History of the Presidents' Residence Part 3
History of the Presidents' Residence Part 3
Part 3 Current President's Residence
The Politics
The concept of building a new home for the University of Alaska president has been
under discussion ever since the university reorganized as a statewide system with
one president administering the various campuses, each of which is under the leadership
of a chancellor.
At an initial estimated total cost of over $600,000, the idea of building a new home
for the president of the University of Alaska System in the '90s seemed ludicrous
for many.
The state of Alaska was in a time of economic upheaval, cutting services, cutting
programs and cutting funding—justification for every dollar spent was demanded. The
university community was undergoing a detailed program to save revenue called "program
assessment." Every dollar allocated, program offered, and position of employment was
being scrutinized for need. The University of Alaska System was looking seriously
at declaring "Financial Exigency." Because of these tough times, the idea of a new
home for the president became a major controversy in the state—the need for the home
was real but where was the money going to come from, and if the university had the
money, why put it there?
Why Build a New Presidents' House?
The need for the home was raised and the process for getting it done was started by
Dr. Donald O'Dowd as he was leaving the presidency. In 1989 O'Dowd asked the regents to consider solving
the housing problem for the UAF chancellor by building a new house for the UA president,
leaving the existing president's residence for the chancellor in the center of campus.
His argument was that with the declining state revenues, there was mounting pressure
for the president and chancellor to raise funds for academic programs. Both have responsibilities
for raising money from the private sector, and they are expected to use their homes
for entertaining prospective supporters. Although these two positions need homes for
such purposes, there was only one house on campus that was adequate for hosting these
important gatherings— the president's home. The president's home on campus was built
in 1953 and since then the campus has grown and expanded. The UAF campus is now headed
by a chancellor and the chancellor's house is very inadequate for the 5,000 visitors
per year that attend functions at the chancellor's or president's home.
The Plan
In August of 1989 the Board of Regents approved a motion asking the UA Foundation to raise money for the new president's
residence. By September the UA Foundation Trustees accepted the task of raising money
or otherwise financing the lease, purchase or construction of the new residence. Coincidentally,
some residents of Anchorage volunteered to solve the problem, if Fairbanks could not,
by providing a home for the president in Anchorage with private funds. The problem
with that solution for Fairbanks was that along with the president, 200 jobs and a
$6 million plus annual payroll would have left Fairbanks for Anchorage.
Events that cause movement
In June of 1990 President O'Dowd retired and was replaced by President Komisar. As newly appointed president, the Komisars entered the picture at an economically
difficult and awkward time. He and his wife, Natalie, were immediately immersed in
a housing controversy that was not of their making. Yet, by understanding the politics
surrounding the controversy —the Komisars stayed mostly on the fringe, patiently waiting
for the home to be financed publicized and finished.
The spring of 1991 brought UAF Chancellor O'Rourke's retirement announcement. During
the process of hiring a new Chancellor, finalists expressed concern about the lack
of suitable housing facilities for a chancellor expected to raise $10 million as part
of an ongoing "quiet phase" of UAF's Northern Momentum campaign. Because of this committees
were established in an effort to help resolve the house shortage problem.
In June of 1991 Chancellor Joan Wadlow assumed the chancellorship of UAF. Through
the rest of the year many housing alternatives were investigated. No suitable homes
within convenient distance of campus were found for sale or lease. Finally in September,
members of the Fairbanks community headed by Jim Dodson offered to raise money for
construction of a home on a piece of land located near the university on Yankovich
Road, donated by Grace Schaible.
This strategy of having the home built entirely with donations from private individuals
and companies, primarily from the Fairbanks area was done in order to counter the
criticisms being voiced about whether this was a wise time to invest these amounts
of dollars on a new home. This momentum got the project moving. In September architect
C.B. Bettisworth was hired to do initial plans and by the first of the New Year, plans
were in place to begin doing fundraising for the project. After a year of site and
feasibility planning, it was determined that the total housing effort would cost $1,012,141.
This was a professional estimate by Clark and Graves. The plan was reconsidered and
simplified by a committee including C.B. Bettisworth to reduce the total construction
costs to $700,990. By February 1993 material lists were compiled and sent to all Alaska
vendors with requests for donations. After receiving a good initial response and positive
reports on additional fundraising needed, the UA Foundation approved the construction
of the house to commence. By April of 1993, construction was under way. Upon final
completion of the project, total construction costs of the residence were estimated
at $1,250,000.
The Home
This home needed to be more than a private residence. One third of the home was designed
to accommodate public fund raising events, community gatherings and workshops. Not
including the garage and basement the public space was 2,128 square feet and the private
space is 2,215 square feet. The residence was also designed to be the most energy
efficient home ever built in the state, showcasing many of the products and techniques
researched and developed at the university and throughout the community. It was built
strictly in accordance with the Alaska Craftsman Home Program guidelines and rigorous
performance standards of the 6.02 version of the HOT2000.
The house faces about 15 degrees east of south with a panoramic view of the Alaska
Range and the Tanana Valley. The new home was designed to serve as a model home demonstrating
the very best energy efficient construction, and displaying some of Alaska's finest
products. The president's home encompasses the most energy efficient building systems
for the foundation, structural design, plumbing, heating, ventilating and electrical
systems. The structural design includes radiant slab floor heating, double wall construction
and the most energy efficient windows on the market. The plumbing system utilizes
heat from multiple sources, including solar. Composting toilets are incorporated into
the design. The heating and ventilating design includes air-to-air heat recovery,
and the most energy efficient appliances and lighting sources available.
The house utilizes a digital control system that oversees and controls the environment
in the house, both the private and public areas. This system generates periodic reports
monitoring the level of energy efficiency in the home.
In August of 1998, Mark and Patty Hamilton became the new residents of the new home.
In June of 2010, Patrick and Ailese Gamble became the new residents.