November, 1997

The University of Alaska Board of Regents is the governing body responsible for university policy and management through the president. Regents are appointed by the governor for eight-year terms, subject to legislative confirmation. A student regent is appointed for two years from candidates nominated on each campus.

(Regents' terms of office shown in parentheses.)

Board Members:

Michael P. Kelly (1991-1999), President
R. Danforth Ogg (1993-2001), Vice President
Mary Jane Fate (1993-2001), Secretary
Chancy Croft (1995-2003), Treasurer
Elsa Demeksa (1997-2005)
Michael Burns (1997-2005)
Sharon D. Gagnon (1991-1999)
Joe L. Hayes, Jr. (1995-1997)
Joseph R. Henri (1991-1999)
Joe J. Thomas (1995-2003)
Lew M. Williams Jr. (1991-1999)

Reorganization of the University of Alaska's administrative structure to improve services and reduce costs was endorsed by the Board of Regents. The regents voted 6-3 to direct President Jerome B. Komisar to re-engineer functions and organize the university's administrative systems according to these principles:

	Maintain a strong presidency with the ability to concentrate on policy issues but responsible to the Board of Regents for both the executive and service functions;
	Endorse the concept of a President's Council (consisting of the president and the chancellors of UAA, UAF, and UAS);
	Clearly distinguish between executive and service functions;
	Maintain a university-wide system that avoids unnecessary duplication to the maximum extent possible;
	Assure that re-engineering of functions and organization results in new reduction of executive/administrative costs of at least $2 million per year for a total of $10 million over the next four years beginning with FY99;
	Keep operational authority closest to customers; and
	Assure that this be done in a form in which actual savings can be projected and reported.

Regents approved the establishment of a bachelor of human services degree program at UAA. The program builds on the successful associate degree programs in human services at both UAA and UAF. While the new degree program has been designed primarily for Anchorage and Southcentral Alaska, program faculty have been participating with faculty from UAF and UAS in the preparation of a distance-delivered behavioral health baccalaureate program specifically for rural areas.

A Certificate in Industrial Technology program at Prince William Sound Community College (PWSCC) in Valdez also was approved by the regents. The certificate program is based upon completion of core competencies in oil spill response, safety management or electric power generation, all of which are emphasis areas in the Associate Degree in Industrial Technology program. The new certificate program was requested by both students and related industries, according to Dr. Jody McDowell, president of PWSCC.

Program accreditations at the university received considerable attention. UAF Provost John Keating reported on the review by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) of the UAF School of Education. The NCATE review was critical of the school's conceptual framework, governance, lack of electronic instruction for students, faculty professional and community involvement and the lack of an on-going assessment. The reviewers praised the quality of the school's students and curriculum and particularly cited the ability of students to work in education following graduation. Provost Keating said the Alaska Department of Education granted a one-year accreditation to the UAF School of Education with some recommendations for action which UAF is implementing. Keating said NCATE's action will not affect the ability of graduates to become certified teachers. The education programs at UAA and UAS are also accredited by the Alaska Department of Education, and neither school has ever applied for NCATE accreditation.

UAA Provost Daniel Johnson reported that the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications re-accredited UAA's Department of Journalism and Publications in May 1996 for six years, and that the National Association of Schools of Music Commission on Accreditation accepted UAA as an association member and granted accreditation for five years. Regents have asked that reports on various university program accreditations be included on the agendas for each meeting.

Regents discussed the President's Council proposal for Academic Year 99 tuition rates, but no action will be taken until the February meeting. The delay will provide opportunities for discussions with students and give regents the opportunity to review and discuss the proposal. The following schedule summarizes the AY99 tuition rates that would take effect under the current board policy, and it also sets forth the AY99 rates as recommended by the President's Council:

		Current AY98	Policy AY99	Recommended AY99
Lower Division:
	PWSCC		$60		$62			$60
	Kodiak College	$61		$63			$65
	All Other	$71		$73			$73
Upper Division		$79		$81			$82
Graduate		$158		$162			$164
Non-resident Surcharge	$150		$154			$154

Land management development plan okayed. Regents reviewed the annual report of the Statewide Office of Land Management and adopted the university's 1998 land management development plan. Copies of the plan are available from the Statewide Office of Land Management, University Lake Building, 3890 University Lake Drive, Suite 103, Anchorage, Alaska 99508. The telephone number is 907-786-7766.

Alaska political leaders met with regents. Governor Tony Knowles and Lt. Governor Fran Ulmer met with the regents on Thursday to discuss various issues, including the governor's plan to request an additional $3.5 million for the university in his budget proposal for FY99, and to provide scholarships to the University of Alaska for the top 10 percent of Alaska's high school graduates. On Friday, Anchorage Mayor Rick Mystrom welcomed the regents to Anchorage and stressed the importance of UAA to Anchorage. He also urged the regents to look into a logistics program for UAA to take advantage of Anchorage's position as one of the country's major air cargo transfer centers.

Published after each Board of Regents' meeting by the Office of Public Affairs:

Written by Director of Public Affairs Bob Miller. Page maintained by Kate Wattum. ⓒ UA