On the afternoon of Friday November 13, the usually quiet halls of the Butrovich statewide administration building rang with the sound of gunfire. Airport police officer Mike Suter, acting the part of an active shooter, fired three rounds from an assault rifle at approximately 2:25 PM, officially setting off an exercise involving law enforcement from the University Police Department, Alaska State Troopers, Fairbanks Airport police, Fairbanks and North Pole cops, and the employees of the Butrovich building. MORE...

Throughout history inexplicable acts of violence have been committed on campuses, in businesses and on street corners the whole world over. On November 3, UAF Police Chief Sean McGee presented Statewide employees with information to increase their odds of surviving such an assault if one should ever happen. MORE...

On November 17, President Hamilton met with Statewide staff in Fairbanks, and via teleconference with Anchorage, for "Coffee with the President." Trays of cookies and fresh coffee awaited staff members as they filed into their rooms for his presentation. Hamilton uses these forums for direct communication with his staff.

Although open to any questions, his presentation centered almost primarily on staff compensation issues. Hamilton explained why the budget request for pay increase was selected at three percent, why annual step increases were discontinued, and he encouraged employees to consider their benefits in relation to their total compensation. He pointed out that these are tough economic times, when many other companies are making drastic pay cuts, mandatory furloughs or mass layoffs. He stressed that employees are deeply valued and warned against comparing perceived worth to compensation figures. He thanked employees for their dedicated service and assured the crowd he was doing all he could to secure fair compensation.�

Click to download handouts from his presentation:

Salary Increases 2000 to Present, Total Compensation, Alaska Consumer Price Index

The presidential profile, which will be used in the search process for a new UA president, has been finalized and loaded to the Board of Regents' website. MORE...

The Governor’s Cup won’t be the only trophy that UAA and UAF will battle for this year. This year, the campuses will compete in the first UAA/UAF Sustainability Cup Challenge, an environmentally friendly version of the annual intrastate hockey rivalry.

University of Alaska Fairbanks Chancellor Brian Rogers issued the challenge to University of Alaska Anchorage Chancellor Fran Ulmer this fall. Ulmer quickly accepted. The contest is built around the Sustainability Report Card, which is published by the Sustainable Endowments Institute. The institute grades 300 public and private colleges and universities each year. UAF's 2010 grade was C-, while UAA's was B-.

While contest details are still being worked out, art students at both schools will create a trophy made from recycled materials. The school with the highest report card grade will house the trophy of the losing school during the 2010-11 academic year. The next set of scores will be released in October 2010.

Each school will decide how best to raise its grade and each university is currently plotting its secret green strategy for the year. The chancellor of the losing school will deliver the Sustainability Cup to the chancellor of the winning school and will prepare a sustainable meal for the chancellor of the winning school using locally grown products.

Winter has officially arrived for another long stay in the interior of Alaska. In an effort to improve the work environment at the Butrovich Building, please read the following reminders:

• Please do not idle your vehicle along the front or sides of the building.� Exhaust from idling vehicles in these locations is sucked up by the ventilation system and the fumes are disbursed in the building.� (Please remind your vendors.)
• Even though you cannot see the parking lot lines, they are still there. The area in the front of the building has horizontally striped portions which you should line your car up with. If parking close to the building or in the side lot, please park in between the head bolts.
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• The area directly in front of the Butrovich building is one way.� Traffic in this area should run in a West to East pattern (President’s Suite to Human Resources).
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• There is a stop sign at the end of the building and another at the exit of the auxiliary parking area.� Please obey the signs.

Thank you to all of the staff members working in Butrovich. Our combined efforts make this building a wonderful and safe place to work!

The food was fantastic at the November 20 Thanksgiving potluck and well enjoyed by all in attendance. Special thanks go to Bess Rounds for coordinating the event and doing such a wonderful job decorating the Board of Regents conference room for the gathering. Thank you to everyone who brought in food or drink to share and helped make this year's Thanksgiving potluck such a wonderful experience.

This year's Christmas potluck be on December 16 and will have the theme "Dream Vacations."� Bring your favorite food "in the world" to share. Perhaps you will be dreaming of sunny warm beaches while enjoying Hawaiian pork loin, or imagining yourself on the Alps while dipping strawberries in chocolate fondue. Bess will be coordinating the Christmas potluck as well, but in the mean time start thinking about your own world famous recipes, dream foods and favorite get-aways.

Canned Food Drive

The canned food drive began with the Thanksgiving potluck and will continue through the Christmas potluck, December 16. There are boxes near both stairwells for collecting non-perishable food donations. Last year Anchorage collected 143 pounds and Fairbanks 449. It was not a record year, but it makes a huge impact on the families and individuals who receive the donations of food. Christmas mugs are part of the collection again this year. Bring your mug donations to Lisa Sporleder who will coordinate getting them stuffed with hot chocolate and candy, wrapped, and delivered with the food to the Food Bank. Theye are a big hit with everyone!

Adopt-A-Family

Once again the Statewide Administration Assembly has coordinated with Love INC to assist local families with Christmas this year. We will be sponsoring two families. Please read their touching story, and get background information on the familiy needs and wants, download the family description. Please also review the information on the second family. Donations can be brought to Kim Eames in Suite 103 or Monique Musick in 206 between now and December 18. We will be wrapping the presents on the 18th and delivering the boxes to the families on Saturday December 19.

The University of Alaska Foundation Board of Trustees elected Mike Felix as board chair and Jo Michalski as vice chair at the board’s annual meeting Nov. 18 in Fairbanks. MORE...

A $1 million BP donation to the University of Alaska Fairbanks will allow the Rasmuson Library to catalog and process more than 4,500 boxes of papers and media from the congressional career of former U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens.

The donation, made in partnership with the North to the Future Foundation, will span two years. UAF announced the gift at a Wednesday evening donor reception. It will allow the library to hire staff to catalog and preserve Stevens' public policy papers, digitize audio and visual materials, create an online exhibit and electronic catalog, and maintain the collection.

"BP is glad for the chance to help make this rich collection accessible to students, researchers and others who wish to learn about the remarkable career of Sen. Ted Stevens and his enduring influence on the state of Alaska," said Phil Cochrane, vice president external affairs for BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc.

Stevens deposited his papers and records at Rasmuson Library earlier this year. They span his four decades in the U.S. Senate and include documents, audio and video recordings, and other media from some of the most pivotal moments in the state's history, from the passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to the construction of the trans-Alaska pipeline to the creation of a missile defense system based primarily in Alaska. Processing the papers is expected to take several years.