The University of Alaska College Savings Plan is expanding its efforts of underwriting important youth-oriented organizations statewide by sponsoring the Fairbanks Children’s Museum.

The four-year sponsorship, announced during the Greater Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce luncheon Tuesday, recognizes the complementary missions of the children’s museum and the college savings plan--cultivating a love for life-long learning and providing thousands of Alaska families a tax-advantaged way to save for their children’s college education.

The UA College Savings Plan also recently sponsored an event at the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage, is a regular sponsor of the statewide Spirit of Youth Award and sponsors, in partnership with the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education, the statewide “I Know I Can” read-aloud program aimed at second graders in schools across the state.

All of these efforts work to educate parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles about the benefits of investing in the UA College Savings Plan, which can be used at any UA campus and any qualified educational institution in the country.�

“It is never too early to set an expectation that learning and training beyond high school is essential in today’s world. Research shows that if parents or other adult family members put as little as $50 a month aside for college, the likelihood of that child attending some level of postsecondary education and job training is much higher,” said Lael Oldmixon, executive director of the UA College Savings Plan. “More education gives the child more options later in life. We want to help the parents and children who visit the Fairbanks Children’s Museum learn more about the benefits of college savings plans.”

The sponsorship brings the Fairbanks Children’s Museum a step closer toward a permanent location. The children’s museum will open a temporary “mini-museum” at the UA Museum of the North, on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus. The hands-on children’s exhibits will open Oct. 1.

“By sponsoring the children’s museum at the level we refer to as ‘Herculean Mammoth of Epic Proportions,’ the UA College Savings Plan helps us fill a hole in the community for fun, educational family activities and creative outlets, especially during Alaska’s long, dark winters,” said Fairbanks Children’s Museum Executive Director Brenda Riley.

Children’s museums recognize the importance of play and discovery in a child’s development. Playing allows children to interact with others, learn, explore, communicate and make sense of the world. Through interactive exhibits and creative outlets, children’s museums bring out a child’s natural curiosity. In exchange for the sponsorship, the UA College Savings Plan will display a plaque at the children’s museum and be included in all of the museum’s marketing materials. �

The UA College Savings Plan is one of the top-rated 529 plans in the country and helps thousands of Alaska families save for future college expenses. T. Rowe Price, a well-known financial services provider, manages the plan on behalf of UA. Accounts in the plan grow tax-free and distributions from accounts are tax free when used to pay for qualified college expenses at any institution, including the University of Alaska.

Live Q&A Webinar with T.Rowe Price Financial Planner Stuart Ritter ** FOR UA EMPLOYEES ONLY **

Join the UA College Savings Plan 10 a.m. AKST on Friday, Sept.27, 2013 for a FREE webinar focused on how you as a UA employee can maximize your benefits to hit your college savings targets. Stuart Ritter will share savings strategies and respond to your questions about 529 plans.

Topics covered may include:

• UA College Savings Plan benefits
• Payroll deduction and other systematic ways to save
  (http://www.alaska.edu/files/hr/uacsp_payroll_dedn_form.pdf)
• Planning tools
• And many more!

Register for the webinar today! (http://j.mp/1gq8gPl)

Can't make it? We'll be recording the events and will make them available from our website at a later date.
Help us get the word out about College Savings, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ak529.

The University of Alaska Strategic Direction Initiative, Shaping Alaska’s Future, is planning two very big meetings in Anchorage at the end of October. Both meetings will include leaders from UA campuses statewide.

According to Paula Donson, AVP of UA Academic Affairs and Strategic Direction, the meetings hold great importance.�

“The meetings that we are holding in October are critical. We are focusing on the development of UA’s educational leaders and on the work we face in aligning our strategic direction.�By reinforcing this new direction for our leadership, we are making a commitment to them to leverage their courage, knowledge and skills to keep UA at the forefront in innovation.”

October 30 Meeting- Leadership Development Day

The University of Alaska is strengthening leadership during this time of change by offering deans, institute directors and other key leaders the opportunity to engage in discussion about organizational transformation central to the Shaping Alaska’s Future Initiative.�The Center for Creative Leadership will present a daylong session on organizational change management and provide insights into the critical role that UA leadership will have throughout the third phase of SDI. This meeting will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m at the UAA Consortium Library, Room 307.�

October 31 Conference- Clearing The Path For The Work Ahead�

Following the October 30th Leadership Development Day, a broad number of University of Alaska leaders from UAA, UAS, and UAF will gather from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the UAA Wendy Williamson Auditorium. Consultant Dr. Terry MacTaggart will lead informative and clarifying discussions about the critical steps that are necessary to move the university forward, while recognizing the steps that have already been taken to begin moving the ‘needle’ in the right direction.�

“Nothing has been more inspiring than to see our faculty and leaders pursuing new ideas and mining new knowledge. We’re keeping UA ahead of the curve in so many ways. Whether it was the White House forum held at UAA that explored the best ways to move forward with the concepts that were laid out in the National Strategy for the Arctic Region, or UA’s success in the Stay on Track Campaign reaching a phenomenal growth rate in students taking 15 or more credits per semester, it is abundantly clear our research efforts, attention to student achievement and overall striving to keep pushing for innovations is forefront,”�added Donson.�

For more information about Shaping Alaska’s Future, please log on to www.alaska.edu/shapingalaskasfuture .

On Oct. 17, President Pat Gamble will be holding a face-to-face conversation with Vice President of University Relations Carla Beam for the bi-annual 'Conversations With the President' event. The forum will feature questions submitted by staff, questions from Beam and an opportunity to ask questions from the audience.

The event will be held 10 a.m. on Oct. 17 in Butrovich 109. It will be broadcast over video-conferencing to Bragaw 205. There will be snacks and coffee provided in both locations. Stay tuned for additional information.

The Office of Information Technology is proud to invite you to UAF’s 7th annual technology conference, TechFest 2013, October 10-11th. TechFest 2013 will showcase technology innovation for both higher education and research.

TechFest presentations include training workshops, demonstrations, lectures, and panel discussions on a variety of topics. A full list of presentation abstracts is available online!

Many exhibitors, including AT&T, World Wide Technology, and Government Computer Sales have been invited to come to UAF to showcase their newest technology tools. This is a great opportunity to ask questions and check out new products.�