Roberta (Robbie) Graham has joined the University of Alaska as associate vice president of public affairs and federal relations.� �

This new position incorporates responsibilities of the public affairs director position, held previously by Kate Ripley, and oversight of system federal relations efforts, formerly provided by federal relations consultants, Squire Patton Boggs. Vice president of university relations Carla Beam recommended the change last spring as part of a larger plan to reduce costs, while at the same time better focusing the university’s government and public affairs functions.�

In addition to eliminating the Squire Patton Boggs contract and redefining the public affairs role, the university’s state relations function was moved to the strategy, planning and budget office. As Beam looked at her remaining areas of accountability, she saw an opportunity to further focus and streamline by separating the vice president of university relations (VPUR) role from the foundation president role and eliminating the VPUR role.� This change will occur at the end of December when Beam retires. The UA Foundation board’s executive committee and UA president Johnsen are discussing the process for finding a new foundation president. The University and the Foundation will work together to fill the position which also typically serves as the university’s chief development officer. MORE….

With the announcement of the first severe weather threat of the season in the Fairbanks area by the National Weather Service, we would like to take the time to remind employees to think first of your safety when deciding to travel under such conditions. You are asked to use your own judgment in these situations.�

If the President or Chancellor or Designee for the system/university/community campus declares authorization of its use during severe weather, leave-eligible employees may charge the absence to “personal safety administrative leave” (time sheet code 466).�

Without this declaration, if you believe your safety may be compromised by travel, then you must necessarily charge annual leave or leave without pay for the absence.�

Some employees, by nature of their duties, may be able to work at home rather than charge leave, but this is a department decision and must, in advance, be discussed with/approved by your supervisor.�

Employees already scheduled out on other types of leave (annual, sick, etc.) or on Leave without Pay are not eligible for personal safety administrative leave for that day.�

Please contact your local HR office with any questions.
[Board of Regents regulation R04.06.140 (D)]

Here's another opportunity to earn incentive points towards your wellness rebate! Build your foundation for healthy living with the Building Blocks to Better Health Challenge. No device needed, just pick a couple of things you want to get better at, track your progress and build some healthy habits! Sign up starts Sunday and is open for one week only. Challenge starts Oct. 4 and goes through Oct. 31.

Go to the wellness page to log in to Healthyroads, go to the Challenges tab and click on All Challenges, and click "join challenge."

Once the Challenge starts on October 4, log-in to Healthyroads to report and track your progress. Select a few healthy activities from the options provided to practice throughout the month of October. Progress may be entered anytime during the Challenge dates and does not need to be entered on a daily basis. You will be able to see your progress within the Challenge itself to ensure you are on-track. You may choose as many activities to practice as you wish—just be sure that you have hit the goal of 50 entries by the Challenge completion—October 31!

Remember you can still sign up for the Walk Alaska Challenge as well. Sign up for that one by Oct. 1, and be entered in a raffle to win one of 10 Fitbit Zips! The Walk Alaska Challenge starts Oct. 25 and runs through Mar. 26, 2016.���� (Download Flier)

The Butrovich building directory has been updated to reflect new department locations and additional safety information including the locations of Alertus beacons, Automated External Defibrillator (AED), first aid kits and fire alarm pull stations.� VIEW

Please take a moment to review the updated diagram and take note of your nearest exits, potential locations for sheltering in place, alarms and other emergency features. We will be replacing the old diagrams around the building in the coming weeks.

Emergency and evacuation procedures signage is being updated to improve readability and to address new approaches to emergency management. Specific procedures for fire, violent intruders, medical emergencies, earthquakes, power outages, suspicious activity, sheltering in place and hazardous materials have been included in the latest version. As with the updated directory, the new posters will be installed in the coming weeks. Please take a moment to review this important emergency information.�

Butrovich Building VIEW
Bragaw Office Building� VIEW

Additional safety and emergency information can be found at www.alaska.edu/risksafety.�

To sign up to receive campus emergency notifications via text or other modes of communication, register at http://uaalert.alaska.edu.

The map of campuses in the University of Alaska has been updated to reflect the name change from Interior-Aleutians to the Interior Alaska Campus. Please update the map in any of your publications or websites. If you have questions or need a different file format please contact mmusick@alaska.edu

Updated UA System map� JPEG�� PNG (transparent background)

Finance and Administration is delighted to announce that the University of Alaska was selected as the winner of the 2015 peer-to-peer award for innovative idea and implementation by the OnBase Solutions Expert Group. There were four finalists from healthcare, finance, higher education and the chemical industry competing for the award. Dr. Shiva Hullavarad,�Manager for Compliance, Information and Records Systems,�will represent UA to�receive�the award and make a presentation�during the annual OnBase conference.�

The University of Alaska utilizes OnBase – Enterprise Content Management System for managing the records and workflow driven process automation. OnBase has been implemented in Student Enrollment Services, HR, Finance, UAF Police Department and the Office of the General Counsel.�

The Bugle, a bi-weekly online publication of the University of Alaska Foundation, features donor recognition, announcements, training opportunities and staff news from development offices across the system. Keep up-to-date on our UA Foundation partners HERE.

Last year President Gamble signed regulations creating a smoke- and tobacco-free University of Alaska. Campuses decided when in 2015 to implement these changes and that time is almost upon us here at Statewide.

UAA and Anchorage-based SW employees will work in a smoke and tobacco free environment as of Nov. 19, corresponding with the Great American Smokeout. UAF and Fairbanks-based SW employees will be going smoke and tobacco free as of Dec. 31.�� MORE...

In anticipation of those who may wish to give up the habit, Statewide HR has established a tobacco cessation webpage with a variety of resources available to UA employees:� http://www.alaska.edu/benefits/tobacco-use/

UA President Jim Johnsen briefly joined the stage with UAF Chancellor Mike Powers during the annual State of the University address Thursday, Sept. 24 on the Fairbanks campus.

Powers spoke about his goals for the next 10 months as interim chancellor, including guiding UAF through another challenging budget year. He touched on the university's work to implement Title IX requirements, the importance of funding the final phase of construction on the new UAF engineering building, the need to continue building UAF's reputation as a leader in Arctic research and the university's centennial fundraising initiatives.

Johnsen addressed the common question "is the university one university or three" in light of the current fiscal situation and upcoming organizational changes at the university. He touched on the positives and negatives of the university as one, and the university as three, and encouraged the audience to commit to open communication, coordination, collaboration, negotiation, honesty, respect and trust – all with a relentless focus on student success.

A webcast of the event can be viewed here:
http://livestream.com/uafairbanks/convocation-2015

Strain or injury from lifting objects was the number one most frequent and costly workplace injury in the University of Alaska system last year.

Whether it's dull and achy or sharp and stabbing, back pain can make it hard to concentrate on your job. Unfortunately, even routine office work can cause or worsen back pain.

A number of factors can contribute. For example:

Force: Exerting too much force on your back — such as by lifting or
moving heavy objects — can cause injury.

Repetition: Repeating certain movements can lead to muscle fatigue or
injury.

Posture: Slouching exaggerates your back's natural curves, which can lead
to muscle fatigue and injury.

Click here for important Back Injury Prevention Tips

Once again the UA Benefits Office is offering free flu shots to UA employees through UAF's Student Health and Counseling Centeer.

The Butrovich flu shot opportunity will be 11:30-1:30 on October 15 in Butrovich 109. Click here for a FLIER with more information and additional opportunities.

Healthcare can be complicated, and it’s hard to know what you need to know to figure it out. That’s where Patient Care can help. Patient Care is your health care advocate. You can call them with billing, pricing, procedural or coverage questions and more. Patient Care is there to help you navigate the health care waters and become a better health care consumer. You can get price quotes and comparisons for medical care before you schedule your surgery or MRI so you know you’re getting the best care at the best price.

Patient Care is 100 percent confidential and 100 percent covered by the University of Alaska. But we’ll never know you called or what you discussed. They’re totally independent of any insurance company, so while they’re familiar with Premera and the Alaska health care market, they’re not affiliated with them. Patient Care can help with any medical, dental, vision, FSA or HSA questions.

What can Patient Care help with?

• Providing cost and quality research for planned medical services
• Resolving claims and billing issues
• Finding in network providers
• Verifying coverage and eligibility
• Educating members on their health plan choices at open enrollment
• Resolving prescription drug issue and help with mail order or specialty medications
• Coordinating benefits with primary and secondary coverage, including Medicare

Call Patient Care at 1-866-253-2273, Monday through Friday from 4 a.m. to 5 p.m., or Saturdays from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m., Alaska time.

Visit them online at www.patientcare4u.com/university_of_alaska/

Thank you to everyone who attended the K-12 Outreach Open House in Butrovich Suite 108 on Tuesday, Sept. 15. K-12 employees — Dr. Steve Atwater, Craig Baldwin, Putt Clark, Dr. Laurel Dietz, Glenda Findlay, Dr. Keiko Herrick, Trish Johnston, Sally Kieper, Toni McFadden, Anjali Patil, Craig Baldwin, and Barbara Wadlinger —� provided homemade treats as a way of showing their appreciation to all Butrovich employees. K-12 program staff enjoyed sharing information about their current grant programs.

K-12 Outreach exists to support career pathways for all Alaska learners. They begin with secondary students�through Future Educators of Alaska (FEA) by supporting and guiding them with dual-credit coursework towards careers in education. Next, Alaska Teacher Placement (ATP) provides leadership in identifying, attracting and placing highly-qualified educators to work in school districts all across Alaska. First and second year teachers in Alaska are provided with the support they need to succeed through the Alaska Statewide Mentor Project (ASMP), a research-based and proven mentoring program. Finally, through REACH (Raising Educational Achievement through Cultural Heritage), a place-based science curriculum is put into the hands of Alaska teachers so that all students can experience Native ways of knowing and culturally responsive curriculum.�

The entire K-12 Unit is advised by a board composed of experienced, highly qualified Native educators who share their cultural knowledge with us to make sure we are being authentic and culturally responsive in our work. Together, their four programs and commitment to education in Alaska is helping to shape Alaska's future one student and one teacher at a time.