Please join Chancellor Fran Ulmer and the Office of University Advancement in celebrating the spring semester success of our student fundraising team. For the second year in a row, this dynamic team of young people raised more than $100,000 by connecting with UAA alumnae through the University Advancement Student Calling Program. While serving as very effective ambassadors for the University, they also gain and utilize communication and networking skills that are valuable for a lifetime.

Also known as the UAA "Phonathon," each fall and spring semester, a team of nearly 20 students dials UAA alums to connect over their UAA experience, give updates on campus happenings and encourage them to give back to UAA through a charitable gift in support of the university. Thanks to UAA alums, 2009-10 is the second year in a row that student callers have raised more than $100,000 through individual donations. Since the program's launch in late 2004, funds raised have increased each year. More than 5,000 conversations take place every semester between callers and alums.

"These students do a critical service on behalf of their fellow scholars," said Julia Martinez, director of annual giving at UAA. "We enjoy and appreciate their vitality and resilient spirit -- it's an unbeatable combination." Every semester brings surprising talents to the task, Martinez said, noting that a single student this spring single-handedly raised $6,000.

Going into its 12th semester, the student callers will be moving into new and more comfortable, dedicated Phone Center space in the Administration Building. The Office of University Advancement hires 15-20 students each semester for the 10-week fundraising campaign. Phonathon 2009-10 will begin just after classes start in the fall. To find out more about the Student Calling Program, contact Martinez at anjm5@uaa.alaska.edu or call (907) 786-1278.

Wednesday, May 13, noon
UAA Campus Bookstore

Everyone is invited to watch Native Youth Olympic (NYO) films from 2005-2008, along with the older "classic" NYO footage. Light refreshments will be served. This event is sponsored by Mediak (Media Educational Development Institute of Alaska) and the UAA Campus Bookstore. Free parking is available.

For more information, contact Rachel Epstein at (907) 786-4782.

Wednesday, May 13, 6-8 p.m.
UAA/APU Consortium Library, Room 307

With some of the most robust tidal energy resources in the world, Alaska has the potential to be a leader in developing tidal energy. Come and hear what two tidal hydrokinetic experts from Ocean Renewable Power Company (ORPC) have to say about tidal energy in Alaska.

D. Douglas Johnson is the ORPC director of Alaska projects with 25 years of experience in project management. Monty Worthington has 10 years experience in the renewable energy field and has been working for the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council on their hydrokinetic turbine installation and for ORPC as their Alaska projects manager.

Cook Inlet, North America's second largest tidal range, has attracted interest as an energy source for the Railbelt. ORPC obtained a permit in 2008 to begin development of a demonstration project, with plans to begin the construction of the first commercial power plant in 2012.

Alaska's River In-Stream Hydrokinetic site is located on the Tanana River at Nenana. In addition to plans to develop the site for commercial power production, ORPC has partnered with the Alaska Center for Energy and Power to develop a hydrokinetic test bed at this site, to research environmental and technological aspects of River In-Stream Hydrokinetic devices.

For more information, visit www.REalaska.org or call (907) 929-7770.

Off the Chain/UAA Bike Club tune-ups: May 12, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Mosely Sports Center Gym, APU campus

Last year there were about 60 people from UAA who biked in on Bike to Work Day. Alaska Native Medical Center had 142 last year and they plan to try to double it! Let's double ours, or beat them!

For Twitter users, you can follow BiketoWorkANC for updates on trail conditions and the size of teams that various organizations are signing up for the day.

Providence Hospital, ANMC, USGS, APU and other members of the U-Med Green District have thrown down the gauntlet. We want to get as many people on bikes as possible. You also have the opportunity to charitably contribute that day by buying a lunch from The Children's Lunchbox, a Bean's Cafe program benefitting children who may not have access to regular meals at home. Lunches are $15. Please do not fax orders for lunch through Kid's Lunchbox. We have arranged for three people on campus to coordinate lunch orders. To order your lunch, contact:

• University Center, Morgan Gray, (907) 786-4949, anmg2@uaa.alaska.edu
• Diplomacy Building, Barbara Hedges, (907) 786-6485, anbah@uaa.alaska.edu
• Rasmuson Hall, Anna Bryant, (907) 786-4307, analb2@uaa.alaska.edu

This is a wonderful opportunity to improve your health by biking in on May 15 and to charitably contribute by ordering lunch through this wonderful program. How can you possibly beat that?

Also, for people whose bikes are not in shape, Off The Chain collective, which is affiliated with UAA students' Bike Club is doing bike tune-ups May 12 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the APU campus in the Moseley Sports Center Gym (or out in the parking lot, if the weather is nice).

Anyone who wants to join the Cycling Seawolves team can contact either Paula Williams at anpw@uaa.alaska.edu or (907) 786-1515 or Mike Halko at anmgh1@uaa.alaska.edu or (907) 786-1386. You can also form your own team and register with the Municipality at the their Web site. If registration occurs prior to May 6, you will be entered in a drawing for free T-shirts. If you ride in to work on May 15 and fill out the survey afterward, you will be entered in a drawing for some really nice prizes, such as $105 bike helmets and glacier cruises!

This is a great day to bring all employees of the main campus and extended campus sites together to celebrate, learn and develop campus unity. We have exciting tours, great speakers, health fair, service fair, vendor fair, great presentations, good food, prizes -- too many things to mention. So come see the UAA Development Day Web site.

We are looking for volunteers for the day of the event. If you are interested, please contact one of the co-chairs of this year's event:

• Betty Hernandez, anbah4@uaa.alaska.edu
• Bridget Dooley, anbwd@uaa.alaska.edu