visit the campus and
watch the play at a discount.
The department also offers “Backstage Tours” to invited
members of the public who pay a fee to learn about the Theatre
and Dance program. Prior to an evening’s show, they take a
guided tour of the theatre house and the set. This occurs during
two of the season’s Mainstage productions, once for each show.
For anyone not involved in theatre, a Backstage Tour is perhaps
the best way to walk the boards and smell the greasepaint.
A New Way of Writing at UAA
W
hen it comes to change and growth, leading UAA into the
21th Century, the university’s literary arts program stands
Another CWLA program about to start is the Northern
Renaissance and Art Series, an intellectual and aesthetic festival
proudly beside its science departments, researchers, business
of public lectures, readings and performances by writers, scien-
and nursing schools and other programs.
tists, artists, musicians and cultural leaders, all at the top of their
The Department of Creative Writing and Literary Arts (CWLA) is
game. Not just students and faculty will enjoy these talks and pre-
currently undergoing its most sweeping developments since it
sentations, but the general public will be invited as well. They will
grew out of the English Department some 10 years ago.
occur during the students’ summer residency but at other times at
This year CWLA is inaugurating a new, low-residency mode of
delivery. The revised program, to begin in July, will give graduate
UAA as well.
Through presentations and events like the Northern
students the flexibility to live a genuine writing life without having
Renaissance lecture series, the new CWLA program will exert an
to uproot their families and leave jobs and homes. It is the first
extraordinary impact on the Anchorage community.
time low-residency creative-writing instruction has been offered
One of the principal themes of the lecture series – one as
strong in the arts at UAA as in the sciences – is the forging of links
in Alaska.
During the three-year Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program
among disciplines. This notion conforms well with one of CWLA’s
administered by CWLA, graduate writing students – at home
main objectives, which is to infuse the study of writing with cross-
wherever they may live – write and study under the guidance of
disciplinary and cross-cultural elements. Both the lecture series
individual writing mentors. The mentors include CWLA core
and MFA program will foster intellectual and artistic dialogue
faculty as well as a large body of notable writers and teachers
among artists grappling with ideas of landscape and humanity.
from across Alaska and around the country. The program’s foundation is the 12 days of summer residency in Anchorage when the
core faculty, all guest mentors and the students gather for an
intensive session of lectures, craft workshops, manuscript
critiques and public readings. Altogether, MFA Creative Writing
students at UAA participate in four summer residencies. Noted
fiction author Ron Carlson will be this year’s keynote speaker during
the residency that begins July 13.
JASON WENGER MEMORIAL FUND/SCHOLARSHIP
Jason Wenger was a 27-year-old student pursuing a Master
of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing at UAA when he was
shot dead in a random killing in Anchorage in early December. His death shocked the Department of Creative Writing
and Literary Arts as well as the broader community. The man charged with killing him has been charged also with
killing his own father and wounding three other people in a rampage.
Jason’s thesis was in fiction and he had been expected to graduate in May. His MFA was awarded posthumously
during a memorial ceremony at UAA on Jan. 15.
In Jason’s honor, the University has established a fund for the Jason Wenger Memorial Writing Award. As of early
March, the fund balance was about $6,000, raised through donations. CWLA professor Jo-Ann Mapson, who was
CREATIVE
Jason’s thesis advisor, says the first award in Jason’s name will be given out this year to a graduate writing student
who demonstrates exceptionally strong literary talents and whose thesis is exemplary.
Those interested in supporting future writing scholarships at UAA as well as the establishment of the Northern
Renaissance Science & Art Series, which is part of the new, low-residency MFA writing program, can make a taxdeductible donation to the Excellence in Creative Writing & Literary Arts Fund. Please send donations to CWLA or to
the Advancement Office, adding the line, ATTN: Excellence in Creative Writing & Literary Arts Fund. The address is the
same for either: UAA, 3211 Providence Drive, Anchorage, AK 99508. For more information, please call (907)786-4394.
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W R T I T I NG
C E L E B R AT I N G T H E A RT S & H U M A N I T I E S
Alaska Quarterly Review:
A quarter-of-a-century
of literary excellence
T
he Alaska Quarterly Review (AQR), published by the
University of Alaska Anchorage and edited by Professor
Ronald Spatz, turns 25 this year. Founded in 1982, AQR has
received widespread acclaim and has directed the nation's
attention to the literary arts in Alaska.
A quarter-of-a-century of literary excellence was celebrated on
Feb. 3, 2008 at the Loussac Library in Anchorage. The event
marked the opening of a month-long Alaska Quarterly Review 25th
Anniversary Photographic Exhibition featuring some of Alaska’s
best photographers and contributors to AQR. Anniversary
celebrations in Homer, Fairbanks, Sitka
and Nome also marked this milestone,
and additional events are planned for
We have stayed true to our
Bethel and Palmer, with a second
mission – to produce a
round of events in Homer and
Fairbanks.
Deemed by The Washington Post
Book World as "one of the nation's best
literary magazines," and most recently
national, front-line literary
journal featuring new and
emerging writers, poets,
by the Sunday New York Times Book
playwrights, essayists and
Review as "fresh treasure," Alaska
photographers.
Quarterly Review demonstrates that
the University of Alaska Anchorage has
AQR Editor Ronald Spatz
an important place in the larger
literary world.
“We have stayed true to our mission – to produce a national,
front-line literary journal featuring new and emerging writers,
poets, playwrights, essayists and photographers. We are honored
that the Alaska Quarterly Review has helped put Alaska on the
literary map,” said Spatz. “It has been an honor and a privilege to
work on this project since the very beginning.” Professor Spatz
also serves UAA as the dean of the University Honors College and
director of the community outreach Web site, LitSite Alaska.
www.uaa.alaska.edu/aqr
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THE
H UMANITIES
C E L E B R AT I N G T H E A RT S & H U M A N I T I E S
Ask the Questions Discover the Answers
n a world where scientific and technological
knowledge is said to double every five years
or less, the humanities can pride themselves on
holding to the eternal verities, the study of what
makes us human in spirit and desire through the ages
– philosophy, history, language.
But in the humanities no less than in the sciences,
knowledge advances, as it must advance, if the race is to
survive. Because, as H.G. Wells put it not so very long ago,
“Human history becomes more and more a race between
education and catastrophe.” The humanities at UAA complement the sciences and deepen students’ understanding of
themselves and their world.
The Department of History and Geography, for example,
takes as its subject everything that human beings have ever
thought and done, to the extent that it was remembered, that
what was remembered was recorded, and that what was
recorded has survived. The learning of history is, by definition, one of humanity’s greatest challenges. Small wonder it is often defined as interpretation and argument
without end.
And yet knowledge of history is the principal means
by which humans discover and preserve their collective
identity, through which they glimpse their potential and acquire, if
they’re lucky, a clear-eyed view of their limitations. At UAA, students
undergoing the intellectual discipline of history examine and interpret
the often fragmentary and incomplete documentary records of human
activity and try to balance the scientific technique and creative
imagination at the heart of the historical enterprise. All this so they
can weave fragments of evidence into an intelligent account of
human experience.
The department offers UAA students a B.A. as well as a
minor in history. The award of honors in history recognizes
distinguished achievement by undergraduate majors in the
study and writing of history.
The UAA Department of Philosophy also seeks to develop
its students into well-rounded agents of their own destinies,
whether they choose to major or minor in philosophy, or
wish to acquire the Certificate in Applied Ethics. In either
case, students avail themselves of a variety of courses in
the central areas of philosophy. They grapple with the
most fundamental problems in the field, building confidence so they emerge fully aware of the great historical
dilemmas and especially their application to contemporary issues.
A brief sample of recent faculty presentations at
professional conferences shows the breadth of scholarship the department supports, to the benefit of both
I
faculty and students. Assistant Prof. Raymond Anthony, for example,
delivered a paper last year in Sweden on developing an animal ethics
through the philosophy of technology. Associate Prof. and department
chair Tom Buller’s paper, delivered in Barcelona a few years ago, was
titled “Brains, Lies and Neuroimages.” And Assistant Prof. Stephanie
Bauer appeared in Nova Scotia three years ago to ask, “Can traditional
models of autonomy suffice?”
Philosophy at UAA takes the measure of man and woman from crown
to foot while delving deeply into the human soul and its unending negotiations with the external world. Students who pursue a degree in
Philosophy at UAA – through the Philosophy track, the Applied Ethics
track, or the Law track – appreciate at a rock-bottom level that today the
fight for truth and justice in the human condition goes hand in hand with
the pulse of neurons, business-investment in the Third World, and the
prosaic needs of our animal cousins.
The hallmark of the humanities is perhaps the human capacity for
language. And at UAA, where some 2,000 students enroll in courses in
American Sign Language, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Alaska
Native Languages, Korean, Latin, Russian and Spanish, at levels from
beginning to fluency, language is a linchpin in the students’ understanding of cultural diversity.
About 100 students study language as their undergraduate concentration. But whether the focus is on language as major or minor or a means
to a more sophisticated cultivation of the self, the UAA language student
emerges better prepared to live and work in a world in which contact
with other cultures is more frequent and in which appreciation and
respect for linguistic and cultural diversity is more important.
Two new instructors in the UAA Department of Languages illustrate
the high value it places on language proficiency, creativity and teaching.
The Rev. Koun Franz, a new term instructor of Japanese, was trained as a
priest at the Soto Zen monasteries of Zuio Temple in Ehime Prefecture
and Shogo Temple in Kumamot Prefecture. Rev. Franz also holds a
master's degree in Creative Writing in Fiction from Eastern Washington
University.
Ms. Margarita Kharlova, from Barnaul, Russia, is the 2007-2008
Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant in Russian. Ms. Kharlova
teaches elementary Russian courses and holds focused conversation sessions with advanced-level students of Russian. In addition, she is completing a degree in cognitive linguistics at the Linguistic Institute, Barnaul
State Pedagogical College.
Broader knowledge and appreciation of our fellow citizens of the
world and of our own place within it – this is the great humanities project since the time of the Ancient World. Today’s world is immeasurably
more complex than the world of antiquity, which makes that project even
more crucial – a responsibility taken seriously at UAA.
C O M M U N I T Y
CAMPUSES
Arts & Humanities on
the Community Campuses
U
AA’s four community campuses – based in Kenai, Kodiak, Palmer
and Valdez – enable the university to stretch its arms through
much of Southcentral Alaska, extending its educational mission and
cultural and scientific influence well beyond Anchorage.
Consider that two of the most important cultural events of the year –
not just in Alaska but in the American Northwest – are offered by outposts of UAA: Prince William Sound Community College’s Last Frontier
Theatre Conference in Valdez, and the Kachemak Bay Writers’
Conference in Homer, produced by UAA’s Kenai Peninsula College (KPC)
through the college’s Homer branch, Kachemak Bay Campus.
KPC boasts a faculty of high accomplishment in the arts and
humanities. Associate Prof. of History Cathryn Pearce, for example, has
achieved international fame through her expertise on maritime wrecking – the malicious practice of luring ships onto rocks and disaster
through the use of false lights. The BBC documentary series
“Timewatch” featured Dr. Pearce in a show on maritime wrecking that
aired in the U.K. in December. Her paper on the topic, titled “Luring by
False Lights,” will be read in June at the 5th International Congress of
Maritime History in Greenwich, England. Meanwhile, KPC Associate
Prof. of Art Celia Anderson, adjunct faculty member Joy Falls, several
KPC art students and a KPC graduate all had original art work exhibited
at the Kenai Fine Arts Center.
The arts and humanities enjoy a flowering at the other community
campuses as well. Kodiak College, for example, prides itself on
offering an opportunity for a truly liberal education through its
Department of English, one that gives students time-honored tools for
self-discovery and exposure to enduring ideas. Arts classes at
Matanuska-Susitna College have led to exhibits of student works
in Wasilla.
And at Prince William Sound Community College (PWSCC), where
the play’s the thing, a proposal to have an Associate of Fine Arts in
Playwriting was approved by the Statewide Academic Council and
was approved by the Board of Regents in April. The linchpin of
dramatic writing at PWSCC is Dawson Moore, whose own plays have
been produced in San Francisco, New York, Italy and elsewhere.
Moore directs the Last Frontier Theatre Conference. His own playwriting students in Valdez have gone on to enjoy their own success. One,
Mollie Ramos, has seen her plays accepted at the Valdez conference,
the Fairbanks “8-x-10” festival and others.
Few events in the Alaska arts calendar compare with the Last
Frontier Theatre Conference or the Kachemak Bay Writers’
Conference. Both events occur in June and draw nationally known
figures in theatre, fiction, poetry and creative non-fiction. The conferences shine a glowing spotlight on UAA, give Alaska’s own playwrights and writers unparalleled views into the mysteries of their
crafts, and make a positive contribution to the state’s economy by
drawing scores of Outsiders.
Award-winning author
Amy Tan was the keynote
speaker at the 2007
Kachemak Bay Writers’
Conference. Below: a
writer at the conference
takes in the breathtaking
scenery of Homer, Alaska.
Beautiful Valdez, Alaska, and its Convention
Center provide the backdrop every June for
the nationally renowned Last Frontier Theatre
Conference, when scores of new scripts
receive stage readings and professional
critiques, all of it under the eye of director
Dawson Moore (red tie).
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S C H O L A R LY
RESEARCH
C E L E B R AT I N G T H E A RT S & H U M A N I T I E S
Associate Prof. of History Cathryn Pearce has been recognized internationally and
featured on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for her expertise on maritime
wrecking. Read more about her work on page 19.
The Other Side of Research:
Scholarship and Creative Activity
esearch isn’t all lab coats and beakers. The “other” side of
research, called scholarship, is the branch of learning based in
the humanities: philosophy, literature, history and fine arts. In these
fields, the focus is seeking to understand how humanity adapts to
and is affected by all the scientific data we are collecting. How can
we not only survive, but actually thrive?
The humanities at the University of Alaska Anchorage examine
the characteristic of reality, the purpose of human existence, the
properties of knowledge and the qualities of sound reasoning, eloquent communication, and creative expression. They study the problems of right conduct in personal, social and political life. They also
consider the properties of the divine, the sacred and the mysterious.
In these tasks, the humanities reflect upon the world’s heritage of the
arts, history, languages, literature, religion and philosophy.
Funding for research is always challenging, and individuals in the
humanities have fewer opportunities to win grants than their traditional science counterparts. There is a great need to encourage
more scholarship; funding and support are crucial to stimulating
innovation. UAA support is available through the Chancellor’s Fund
for Research and Scholarship and the Office of Undergraduate
Research and Scholarship (OURS) of the University Honors College.
Other sources are the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and
the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).
"Our ambition is that every motivated student at UAA should have
the opportunities for hands-on inquiry and discovery that will enrich
their undergraduate education and point them toward successful
professional lives," said Ronald Spatz, Dean of the University Honors
College.
Currently at UAA, scholarship in the philosophy department may
help promote more humane treatment of animals, and the dance
department will host a festival this spring which celebrates the universality of the common language of moving one’s body with rhythm.
Imagine an art exhibit that encourages us to reconsider our past and
try to understand the lessons such reflection can provide as we look
to the future.
The reward for enhancing scholarship is the advantage it gives to
the communities who engage in it. New knowledge gives a competitive edge that increases the standard of living for those who utilize it,
from our university campus to the nation as a whole.
Scholarship opportunities at UAA can be right outside the door or
on the other side of the world. Whereas science isolates a single
issue for analysis, the humanities let us see the issue in the bigger
picture as it affects our humanity. And scholarship is an effective
way to captivate student’s attention and ignite learning.
R
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 on including UAA in my will.
Name:_________________________________________
Address:_______________________________________
______________________________________________
Phone:________________________________________
Office of Advancement . University of Alaska Anchorage
3211 Providence Drive . Anchorage, AK 99508
Rates will go down on July 1, so make your gift now and enjoy a
higher payout rate for the rest of your life.
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%
FACULTYACCOLADES
Dr. LeeAnn Munk, Chair of the
Department of Geological
Sciences, went to Antarctica
where she studied the transport of
metals from glaciers to lakes for
the McMurdo Long Term
Ecological Research project. This
research was part of the National
Science Foundation (NSF)-OPP
Grant awarded to the Byrd Polar
Research Center at Ohio State
University.
Leonard F. Kirk, assistant director of UAA's Aviation Technology
Division, was one of several aviation experts interviewed on PBS's
"The News Hour With Jim Lehrer" for his part in developing a new
GPS-based system known as ADS-B, which provides navigation
aids, weather data, surveillance, communications and flight information services and is more accurate than radar. Kirk also was
interviewed by a radio station in New South Wales, Australia for a
live broadcast throughout Australia.
Dr. Jocelyn Krebs, UAA biology professor, received a
$225,000 three-year research
grant titled, Role of the
Williams Syndrome
Transcription Factor (WSTF) in
Xenopus neural development.
The award will provide supplies and salaries to support
student research in Krebs' lab.
The award was given by the
Whitehall Foundation, a non-profit corporation focused on assisting basic
research in vertebrate (excluding clinical) and invertebrate neurobiology in
the United States. Krebs’ research is
also supported by the National
Institutes of Health (NIH).
Dr. Travis Rector, UAA physics and astronomy professor, won a
$500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to
develop a new physics and astronomy curriculum that can be used
nationwide. He hired Andrew Puckett who on his own during
Christmas break discovered
archival data that allowed
NASA to refine its forecast on
what's now being called
"Asteroid 2007 WD5," a massive rock about 160 feet long
and hurtling toward Mars.
The discovery made international news.
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Dr. Diddy Hitchins, Professor Emerita of political science and international studies, was appointed as a Fulbright Senior Specialist.
She will work with the University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM) to
design the prototype of a series of far northern Canadian faculty
development institutes with study tours.
Dr. Khrys Duddleston, UAA assistant
professor of biological sciences,
was selected to participate in the
2007-2008 American Society for
Microbiology Scholars-in-Residence
Program. Only 13 biology educators
from around the country were
selected to participate in this yearlong residency aimed at improving
student learning in the microbiological and biological science.
Craig Coray, UAA adjunct instructor of music,
authored “Dnaghelt’ana Qut’ana K’eli Ahdelyax:
They Sing the Songs of Many People,” a
book on Dena’ina songs. It was published by Kijik Corporation in conjunction with the National Park Service and
will be distributed among inland communities to help revive the traditional
language, song and dance.
ENRI faculty, postdoctoral scientists,
and graduate students presented five
papers at the American Geophysical
Union Meeting in San Francisco. They highlight a series of findings including: CO2
released at Toolik Lake, AK; shrub abundance on the
North Slope; areas switching from being carbon sources to carbon
sinks; rates of soil N cycling; and
Alaska lakes vegetation and salmon
return intensities. Many of these
findings are supported by National
Science Foundation (NSF),
International Polar Year (IPY) and
Biocomplexity awards to Drs. Welker,
Sveinbjornsson and Sullivan and represent the culmination of many years
of field research projects in Alaska
and Greenland.
Sherry Simpson, UAA professor and
chair of creative writing and literary
arts, has published a new book.
“The Accidental Explorer:
Wayfinding in Alaska” is a collection
of lyrical essays recounting
Simpson’s adventures exploring the
great state of Alaska and the similar
elements of soul searching. The
book is available from all major book retailers.
S P O T L I G H T
O N
ALUMNI
Christian Muntean
Working in communities ripped apart by famine, disaster, and even
war, and seeing the people of those places desperate and hurting,
has caused one Alaskan to dedicate his life to solving those
problems. Christian Muntean is that man. As the executive director
of Beyond Borders, an Alaska faith-based, humanitarian, nonprofit
agency dedicated to empowering communities by building strong
leaders and promoting healing through the sharing of their Christian
faith, Muntean works on these problems every day.
Continued on next page
SPOTLIGHT ON ALUMNI
w w w. u a a a l u m n i . o r g
Muntean first got started on this path shortly after high school when he began
doing missionary work.
“While working in the Middle East in my early 20s…I realized I needed more training,” Muntean said. He came home and went through the sociology program at the
University of Alaska Anchorage. Upon graduating, he worked for various emergency
relief and rehabilitation programs in areas like Sudan, Kenya and Kosovo.
Muntean has since come home to Alaska where he’s working to help wounded
rural Alaska communities move beyond their tribulations through the Beyond Border’s
Transforming Leaders program, which trains leaders in rural areas.
According to Beyond Borders, the rural communities of Alaska lead the nation in
rates of suicide and poverty, as well as sexual, substance and domestic abuse.
“Our vision for rural Alaska is that hurting communities will become healing communities,” Muntean said. “We work with any leader who desires to see his or her
community do well.”
“One thing that drives me has to do with the time I’ve spent in conflict and war
zones,” Muntean explained. “You can feel a real sense of despair that nothing will
change because you never hear of a willingness to change.”
Working in Alaska has been somewhat different. “Some years ago, I began to recognize that the Alaska Native people were different,” Muntean said. “And that fills me
with hope.”
It has taken a lot of learning for Muntean to get to this point. His experiences in
the field have been vital to his understanding of peoples and cultures, but his education gave him greater insight into underlying themes within those cultures.
“I didn’t recognize it at the time, but after I graduated I realized what an
absolute top-notch training I received from UAA,” Muntean said. “In my first
assessment of a refugee camp, I clearly remember referring back to both theoretical and assessment models I had been introduced to at UAA.” Muntean said this
helped him identify issues within the village that were being intentionally hidden.
It wasn’t just the subject matter that held interest for Muntean inside the halls
of UAA, but the professors that captured his imagination. Several professors captivated him during the course of his study. “They had a very clear sense of interest
in their subject, they enjoyed teaching and their classes all made me consider
switching majors at some point,” he said.
Profile by Morgan Sneed–JPC 201
Morgan Sneed, 26, is a Journalism and Public Communications major at UAA. He is a
combat correspondent for the U.S. Air Force. He does video production and documentation for the Air Force and has recently begun doing broadcast journalism.
Alumni giving impacts
scholarships at UAA
Back Row: Sarah Aiken, Letitia Churchill, Michelle Steffens; Center: Lindsey Moore
24
accolades
Scholarships are an investment in a young person’s future. For many UAA students, scholarships mean the difference between holding two jobs or one, or
being able to attend school at all. For other students, scholarships reward
their creativity and talent. Every scholarship at UAA nurtures Alaska’s future
teachers, engineers, managers, artists, nurses and scientists, among others.
The cost to attend UAA for an undergraduate resident can run as high as
$6,000 per year; room, board, transportation and other costs can run another
$9,000. To reduce the financial burden
and keep students focusing on acaThis scholarship will
demic success, financial aid and
assist me in completscholarships are available. Nearly
ing my life-long goal of half of all students at UAA receive
some sort of financial aid. Last year,
continuing to assist
friends and alumni gave generous
and empower those in
outright gifts and endowments, proneed and to show them viding more than $465,000 in scholarship funds. Overall, UAA offers stuthat other people care
dents more than 200 private scholarabout them.
ships, changing the lives of hundreds
– Jennie Schroll, Master of Social Work
of students.
The UAA Alumni Association provides a handful of UAA’s scholarships – the Alumni Scholarships. These
scholarships are awarded annually to six students, one from each of UAA’s
schools and colleges. Since 1982, the Association has provided more than
$83,000 in scholarship support to students. These scholarships are made possible by the generosity of alumni who contribute each year through the UAA
Annual Fund and the Alumni Association's annual scholarship raffle sponsored by Alaska Airlines, combined with earnings from the Alumni Permanent
Scholarship Endowed Fund. This is just one way the Alumni Association is
giving back to UAA in support of today's students.
Seawolf alumni show
strong support of UAA
The Rasmuson Challenge to Alumni ended on Dec. 31,
2007, meeting 100 percent of the $100,000 dollar-fordollar match of eligible gifts. The net result was
$200,000 of impact from the generosity of UAA alums.
Alumni giving also exceeded that amount with an
additional $7,925 in gifts. Gifts from this challenge
grant have touched every corner of UAA, including all
of UAA’s schools and colleges, 38 different departments, several extended campuses and at least 51
specific University of Alaska Foundation funds.
Quotes from Scholarship Recipients
“Your financial support has opened the door to many new and exciting possibilities which will hopefully become realities. I thank you for your investment
in my future.”
– Michelle Steffens, Bachelor of Arts in Economics
“Politics is my passion. Alaska politics right now are in serious need of new,
honest faces. I think that receiving a scholarship helps to keep me focused on
the goal of becoming that much needed new face.”
– John H. Roberson III, Pat Brakke Memorial Scholarship Winner
“This scholarship has further inspired my motivation to obtain my degree and
to continue to be involved with my university and community. I am proud that
the University of Alaska Anchorage offers numerous interesting, goal
oriented and constructive activities for students.”
– Sarah Aiken, Bachelor of Science in Geomatics
“Your generosity has enabled me the freedom to focus on my studies and has
lightened my financial worries. I am forever grateful for this gift and only hope
that one day I can do the same for someone else.”
– Letitia Churchill, Associate of Applied Science in Nursing
“Thank you for your generous contribution to my education; my dreams seem
even more realistic.”
– Lindsey Moore, Master of Education in K-12 School Counseling
These students are just a select few of the lives touched by scholarship
support. Financial support provided by scholarships truly makes a difference
for a student’s education and future career goals. To find out how you can
designate your annual gift to the Alumni Permanent Endowed Scholarship
Fund visit www.uaa.alaska.edu/giving, or contact Stacey Marsh, Executive
Director of the UAA Alumni Association, at (907) 786-1941, or Julia Martinez,
Director of Annual Giving, at (907) 786-1278.
* The amount of the scholarship award is influenced by the market and the earnings available to be distributed from the endowment each year. Additionally, fundraising activity earnings from the UAA Alumni
Association annual raffle also impact the amount of the scholarships.
Dr. Matthew
Johnson
F.A.M.I.L.Y. is everything to
Dr. Matthew Johnson, an ’84
graduate of UAA’s Bachelor
of Social Work program.
Johnson is founder and president of F.A.M.I.L.Y. Rules,
Inc., one of the fastest growing parenting programs in the
United States. He has been
teaching “Positive Parenting
With A Plan (Grades K-12):
FAMILY Rules” since 1986,
and in 2000 decided to put his
teachings into a book. His
book and teachings have
proven to be a huge success,
with Dr. Johnson speaking in 80 cities throughout the United States and Canada each
year to share his experiences with professionals and parents. Dr. Johnson also has a
private practice, providing psychological counseling and testing services to children,
adolescents, adults, couples and families.
“A lot of parents ‘fly-by-the-seat-of-theirpants’ while parenting, but FAMILY Rules provides parents with a game plan to guide them
along,” said Dr. Johnson. Having grown up in a
dysfunctional family, Dr. Johnson understands
how the lack of organization, structure, accountability and communication can lead to marital
and family chaos in the home. FAMILY Rules targets the entire family system for change, not just
the child(ren). Each person in the family is
required to improve his or her attitudes and
behaviors in a positive manner. Dr. Johnson’s
book is used across the nation in schools, treatment facilities, churches, juvenile and divorce
– Dr. Matthew Johnson
courts, child protection and foster care agencies, and as a textbook in graduate programs.
In 1980, Dr. Johnson, also known as “Dr. J,” came to Alaska from Salem, Oregon to
attend UAA on a full-ride basketball scholarship. “Alaska was the last place I thought
I’d play ball, but it was the best thing that could’ve ever happened to me,” said Dr.
Johnson. At 6’9”, Matthew was one heck of a basketball player. One of his proudest
moments at UAA was when he scored his first two collegiate points against James
Worthy of North Carolina in the Great Alaska Shootout, aired nationally on ESPN.
But his experience at UAA wasn’t all about basketball. After taking a career inventory test in high school, Matthew learned that he would enjoy being a taxi driver, bartender, forest ranger or a counselor. He chose to go the counselor route, earning his
Bachelor of Social Work degree with emphases on family and child welfare. “At the
time, UAA didn’t have a Master of Social Work program, so I gained a lot of great experience in Anchorage with my bachelor’s degree before moving onto graduate school,”
said Dr. Johnson. “I wouldn’t have gotten that kind of experience anywhere else but in
Anchorage.”
After earning his B.S.W. degree at UAA and gaining some experience in Anchorage,
“Dr. J” moved to New Jersey to work on his Master of Social Work degree at Rutgers
University. From there he went to George Fox University to complete his Master of Arts
and Doctor of Psychology degrees in Clinical Psychology.
“Dr. J”, his wife, their four kids and their dogs currently call Grants Pass, Oregon
home. He enjoys swimming and fishing in the Rogue River, biking and shooting hoops
with his kids. “I’m so proud of my kids,” said Dr. Johnson. “They’re awesome basketball players, great students, well-behaved and a great testimony to the success of my
career as a parenting professional.”
What’s next for “Dr. J”? “I plan to continue to take over the world one family at a
time,” said Dr. Johnson. “My long-term goal is to kick Dr. Phil’s butt. I want to take
over his market and send him packin’! I’m kinder, gentler, funnier, taller and I have
more hair.”
Alaska was the
last place I
thought I’d play
ball, but it was
the best thing that
could’ve ever
happened to me.
accolades
25
Don’t watch from the sidelines –
Photo courtesy of Gregg Segal
Join the team!
Kendra Guffey dons her pirate swag for a photo shoot with Los Angeles
Magazine. This photograph was taken at the Eco Dive Center in Culver
City, California, where Kendra works as an assistant dive instructor.
Kendra Guffey
Being a scuba instructor, a costumer, a Web designer and a reality-show pirate is
all in a day’s work for UAA alumna Kendra Guffey. Not only does Guffey balance
working five jobs, she also finds time to do volunteer work and takes pleasure in
traveling the globe.
The 1990 graduate might be best known for appearing on the CBS reality show
”Pirate Master,” which followed 16 modern-day pirates in their quest for gold
worth $1 million on the Caribbean island nation of Dominica in summer 2007. The
program, still featured online at cbs.com, continues to generate fan mail for Guffey,
who says she was the only “true pirate” on the show, having participated in a
pirate guild for years. Since her appearance on the show, she has been featured
in several magazines and has made appearances at charity events.
Adventure has always been a way of life for Guffey, 39, who grew up in Alaska
hunting, fishing, hiking and clamming with her family. Guffey’s parents are commercial fishermen in Prince William Sound, and Kendra spends time on their boat
when she comes home to visit. She considers herself a skilled outdoorswoman
with a competitive drive. “She is interested in almost everything,” testifies her
mom, Carole Guffey.
Guffey’s many interests meant she took her time figuring out her major at UAA
before settling on completing an English degree. “English has helped me with the
ability to work almost any job,” Guffey says. And as varied as her jobs have been,
they’ve all required her to communicate effectively. Although she works as an
assistant scuba instructor at Eco Dive Center in Los Angeles, Guffey also performs
as a pirate in theatrical groups at festivals, movie openings, fairs and various
entertainment events. She’s also pursuing studies in costuming at Otis College of
Art and Design in Los Angeles, hoping to become a costumer for film and television productions.
An adventurous spirit has informed all of Guffey’s life choices, from climbing to
Everest Base Camp in Nepal at 17,655 feet, to shark diving in South Africa, to landing a gig on a reality television program. Her next adventure – climbing Mt.
Kilimanjaro to help raise money for diabetes research.
Although she eventually wants to return to her home state for good, Guffey says
she plans on “seeing the world above and below the ocean.” In fact, Guffey considers her greatest accomplishment since graduating from UAA is living out her
dreams — as a real pirate would, she says. “I am proud of the way I live my life.”
The UAA Alumni Association provides alumni networking activities, career services, campus events, legislative affairs outreach and regional alumni programming. We have been working hard to increase our activity and communication
with UAA alumni locally, regionally and across the globe and it’s being noticed.
UAA Alumni and the Alumni Association are more visible and active today than
ever before!
No matter where you live, or what your expertise is, there is a place for you
in the UAA Alumni Association. Visit www.uaaalumni.org today and take a look
at the opportunities available. If you live in Anchorage, join the Events
Committee and help plan fun, social, networking activities that draw alumni
together. Do you like to write and be creative? The Communications Committee
may be the perfect place for you. If you want to help advocate for higher education in Alaska and allocating resources to UAA, the Legislative Outreach
Committee will give you the opportunity to influence the future of higher education in Alaska. Have just a few hours here and there to give? Volunteer for a
specific activity or event that you can give two, three or four hours to on a specific day.
You say you don’t live close enough to get involved? We say don’t worry –
you still can help! Sign up to be a Regional Contact and help promote membership in your area! We’ll even work with you to help identify alumni living and
working near you so you can get together and network, or just stay in touch with
each other.
Our 15-member Board of Directors represents the 30,000+ alumni of UAA. If
you are interested in representing the members of the Alumni Association and
helping to shape our future, consider running for a seat on the Board of
Directors. Application information is available at www.uaaalumni.org.
This is YOUR Alumni Association – don’t stand on the sidelines and watch,
join the team and get involved today! Call the UAA Alumni Association today at
(907) 786-1942 or visit us on the Web at www.uaaalumni.org.
It’s a great day to be a Seawolf!
Stacey Marsh
Executive Director,
UAA Alumni
Association
Profile by Jennifer McMullen – JPC 201
Jennifer was born and raised in Alaska. She is a Journalism and Public
Communications student at UAA. Jennifer works part-time for Starbucks
Coffee, where she is a barista and supervisor. She enjoys playing the
piano, snowboarding, hiking, camping and hanging out with her family and
friends. After graduating from UAA, Jennifer hopes to work as a magazine
journalist.
26
accolades
“Wolf Wrack” is one of the 11 Big
Wild Seawolves that hang in the
Wells Fargo Sports Complex.
“Wolf Wrack” was created by
Debbie Deboc and sponsored by
the Nye Family of Dealerships.
SPOTLIGHT ON ALUMNI
w w w. u a a a l u m n i . o r g
UAA ALUMNI Give Back
A record number of nearly 1,500 alumni donors gave to
UAA during FY06-07. These alums gave more than
$220,000 to UAA, more than any previous year.
In 2007, alumni giving revenue accounted for 6 percent
of total philanthropic dollars raised, triple that of 2004.
Collectively since 2004, UAA alums gave more
than $746,000 dollars in philanthropic support.
The alumni participation rate for 2007 topped
5 percent, the strongest showing to date.
21%
So far this year (FY07-08), more than
1,100 alumni have given to UAA – well on the
way to breaking last year’s record.
There were 463 new alumni who gave for
the very first time in 2007, doubling from the prior year.
49%
30%
UAA has an alumni donor in each of the 50 United States.
To date in 2008, alumni account for 66 percent of UAA’s
total donors, although corporations still represent the
greatest source of philanthropic revenue to UAA.
These numbers refer to the University of Alaska Anchorage FY07.
FY07 started on July 1, 2006 and ended on June 30, 2007.
Where do Alumni Give ?
Unrestricted/The UAA Annual Fund*
Scholarships
Program Support & Faculty Excellence
* The UAA Annual Fund is the most flexible and strategic fund to support UAA. These
unrestricted dollars allow impact to students and programs as opportunities arise.
Photo courtesy Linda E. Allen
Brenda Fickey
career. Her time away from the classroom provided her the opportunity to concentrate on her own writing, at which point she decided to focus on children’s
literature. “I’m proud of publishing my first book in the shadows of my husband’s
“Hank Baker is alone in
death,” said Fickey. “Instead of folding in on myself, I was driven to write the
his belief that his father
book in his honor. My second book restored my joy and excitement for what lies
is still alive. Corporal
ahead, beyond my teaching career, toward a new career in writing.”
Baker was declared
Fickey attributes many of her successes to the experiences she gained at the
missing seven years
University of Alaska Anchorage. “Throughout my teaching and writing careers,
earlier, after the Battle
I’ve fallen back on the techniques I learned at UAA,” said Fickey. “The educaof Belleau Woods in
tion courses I took at UAA, literally all of them, helped me define my own special
France at the end of
techniques and success stories.” Upon her graduation from UAA, Brenda immeWorld War I. When
diately started teaching. She acquired an adjunct teaching position at Wayland
Hank finds a skeleton in
Baptist University, and also worked as an adjunct professor at UAA. One of her
the woods near his family's property, questions arise about who it was. He decides
most memorable experiences at UAA was being on the “other side” of a college
to investigate the mystery on his own with the help of two friends. Will he discover
classroom, helping others to become more profithe skeleton is his missing father or someone else?”
cient writers.
These words describe the book Whispering Darkness,
While teaching at UAA, Fickey received two
written by Brenda Fickey, a 1990 graduate of UAA’s
“Who’s Who Among Colleges and Universities”
Master of Education program. Fickey is an educator and
awards. In 2007 she was named the “Cambridge
children’s novelist currently residing in Aurora, Colorado.
– Brenda Fickey
Who’s Who for Educators and Professionals.”
Whispering Darkness, her first novel, was published in
Currently, she keeps busy by teaching language arts, science, history, and
March 2007, and her second novel, Echoing Silence, is in the works. Both books are
music and drama to 7th and 8th graders at Centennial Christian Academy, a
set in southern Arkansas and are based loosely on stories her grandmother once
small private school in Aurora, Colorado. Nearing the end of her 28-year stint as
shared with her. To begin the third book in her series, Brenda will travel to Arkansas
an educator, Brenda is excited to launch into her career as a full-time writer.
during the summer of 2008 to begin research for her next novel. Her fan base con“I’m just getting started on what I hope to be a very satisfying and enjoyable
sists mainly of children between eight and 12 years old, but she also has fans in
career as a children’s novelist,” said Fickey. “Someday I hope to be an awardtheir 90s that enjoy reliving their childhood through Brenda’s words.
winning writer or have my books on the big screen, but that’s still a dream!”
In 1998, Brenda’s husband became ill and in 2000 his health prompted their family
Throughout my teaching and
writing careers, I’ve fallen back on
the techniques I learned at UAA.
to move to Colorado. To care for her husband, Brenda set aside her teaching
accolades 27
DRIVE WITH PRIDE!
Support the University of Alaska Anchorage
Alumni Association by purchasing your very
own UAA license plate! Order numbered
plates or get creative and personalize your
plates. Each plate costs $50. All proceeds from
the plates support UAA Alumni Association
activities. For more information visit
www.uaaalumni.org or call (907) 786-1941.
To order your plates online visit
https://www.dmv.alaska.gov/dmv_online_
services/akpages/akplate.aspx.
Go Seawolves!
2007 Alumni
& Friends
Achievement
Awards
Pictured from left to right: Shane Mitchell, Debra Lopez, Eric Lopez, Melanie Baca Osborne, Garry Mealor,
Summer Engler and Leo Bustad. Not pictured: Lynn Koshiyama, Libby Roderick
Shane Mitchell, Community Service Award
Leo Bustad, University Service Award
Lynn Koshiyama; Garry Mealor, Distinguished Teaching Award
Libby Roderick, Staff Award for Excellence
Summer Engler, Student Spirit Award
Eric and Debra Lopez, Special Recognition Award
Melanie Baca Osborne, Past Presidents’ Club Award
It’s never too early to think about next year. For a complete list of award
categories, visit www.uaaalumni.org.
28
accolades
On Friday, Feb. 15, 2008 the University of Alaska
Anchorage Alumni Association recognized the
recipients of the 2007 Alumni & Friends Achievement
Awards. Each recipient was recognized for
exceptional and outstanding service in his or her
respective category.
The Alumni & Friends Achievement Awards were
created in 1986 to honor individual alumni, faculty,
staff, students and volunteers who have contributed
their time, efforts and creativity to the promotion of
UAA, the State of Alaska and the communities in
which they live.
SPOTLIGHT ON ALUMNI
w w w. u a a a l u m n i . o r g
ALUM T R AC K S
‘00s
’01 Shannon L. Blood, A.A. General Program, has
recently become the new director of corporate communications at Northwest Trustee Services. Her new
role is to direct the communication initiatives for this
and other affiliated companies including Northwest
Title, LLC; Routh Crabtree Olsen, PS; Foreclosure
Expeditors/Initiators, LLC; Alaska Trustee, LLC; and USA
Foreclosure.com.
’01, ‘07 Micaela H. Jones, A.A.S. Accounting, M.B.A.
Business Administration, spent 10 years serving our
country in the U.S. Air Force and spent time in the area
of operations during Desert Storm. She has since
started a career as the regional director of Real Estate
and Development for Providence Health and Services,
Alaska. She is married to UAA graduate Tracy D.
Tucker (’93 B.B.A. Accounting) and has five children.
‘02 Gary S. Weiler, B.B.A. Management Information
Systems, returned to Alaska in July 2007 from a twoyear deployment to the Gulf Region Division in
Baghdad, Iraq with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
.
’03 Dr. Michael R. Howarth, M.F.A. Creative Writing and
Literary Arts, earned a doctorate in English from the
University of Louisiana at Lafayette, with the completion of the dissertation, “Under the Bed Creeping: a
Psychoanalytic Approach to Gothicism in Children’s
Literature.”
‘07 Sadat Aliu, B.S. Civil Engineering, was recently
hired as a staff engineer in the civil engineering
department at R&M Consultants, Inc. Since joining
R&M, Aliu has been providing design support on the
AWWU C-2 A-B sewer upgrade and Arctic Boulevard
rehabilitation: Tudor to Raspberry projects.
‘07 Kamryn A. Brooks, B.A. Music, now works in the
Business Development Department of Chugach Alaska
Corporation.
‘07 Linnzi E. Doerr, B.B.A. Accounting, was hired by
R&M Consultants, Inc. as accounting supervisor. Prior
to joining R&M, she was the office manager for
Northwest Food Services.
’08 Aurora Hustad, B.S. Natural Sciences, has recently
joined PND Engineers, Inc. as an environmental
scientist in the Anchorage office.
‘92 Curtis Finch, M.Ed. Public School Administration, is
the current superintendent of Mecost-Osceola
Intermediate School District in Big Rapids, Michigan.
’94 Roald E. Helgesen, B.A. Political Science, has been
selected by Southeast Regional Health Consortium
(SEARHC) to be its new president and chief executive
officer. Helgesen is a former SEARHC vice president of
administration.
’97 Carol M. Swinson, B.A. Journalism and Public
Communications, separated from active duty in the U.S.
Coast Guard in June 2007 at the rank of lieutenant after
five years of service. She also worked as a public
relations writer at a community college and as a
copywriter at advertising agencies in both New Mexico
and Alaska. She currently lives in Jacksonville, Florida.
Carol is married to Billy Swinson and is a stepmom to
Jennifer (13) and Tyler (10).
’03 Jeremy E. Shiok, M.F.A. Creative Writing and
Literary Arts, was recently hired at the architecture
firm Bezek Durst Seiser as a business development
manager. He will manage the company’s marketing
plan, proposal development and contracts quality
review procedures.
‘03 1st Lt. Nickoles A. Steward, B.A. Justice, was
recently designated a naval aviator while serving with
Helicopter Training Squadron 18 in Milton, Florida.
Steward was represented with coveted “Wings of
Gold,” marking the culmination of months of flight
training.
’04 Elizabeth L. Pendlay, B.A. Political Science, was
recently hired by the North Dakota Supreme Court as a
clerk.
’05 Matthew Gilbert, B.A. English, interned at the
Cabinet level and at the Department of Defense in the
summer of 2006. He was invited to the South Lawn of
the White House to see President Bush re-authorize
the Voting Act of 1965.
The UAA Admissions and Financial Aid staff celebrates earning the1st place trophy for the Large Group category in the 2007
Homecoming Spirit Contest. The staff transformed their department, complete with a hockey rink, volleyball court, press
boxes, locker rooms and spirited fans!
’08 Emily L. Tweto, B.S. Psychology, joined
OrthoSynetics as executive administrative assistant.
She will be working in the Information Technology
Department, and will also help manage the day-to-day
operations of the Dallas office.
’98 Capt. Don R. Leaver II, B.S. Technology, received
orders to Iraq for 15 months and is scheduled to return
in December 2008. He plans to take his UAA house flag
and take pictures with it throughout Iraq.
‘70s
‘90s
’06 Jessica A. Reyna, B.A. Psychology, was recently
hired by AT&T as an events manager. She will be
responsible for event planning, sponsorship support
and community relations initiatives throughout Alaska.
’06 Sterling Sears, B.S. Aviation Technology, has joined
Alaska USA Trust Co. as trust and investment services
officer. He is responsible for assisting clients in identifying their individual investment goals and developing
customized investment programs to meet their needs.
’90 Kevin D. Davis, B.S. Civil Engineering, joined Ulteig
Engineers in Sioux Falls. Davis has 17 years of experience and is licensed in Alaska, Colorado, Alabama and
Alberta, Canada.
’90 Brenda D. Fickey, M.Ed. Secondary Education,
became a published children’s book author as of
March 2007 with her first book, Whispering Darkness.
She is currently working on her second book, to be
released in 2008. Fickey is also listed in the 2007/2008
Cambridge Who’s Who among Women Professionals
and Educators.
’78 Gail Dekreon, B.A. Sociology, has been appointed
as the 2007-2008 president of Soroptimist International
of San Francisco, a volunteer service organization for
women in business, management and the professions.
Got news? Please send all updates to ayalum@uaa.alaska.edu
and be sure to include your full name, degree, year graduated
and any information you would like to share with your fellow
alumni. For more information on the UAA Alumni Association,
visit http://www.uaaalumni.org.
accolades 29
GENEROUS DONORS
UAA Annual Giving:
A New Tradition, Growing Strong
Giving to UAA transforms lives and builds stronger futures, and
the University of Connecticut, and completing
every gift makes a difference. UAA alumni are supporting the
a post-doctoral research fellowship at
growing tradition of annual giving with their philanthropic gifts to
Indiana University, Sheffert is now a cogni-
their alma mater.
tive psychology professor and the under-
Currently, UAA alums are contacted in a variety of ways to
graduate program director of the Psychology
hear why their support is important and to learn about their
Department at Central Michigan University.
opportunities to give. In 2007, the total philanthropic dollars given
by alums to UAA hit a record of more than $220,000.
“Attending UAA was a very positive
experience for me,” said Sheffert. “I learned
the nuts and bolts of science and research,
and I had many opportunities to work closely
philanthropic dollars and why their participation in giving matters.
with faculty advisors. My research experi-
Being a part of UAA’s success not only feels good, but also makes
ence at UAA was key for my acceptance into
our community, economy and our state a better place to live—for
graduate school and it essentially secured
this generation and the next. Additionally, the level of alumni
my future. UAA opened so many doors
participation in giving can leverage larger support from
for me.”
corporations and foundations.
Photo by Timeless Moments
Annual giving to UAA is on the rise. This trend will continue, as
more alumni understand why UAA is a great investment for their
Sonya Sheffert
“I decided to give to UAA because I received scholarships in
Anchorage native Sonya Sheffert graduated from UAA in 1989
with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. After earning her Ph.D. at
college and I understand how even a small amount of money can
make a huge difference for a student.”
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.
Office of Advancement
University of Alaska Anchorage
3211 Providence Drive . Anchorage, AK 99508
Non-Profit
Organization
US Postage
PAID
Permit No 107
Anchorage AK