August 21, 1973

Dr. Hiatt settles in to his new role as UA president

Release date: 8/21/73

FAIRBANKS--The University of Alaska's new president settled into his office here yesterday, met with top administrators, and made preliminary plans for a tour of the various campuses of the university in the fall.

He was to meet today (Aug. 21) on an informal basis with native leaders, government officials and legislators who are coming to the campus to continue the discussions on decentralization of the Alaska State-Operated School System.

The university's Center for Northern Educational Research has arranged the discussions, which are to take place at a joint meeting in the Gruening Building of the center's Policy and Evaluation Advisory Council and the interim legislative committee studying the state's educational delivery system in rural Alaska.

Dr. Hiatt assumed his new duties on July 2 but left the state shortly thereafter for Washington, D. C. for a debriefing session regarding his former duties as United States consular officer and counselor for scientific affairs in Tokyo. Then he returned to his home in Hawiii to prepare for the move to Alaska.

On their return to the West Coast, Dr. and Mrs. Hiatt purchased a motor home and drove to Alaska via the Marine Highway System. They arrived at their campus home Saturday afternoon.

They stopped over at Ketchikan and Sitka on their way north to visit the community colleges there and meet with administrators and members of the colleges' advisory committees. In Ketcliikan they also met with university regent A.D. Robertson.

In Sitka, Dr. Hiatt and community college director David Knapp inspected proposed sites for the college's first building.

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