The University of Alaska Fairbanks FY15 budget request to the state is for the financial resources necessary to continue essential teaching, research and service to communities throughout Alaska. Our focus is on preparing students for success in college and in their future careers, through strong instructional programs and intensive advising to help them complete their degrees on time. We are expanding and improving online education and degree programs that lead to high-demand jobs. Research for Alaska includes resource development areas such as engineering, mining and fossil fuels, furthering our effective partnerships with Alaska’s industries. Throughout this booklet, you will find programs and initiatives in areas of greatest need that address the priorities of our state leaders. In recent years UAF has further strengthened internal review of spending and has made substantial savings via strategic reductions and greater efficiency. That review process will continue as we approach the centennial of Alaska’s first university. The FY15 budget request represents a commitment both to serve Alaska and to be good stewards of our state resources. It supports our high-quality programs and the faculty and staff necessary to deliver them, as well as providing the infrastructure necessary to continue our service to the state. I am confident that UAF is a good investment. I hope you agree. Warm regards, Brian Rogers, chancellor
UNIVERSITY OF ALASKARequest FAIRBANKS for funding
CHANCELLOR’ S Message
The University of Alaska Fairbanks FY15 budget request to the state is for the financial resources necessary to continue essential teaching, research and service to communities throughout Alaska. Our focus is on preparing students for success in college and in their future careers, through strong instructional programs and intensive advising to help them complete their degrees on time. We are expanding and improving online education and degree programs that lead to high-demand jobs. Research for Alaska includes resource development areas such as engineering, mining and fossil fuels, furthering our effective partnerships with Alaska’s industries. Throughout this booklet, you will find programs and initiatives in areas of greatest need that address the priorities of our state leaders. In recent years UAF has further strengthened internal review of spending and has made substantial savings via strategic reductions and greater efficiency. That review process will continue as we approach the centennial of Alaska’s first university. The FY15 budget request represents a commitment both to serve Alaska and to be good stewards of our state resources. It supports our high-quality programs and the faculty and staff necessary to deliver them, as well as providing the infrastructure necessary to continue our service to the state. I am confident that UAF is a good investment. I hope you agree. Warm regards, Brian Rogers, chancellor
UNIVERSITY OF ALASKARequest FAIRBANKS for funding
CHANCELLOR’ S Message
Critical infrastructure to support Alaska’s future COMPLETION OF THE ENGINEERING BUILDING
Total: $245 million ($195 million in state funding and $50 million in non-state funding)
Total: $33.3 million in state funding
The UAF heat and power plant provides electricity and
students enrolling in and graduating from baccalaureate
steam heat to more than 3.1 million square feet of public facilities on the Fairbanks campus. The plant’s main coal boilers were put into service in 1964 and have reached the end of their useful life. One billion dollars in state infrastructure are at risk if the plant fails, as are millions of dollars in research projects and the educational efforts of thousands of students. The solution is a major plant upgrade that will install modern, efficient coal and biomass boilers to support campus operations for the next 50 years, while decreasing emissions and fuel costs. The latter would enable UAF to
Alaska needs engineers. UAF has doubled the number of engineering programs. To address that demand, UAF began construction on the UAF engineering facility as part of the UA Statewide Engineering Expansion Initiative. The modern, interactive learning and research environment will allow UAF to train more engineers, support innovative engineering research and better integrate both functions. This project will provide nearly 120,000 square feet of new space and renovate about 30,000 square feet of space in the Duckering Building, which currently houses the
Renewal & renovation, code and ADA compliance UA system total: $37.5 million in state funding UAF’s renewal and renovation request represents a proportional share of the expected $37.5M UA system renewal and renovation request. However, the items are a small fraction of all UAF renewal and renovation and deferred maintenance needs. UAF will get approximately $23M of the $37.5M submitted, if the state awards full deferred maintenance funding, because UAF has some of the most critically aging infrastructure across the UA system.
engineering programs. When complete, the new facility will tie the Duckering Building with the nearby Bunnell
finance $50 million of the project cost.
Building, where the UAF School of Management is located.
The project would also offer a boost to the Alaska
of the building in January 2016.
economy during the 2015–2018 time frame.
UA DEFERRED MAINTENANCE
A $33.3 million allocation in FY15 will allow completion
In summary MAJOR UPGRADE OF THE HEAT AND POWER PLANT State: $195 million, Non-state: $50 million
Total: $245 million
COMPLETION OF THE ENGINEERING BUILDING State: $33.3 million
Total: $33.3 million
UA DEFERRED MAINTENANCE State: $37.5 million
Total: $37.5 million
A power plant employee opens the door on one of the UAF heat and power plant’s two main coal boilers. The boilers were installed in 1964 and have a useful life of 50 years.
Engineering major Ryan Cudo, the 2013 project leader of the annual ice arch project, brushes the previous night’s snowfall off the main structure. Cudo and other student engineers designed and built the ice arch using a combination of water and sawdust, a substance many times stronger than concrete.
CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE
MAJOR UPGRADE OF THE HEAT AND POWER PLANT
Research and Development to Sustain Alaska’s Communities and Economic Growth ARCTIC OIL SPILL RESPONSE RESEARCH CENTER
DIGITAL AERIAL MAPPING OF ALASKA RESOURCES
Total: $7.5 million ($5 million in state funding, $2.5 million in non-state funding)
Total: $3 million ($1 million in state funding, $2 million in non-state funding)
Total: $1.9 million in state funding
The National Science Foundation has funded a
Responsible exploration and development of the U.S.
monumental project to blanket the United States with a
Arctic’s natural resources depend on public trust in
interagency program producing high-resolution imagery
temporary seismic grid to record minute vibrations in the
the capacity to prevent and respond to the effects of
Earth. The NSF has committed to investing $40 million in
an offshore arctic oil spill, regardless of its source.
this project, and has begun installing seismic monitoring
The danger of oil spills — whether from exploration,
stations in more than 200 locations across the state. The
production, ship traffic or land-based activities — can
NSF plans to keep the monitors in place for two years
best be mitigated by a thorough understanding of the
and then move them to another location outside Alaska.
physical and cultural environment of the region. This
However, if Alaska provides the funding, the university
funding will support research and educational programs
can purchase a selection of the monitoring stations,
developed at UAF through an Arctic Center for Oil Spill
filling in significant gaps in the current, very limited
Research and Education. The new center will allow UAF
seismic network. The network would serve the state for
researchers to work closely with state and federal agencies,
years to come, providing the data necessary to determine
industry and other academic institutions to provide the
earthquake risks to Alaska’s communities and enhance
science, technology and education necessary to address
our capacity to warn and respond. This investment is a
the complex challenges associated with arctic marine
one-time opportunity to leverage NSF’s investment and
exploration and development.
provide, for the first time, comprehensive earthquake
Alaska’s Statewide Digital Mapping Initiative is an and elevation model data of the entire state. A new, high-resolution satellite image of Alaska is expected to be complete in 2014, and elevation mapping is projected to be complete within the decade. This funding will allow ongoing mapping efforts to be directed at providing information critical to the assessment and potential development of Alaska’s resources. Those efforts include increased capability of monitoring and documenting land-surface conditions and characteristics, particularly in regions of rapid change, such as in areas burned by wildfires, along coastlines, near glaciers and in zones of rapidly degrading permafrost. In addition to using traditional remote-sensing technology, UAF will use part of this funding to advance the use of new technologies, including hyperspectral imaging, which will dramatically enhance the ability to locate new deposits of rare earth
monitoring across Alaska.
minerals, clarify vegetation types and track oil spills in ice-covered waters.
In summary
Near Auke Bay, Juneau, one of UAF’s autonomous underwater vehicles, a so-called glider, sits across a Zodiac, ready for deployment.
SEISMIC ARRAY FOR EARTHQUAKE ASSESSMENT State: $5 million, Non-state: $2.5 million
Total: $7.5 million
ARCTIC OIL SPILL RESPONSE RESEARCH CENTER State: $1 million, Non-state: $2 million Photo courtesy of Peter Winsor, associate professor with UAF’s Institute of Marine Science.
Total: $3 million
DIGITAL AERIAL MAPPING OF ALASKA RESOURCES State: $1.9 million
Total: $1.9 million
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
SEISMIC ARRAY FOR EARTHQUAKE ASSESSMENT
Student Achievement and Attainment COMPREHENSIVE STUDENT ADVISING
E-LEARNING FOR HIGH-DEMAND JOB AREAS
Total: $443,000 ($200,000 in state funding, $243,000 in non-state funding)
Total: $211,000 ($197,000 in state funding, $14,000 in non-state funding)
Total: $400,000 ($300,000 in state funding, $100,000 in non-state funding)
Throughout the state, there is demand for veterinarians
UAF College of Rural and Community Development
Today’s students expect universities to offer online
who understand the unique needs of Alaska’s pets and
campuses offer courses that let students receive education
courses. This allocation will allow UAF to develop and
farm and work animals. In addition, Alaska’s young people
and training in or near their home community. The
deliver additional online courses and degree programs in
are eager to pursue a career in veterinary medicine but
campuses offer many courses, such as developmental
high-demand job areas, including business, justice and
face challenges because veterinary programs in the Lower
mathematics, English and science, in a format that allows
psychology. The availability of these online options will
48 usually have a strong preference for in-state students.
remedial students to complete these gateway courses more
allow UAF to meet growing demand in the MBA program,
To address that need, UAF has formed a partnership
quickly and move into a degree program. Strong advising is
justice bachelor’s and master’s degree programs, and the
with Colorado State University that will allow students
key to success for these students. This funding will support
psychology bachelor’s degree program. Online delivery
to complete their undergraduate veterinary education
student advisors at the Bristol Bay Campus in Dillingham
will attract new students and increase retention, since
plus the first two years of their professional program at
and the Kuskokwim Campus in Bethel, as well as a
students will be better able to accommodate employment,
UAF. Students will complete their final two years at the
position to perform degree audits, which will allow student
military, family and other obligations.
veterinary teaching hospital at Colorado State University.
advisors to contact degree-seeking students who have not
This request is the second half of the funding needed to
completed their degrees and encourage them to do so.
create this program, which will address the limited access
This budget line item also supports two advising/student services positions at the University of Alaska Southeast. The total UA request is $357,100 state funding and $67,400 non-state funding.
to an education Alaska’s students want.
INCREASED CAPACITY IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS (STEM) Total: $193,000 ($140,000 in state funding, $53,000 in non-state funding)
COLLABORATIVE PROGRAM IN VETERINARY MEDICINE
Students want degrees in the STEM fields, including
State: $200,000, Non-state: $243,000
engineering and life sciences. To earn those degrees, most
COMPREHENSIVE STUDENT ADVISING
students must take general chemistry. However, UAF does not currently have enough faculty and teaching assistants to meet that demand, which can delay students’ progress toward their degrees. This allocation will allow the university to hire a full-time instructor and two teaching The current lack of access in Alaska to an education in veterinary medicine is felt acutely in rural Alaska, and negatively affects public health, food safety and biomedical research throughout the state.
In summary
UAF State: $197,000, Non-state: $14,000
Total: $211,000
UAS State: $160,100, Non-state: $53,400
Total : $213,500
INCREASED CAPACITY IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS (STEM)
assistants to provide additional class and lab capacity and
State: $140,000, Non-state: $53,000
mentoring support. This will help ensure that students
E-LEARNING FOR HIGH-DEMAND JOB AREAS
complete these courses in the proper sequence in their
State: $300,000, Non-state: $100,000
degree programs.
Total: $443,000
Total: $193,000
Total: $400,000
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
COLLABORATIVE PROGRAM IN VETERINARY MEDICINE
Productive Partnerships with Public Entities and Private Industries
Critical Fixed-Cost Items UA COMPENSATION INCREASES Total: $5.94 million ($2.97 million in state funding and $2.97 million in non-state funding)
CLINICAL-COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY
additional faculty time to deliver the necessary course
Total: $200,000 in state funding
work and mentoring.
Extensive, high-quality clinical training is essential for
RESEARCH AND EDUCATION IN MINERALS AND FOSSIL FUELS
the UAF-UAA joint clinical-community psychology
The Local 6070 contract expired Dec. 31, 2012, and negotiations for a new contract are not yet
undergraduate and doctoral programs to retain its
Total: $310,000 ($155,000 in state funding, $155,000 in non-state funding)
national accreditation and for graduates to become
Alaska is among the top locations worldwide for
Fairbanks Firefighters Association expire Dec. 31, 2013. Bargaining is in progress for FY15;
licensed for clinical practice. This allocation will fund
important rare earth and strategic minerals, and is
therefore, no request will be included in the budget until a collective bargaining agreement has
additional faculty members to provide that training,
home to extensive fossil fuel resources. Those resources
been negotiated and ratified for these units.
which will increase the number of clinicians trained
help maintain high-paying jobs and economic activity
to work with rural communities and indigenous
throughout the state. In 2011, mineral exploration
populations. This is vital to the health of Alaska, as clinical
investment in Alaska was $365 million, about one-third
UAF RASMUSON LIBRARY ELECTRONIC SUBSCRIPTIONS
psychologists are in short supply throughout the state,
the total spent in the U.S., but the state remains largely
Total: $250,000 in state funding
particularly outside urban areas.
unexplored. With this allocation, the College of Natural Science and Mathematics would add geology faculty in
As Alaska’s premier research university, desktop and remote access to the most current
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT IN NURSING AND CONSTRUCTION TRADES
imaging spectroscopy and geochemistry to teach and
Total: $116,000 ($96,000 in state funding, $20,000 in non-state funding)
conduct research in mineral exploration and related
The UAF Interior-Aleutians Campus is working to
would add faculty to teach and carry out research on
develop its construction trades technology program into a cross-regional training program with statewide delivery, increasing educational access for students in rural communities. This allocation will support an academic program head who will also teach courses, focusing
technologies. The College of Engineering and Mines energy and power, fossil fuel development, and critical and strategic minerals. These efforts would allow UAF to provide a trained workforce for the mineral and fossil fuel industries, and to conduct research those industries need to be successful.
a waiting list, and significant investment is being made for additional clinical lab space to help ensure a quality
NON-PERSONAL SERVICES
information resources and scientific knowledge is vital for UAF students, faculty, staff and researchers for exploring in the classroom and the field. These resources directly impact instruction, grant funding, research and accreditation. Additionally, UAF libraries are responsible for delivering resources to the Kuskokwim, Nome and Kotzebue campuses and to all e-learners. Without additional funding, UAF will have to reduce popular and high-use subscriptions.
UAF SMART CLASSROOM TECHNOLOGY REFRESH Total: $160,000 in state funding
the latest instructional technology. Training opportunities for instructors have also increased,
In summary
allowing students to be more engaged in visual learning, research projects, collaborative groups and dynamic discussions. This funding supports the annual requirement to refresh
CLINICAL-COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY State: $200,000
Total: $200,000
instructional environment. Producing more nursing
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT IN NURSING AND CONSTRUCTION TRADES
graduates will help meet employer needs and fill the
State: $96,000, Non-state: $20,000
increasing statewide demand for nurses, specifically
RESEARCH AND EDUCATION IN MINERALS AND FOSSIL FUELS
nurses for rural Alaska. The allocation will support
completed. The contracts for United Academics (faculty), United Academics Adjuncts and the
As a result, 35 classrooms and auditoriums across the Fairbanks campus were equipped with
repair, efficient energy systems, and alternative energy The Bristol Bay Campus nursing program currently has
Teachers and a 2% pay increase plus an additional day of leave for nonunionized employees.
The UAF administration allocated funds in FY11 for smart classroom technology upgrades.
on areas of critical need, such as boiler installation and generation.
The compensation estimate includes the FY15 contract renewal amount for the UA Federation of
State: $155,000, Non-state: $155,000
Total: $116,000
Total: $310,000
these classroom technologies on a continual three- to five-year cycle.
FOR UAF BUDGET INQUIRIES Office of Management and Budget www.uaf.edu/omb/ Julie Queen, director jmlarweth@alaska.edu 907.474.5479
FOR UAF ADVOCACY INQUIRIES Office of University and Student Advancement Mike Sfraga, vice chancellor msfraga@alaska.edu 907.474.2600
The University of Alaska Fairbanks is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. UAF is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and educational institution. UAF photos by Todd Paris, unless noted. Produced by UAF Marketing and Communications. 12/2013 Private funds were used for the printing of this publication.