September 21, 1999» NR 16-1999

Regents of the University of Alaska will meet Thursday and Friday, September 30 and October 1, 1999, in the University Commons on the UAA campus in Anchorage.

The first session of the full board is scheduled for Thursday from 8 to 9 a.m. when regents will hear a report from University President Mark R. Hamilton. The meeting will convene in the University Commons in the new UAA housing facility at 3850 Sharon Gagnon Lane off South Bragaw Street. The Committee of the Whole is scheduled to meet from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Thursday, also in University Commons. The remainder of the morning, from 10:30 a.m. until noon, will be spent on tours of the UAA campus for regents.

A UAA Student Ambassador luncheon will be held from noon until 1:30 p. m. at the Cuddy Restaurant. Tours of the campus will resume following the lunch and are to be completed by 6 p.m.
On Thursday evening from 6 to 9 p.m., there will be a "Connections to the Community" buffet/reception at the Merrill Field Complex for Board of Regents members, and guests from the Municipality of Anchorage, the Anchorage School District, health professionals, non-profit corporations, businesses and Alaska state government.

The full board will meet Friday in the University Commons from 8 to 10 a.m. to hear public testimony. Following public testimony, the board will recess for committee meetings, which will be held in the University Commons or the nearby Breakout Room until 1 p.m. when the full board will reconvene. The full board is scheduled to meet from 1 to 5 p.m. An executive session is scheduled as one of the last items of business and is expected to last approximately one hour.

Agenda highlights are listed here by committee of origin:

Committee of the Whole

• Consider the administration recommendation that the board schedule for its February 2000 meeting any action regarding setting of tuition rates which will become effective for the summer 2001 and the subsequent academic year. No other action is scheduled on tuition at this meeting.
• Receive from Steve Smith, UA's chief technology officer, status reports on the university's progress in resolving Y2K issues, and on the progress in establishing the Internet2 connection.

Academic & Student Affairs

• Receive a report on the status of UA nursing programs. During the past year the university has worked closely with the Alaska State Hospital & Nursing Home Association and with the Alaska Human Resource Investment Council in assessing the health career training needs and priorities for Alaska. University staff will discuss the nursing and allied health programs that have been initiated and enhanced through the university system in response to identified needs.
• Consider a new regents' policy on residence life and student housing.
• Receive a report on UA General Educational Development -GED- programs and UAA's high school completion program. For students age 16-19 inclusively, UAA has a contract with the Anchorage School District that allows reimbursement for services utilizing the School Foundation formula. For students over 19 who wish to complete a high school diploma, UAA finds other funding sources to assist the students.
• Receive a presentation on 1999 summer programs at UAF, UAA and UAS. Discussion will include examples of summer residential programs and the feasibility of expanding such efforts throughout the UA system.
• Discuss additional ways for the Board of Regents to recognize student achievements.

Finance, Facilities, and Land Management

• Tour the UAA housing facility immediately after convening and adopting the agenda.
• Consider approval of a funding increase from about $500,000 to $885,000 for the Poker Flat Research Range Telemetry Annex Addition project requested by NASA and funded with federal money. As currently proposed, regents' approval of the increase would be conditioned on a decision by NASA to proceed with the project.
• Receive a report on the UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences operating plan and facilities need from Dean Vera Alexander.
• Receive a report on UAA's energy performance savings contract from Bob Hyde, UAA associate vice chancellor for facilities and campus services.
• Receive a report on the current status of the coal-water fuel project from UAF Vice Chancellor for Administrative Services Frank Williams.
• Receive a status report on construction in progress and other projects.
• Receive a report from Jim Lynch, interim vice president for finance, on the performance of the UA and UA Foundation Consolidated Fund. The Consolidated Fund is the combined investment fund, which consists of the investable resources of the university's land-grant endowment and the foundation's pooled endowment fund.

Human Resources

• Receive a report on the employee opinion survey of university classified and administrative, professional and technical employees. The survey was conducted by the McDowell Group in July-August 1999.

All meetings of the Board of Regents and its committees, except for executive sessions, are open to the public.

During the meeting, messages may be left at the UAA University Commons, 751-7200, FAX 751-7281. Messages should indicate that they are for participants in the Board of Regents' meeting.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Bob Miller, 907-474-6311