New UAF chancellor on the job

Submitted by LJ Evans
Phone: (907) 474-7778
08/12/04

In his first two weeks on the job, Steve Jones, newly appointed chancellor of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, is handling a legion of appointments, meetings and special events, including hosting the directors of two of the nation’s leading science agencies.

Jones, UAF’s fifth chancellor, will participate in a round of briefings, presentations and media activities Monday, Aug. 16 to highlight the multi-million dollar investment made by the National Institutes of Health to the University of Alaska to fund biomedical research and health projects. Jones will join UA President Mark Hamilton, University of Alaska Associate Vice President for Health Programs Karen Perdue and NIH Director Elias Zerhouni (zer-HOON-ee) in a news conference scheduled for 10:30 a.m. in the West Ridge Research Building on the UAF campus as the amount of the latest awards is revealed. To date NIH funding to the university totals more than $45 million.

On Wednesday, Aug. 18, Jones will be part of a group welcoming National Science Foundation Acting Director Arden Bement (be-MENT) as he announces a $9 million continuation award for Alaska EPSCoR (Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research). The grant is expected to be applied to improving research capability in environmental physiology, population genetics of adaptation to arctic environments and mitigations of climate change effects on cold-regions infrastructure. Jones will join Bement, university officials, scientists and researchers for a day trip to Toolik Field Station on Thursday, Aug. 19. Operated by UAF’s Institute of Arctic Biology, Toolik is 377 miles north of Fairbanks in the foothills of the Brooks Range and is the nation’s only Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) field station in the Arctic. Each summer Toolik hosts an array of international scientists and students studying the Arctic’s unique ecology and its impact on the global community.

On Friday, Aug. 13, Jones will attend a reception to meet some of the 98 UAF students that Doyon, Limited is supporting with scholarships or grants of $500 to $7,000.

Another of Jones’ first public appearances will be at the Tanana Valley State Fair on Aug. 13 -- UAF Day. The chancellor will be at the UAF booth in the Borealis Pavilion from 4-7 p.m.

Jones began his duties Aug. 1, taking over the helm of Alaska’s flagship university at an auspicious time in its history. Enrollment has increased steadily over the last several years, and more than $60 million in construction projects have been completed or are underway to improve facilities for students and the public. UAF’s newest students will attend orientation Sunday, Aug. 29 through Wednesday, Sept.1, integrating an international perspective into the program with the theme "passport to your future." Classes for the fall semester begin Sept. 2.