April 2008 – UAA Assembly Report - Student AffairsLinda Lazzell, Vice Chancellor

Pre-College Academic Enrichment in Rural Alaska

  • Twelve students completed a Pre-CollegeComputerBuilding lab in Metlakatla.
  • Fourteen students completed a four-Saturday Pre-College Computer Building lab for the AnchorageSchool District hosted at the ANSEP building on the UAA campus.
  • There are now eight UAA tutors hired and trained for the Distance Tablet Tutoring Project. They are tutoring students from Nanwalek, Port Graham and Kodiak Island.
  • A tablet tutoring station has been set up in Metlakatla for the pre-college students to use.
  • Matt Calhoun, Director of Pre-College Academic Enrichment in Rural Alaska, visited BartlettHigh School’s Cook Inlet Tribal Council Math and Science classes to encourage students to attend college and hosted a team activity for each class.
  • In coordination with TRIO, a team activity is planned to motivate students to develop a post-secondary goal with 20 of their pre-college students during a UAA tour.
  • During April, outreach activities are planned to Togiak, Barrow, Point Lay, and Wainwright to identify students for a summer Pre-College Computer Building Lab to be held at UAA. Shell Oil will provide needed funding for the computer parts and transportation requirements.
  • Distance Tablet Tutoring stations have been set up in Point Lay and Wainwright.
  • In conjunction with Native Student Service, Pre-College Academic Enrichment hosted a student luncheon for 20 Bering Strait seniors who plan on attending UAA next fall.

Academic & Multicultural Student Services Division

  • Approximately 60 high school students with disabilities attended a transition event by coming to the UAA campus for a tour, talking with current UAA students who have disabilities, enjoying a pizza lunch, and having an opportunity to apply for admission. The event was a collaboration between Disability Support Services and the transition coordinators from each of the Anchorage area high schools.
  • Native Student Services (NSS) completed a restructuring of its staff and services to more effectively serve students in rural Alaska. Mary Reeve was hired as the new NSS Outreach Coordinator. She will be working with school districts and other rural organization to address the needs of rural students as they transition from small village schools to a large urban university.
  • The first Howl Day Orientation of the season will be held April 18for students starting in summer and fall semesters.
  • During Spring Break, Educational Talent Search and Upward Bound students participated in two great activities on the UAA campus. Eleven UB and ETS students attended the Prudential Youth Leadership four day workshop where they learned about leadership, civic responsibility and community service. The second was “Block Party” a four day theater workshop led by Yngvil Vatn-Guttu of the UAA Youth Theater Program. Twelve TRIO students made a production that was performed the last day of the workshop and which will be performed at the annual TRIO “End of the Year Bash” to be held at Kincaid Park at the end of May.
  • During spring 2008 semester, there have been a total of 244 Supplemental Instruction sessions held to date with 262 SI participants.
  • The Career Pathway Program through Educational Talent Search: 65 high school students have signed up to learn about careers at one of the following areas: Aviation Technology, Job Corp, Channel 2 News, Alyeska Ski Resort, KingCareerCenter and ProvidenceHospital.
  • Linda Morgan, Director of Advising and TestingCenter, presented a session for the“Professional Development: Advising for Faculty, the topic was “Advising for Institutional Success.”
  • The Majors Fair was very successful. Several faculty were in attendance to represent a variety of majors in Arts and Sciences, Business and Public Policy, Community and TechnicalCollege, Education, Engineering, Health and Social Welfare, Honors, and Nursing schools and colleges. The event was attended by 339 participants.

Upcoming events:

  • The AHAINA Men and Women of Excellence Awards Event is scheduled April 19 from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. in The Commons room 107.

Enrollment Management Division

  • In an effort to move more students from application and admission into enrolled status, Admissions and Recruitment has developed a workshop series for this spring. There will be six welcome sessions to get students started in the college process and three advising sessions. These new events will be promoted as workshops to attend prior to and including New Student Orientation.
  • Financial aid presentations and information were provided at the annual International/Study Abroad workshop in March and to students visiting campus from Mid-ValleyAlternative School.
  • Fall and summer class schedules are available.
  • The UAA led campaign to auto-populate the high school request code field in Banner which will improve efficiency was approved by all the MAU’s and implemented during April.
  • Student Financial Assistance and Information has developed an electronic newsletter which was sent to nearly 500 VA students. The newsletter was designed to provide information specific to UAA and will become a monthly publication.
  • Ted Malone, Director of Student Financial Assistance and Information, traveled to UAF to provide expertise in helping the financial aid office load, process, and award 2008-09 federal aid applications.
  • The implementation of the new customer service process successfully began with the UniversityCenter’s front kiosk becoming an express desk where students electronically sign in to see a Student Information Advisor and proceed to in the lobby where they can have a seat at the computers or chairs where they can view the wide screen TV monitor. The lobby manager is also available to assist customers with the use of the computers. No more lines!
  • Office of the Registrar has begun processing Change of Majors; these are now being processed within one week of submittal.

Student Development Division

  • KRUA 88.1 FM celebrated 16 years on the FM dial with an open house and party. The student staff interviewed Vice Chancellor Linda Lazzell and JPC chair Dr. Fred Pearce. The open house featured birthday cake, studio tours, T-shirt and mug giveaways, along with live music by Stray Dogma.
  • More than 2,200 participants attended the Annual City-Wide Career and Job Fair was held in the Wells Fargo Sports Complex Gym. More than 115 employers attended including BP Exploration Alaska, Target, GCI, ACS, Alyeska Resort, Anchorage Police Department, AnchorageSchool District, State Farm Insurance, Progressive Insurance, Arc of Anchorage, Merrill Lynch, Akima Management Services,Kiewit Building Group, and so many more.
  • Club Council has provided over $20,000 to recognize UAA student clubs this academic year to support events and programs. Concert Board members gathered the required 750 student signatures to get the Concert Board student fee referendum on the USUAA ballot.
  • Residence Coordinator Jeremy Davis co-presented at the national NASPA conference in Boston. His presentation entitled “The Parent Gap” was focused on the concept of in loco parentis. This phrase is Latin for “in place of the parent” and specifically refers to the role of a university plays when acting in the absence of parental control.
  • Student Health and CounselingCenter statistics:

FY 2007: March 2007, total patient visits - 754

FY 2008: March 2008, total patient visits - 846

  • The Banff Film Festival drew over 1,700 people to the Wendy Williamson Auditorium.
  • USUAA, the Sustainability Club, the Bike Club, and UAA Sustainability presented the first UAA Sustainability Fair. Workshops on recycling, whole foods, and getting ‘greener’ were offered as well as an organic lunch free for all attendees.

Upcoming events:

  • The Michael Honey, author of Going Down Jericho Road-the Memphis Strike and Martin Luther King’s Last Campaign will present a lecture Thursday April 10 at 7:30 p.m. - Arts 150. Admission is free. This program is presented in conjunction with the HonorsCollege. Mr. Honey will talk about his research and lecture about the events leading up to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King in Memphis 40 years ago.
  • Late Nights in the Student Union will be held April 21 – 24 and April 27 – May 1.
  • BJ Services will be conducting interviews in the CSC interview rooms on April 21.
  • Residence Life has finished their fall 2008 recruitment process and hired 19 new student staff members for the 2008-2009 academic year.