The University of Alaska announced today that Louise Kadake is the recipient of its 2018 Teach for Alaska Scholarship award for aspiring Alaska teachers. Kadake, a lifelong resident of Kake, will receive a $12,000 scholarship to study teacher education at the University of Alaska Southeast. She was informed of her award by a Friday phone call from UA President Jim Johnsen.

Kadake was a student leader and athlete throughout high school and valedictorian of her high school class. She is proud of her Tlingit, Tsimshian and Yupik heritage and studies Alaska Native culture, food, dance and language. A young single mother, she postponed her college education after having her now two-year-old son Braxton. Kadake plans to return to Kake to teach after completing her degree.

“I want to pursue a degree in education because it gives me the ability to share my passion, help shape the lives of our youth, and to give back to my community,” wrote Kadake in her scholarship application. “I want to make it known that education is important and that so are our youth; they are the future leaders.” MORE...

President Johnsen and the UA Staff Alliance are pleased to announce the 2018 Staff Make Students Count award winners:

• Tim Flynn, Student Union Operations Coordinator, Anchorage Campus, UAA
• Shayla Sulser, Advising Coordinator, Department of Business and Public Administration, Juneau Campus, UAS
• Wanda Wahl, Program Liaison and Project Assistant, Allied Health, Bristol Bay Campus, UAF

The Staff Make Students Count Awards were established in the spring of 1999 to recognize university staff who have provided outstanding service to students. Service to students may include service as part of the job or volunteer service, either directly to students or behind the scenes. The awards will be presented during the May 31 Board of Regents’ meeting in Anchorage.� MORE...

Government, industry and academic representatives met in Anchorage recently to discuss new ways to advance the state’s maritime sector.

Alaska’s maritime industry — sometimes referred to as “Alaska’s blue economy” — supports over 70,000 jobs and is the state’s largest private employer, according to the Alaska Department of Labor. It includes fishermen, seafood processors, ocean managers and researchers, vessel operators, deckhands, mechanics and many others who work in jobs connected to Alaska’s 44,000 miles of shoreline and its multibillion-dollar annual seafood industry.

While the blue economy is vibrant, it faces significant challenges. Obstacles include not having enough skilled workers, a lack of interest among young people to enter maritime trades and a rapidly aging workforce. In commercial fishing, it’s called the�“graying of the fleet,”�but the problem is widespread in other sectors of the maritime economy. MORE....

The University of Alaska’s community and technical colleges and campuses will celebrate National Maritime Day on May 22, a tradition dating back to 1933 that recognizes one of Alaska and the United States’ most important industries. This year, National Maritime Day coincides with UA’s efforts to obtain a Domestic Maritime Center of Excellence designation, a distinction that would expand its capacity to train domestic maritime workers.

President Donald Trump signed legislation authorizing designation of community and technical college Domestic Maritime Centers of Excellence in December 2017. If chosen as a designee, UA could access federal funds towards admitting more students, training faculty and expanding maritime training facilities. This would provide a significant benefit to the university’s ability to increase student success and provide a skilled workforce for Alaska’s maritime industry, which supports more than 70,000 jobs and is the state’s largest private sector employer.

“I’m encouraged by the university’s prospects to receive this important designation,” said Fred Villa, associate vice president of workforce programs. “It’s a great opportunity for the university that would allow us to expand our already successful maritime training opportunities throughout the state.”� MORE....

May 15, 2018

Greetings from Juneau! The 30^th�Alaska Legislature adjourned sine die early Sunday �morning. It was a busy and productive final few days, and compared to recent years, the session closed with far less acrimony and on relatively congenial terms. By contrast, last year the legislature went on to hold a record four special sessions and lawmakers spent more than 200 days in session.

Session Recap
The university community can be proud of what was accomplished this year. Together, we demonstrated UA’s vital role in Alaska’s future and successfully argued for renewed public investment in the university system. We reversed four consecutive years of budget cuts and added $10 million to next year’s operating budget. The university will enter the upcoming fiscal year with $327 million in general fund support from the state, public support that constitutes 37 percent of our $889 million annual operating budget.�� MORE....

The Board of Regents will hold a public gathering from 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 31 in the Lee Gorsuch Commons, Room 106, on the University of Alaska Anchorage campus. The gathering serves as an opportunity for the community to meet and share their comments and concerns with the regents in person.

For more information on the public testimony session and public gathering, please visit the UA Board of Regents website.

The University of Alaska Board of Regents will discuss and approve the university’s FY19 operating and capital budgets at its May 31 meeting in Anchorage. The Alaska Legislature passed a $327 million state operating appropriation for the university, an increase of $10 million over what UA received in FY18, and a $2 million capital budget appropriation. The operating budget increase is the first in four years for the university, said UA President Jim Johnsen, and represents a significant show of support from the legislature.

On May 11 President Johnsen announced that Paul Layer has been selected as vice president for academics, students, and research for the UA System. Vice President Layer has served in this role as the interim vice president since November 2017.

Vice President Layer is highly regarded for his many years as a faculty member at UAF. He’s a skilled leader with a passion for education, and he is a tremendous asset to the executive team as we work towards our goals of increasing enrollment and student achievement.

He will oversee a number of areas in the UA system, including academic affairs, corporate partnerships, student services, distance education, K-12 outreach, academic governance and academic and research initiatives. He will lead collaborative efforts in those areas with all UA campuses, state and federal agencies, and international entities. MORE...

University of Alaska President Jim Johnsen announced May 30 that he has selected Dr. Cathy Sandeen to serve as the next chancellor of the University of Alaska Anchorage. Sandeen succeeds UAA Interim Chancellor Sam Gingerich and will assume her new position on September 15.

Sandeen currently is chancellor of the University of Wisconsin Colleges and the University of Wisconsin-Extension, which combined employ 2,200 faculty and staff and have an annual operating budget of $350 million. During her tenure, Sandeen managed the reorganization of both institutions’ structure and operations, resulting in more than $8 million in annual savings, and has championed strategic innovation and entrepreneurial programs. Prior to her current position, she was vice president of education attainment and innovation at the American Council on Education. She has also held various leadership positions in the University of California system including at UCLA, Santa Cruz, and San Francisco.

“In joining our leadership team, Cathy will bring a great perspective on engaging our faculty and staff on strategies to increase enrollment and student success,” Johnsen said. MORE...