It was a night of verbal fireworks at the Bear Tooth when UAA’s Seawolf debaters took on Harvard and the Second Amendment. Listen to the UAA-Harvard Debate podcast.

UAA Atwood Chair of Journalism Mike Doogan moderated a panel discussion, "Truth and Trust: Alaska's News Media in the 21st Century," that was recently rebroadcast on KSKA. Hear the full discussion courtesy of Alaska Public Media.

 Yep, UAA students organized their first Collegiate Relay for Life and donned purple ribbons on April 5 as part of the American Cancer Society fundraiser. Read more.

UAA Votes would like to reminds you that municipal elections are taking place today, April 2, and it is easy for all UAA faculty, staff and students to vote. Just drop by the Student Union Student Lounge (located on the upper level behind the Information Desk) and vote during a break between classes, at lunch or before you head home. Visit the Municipality of Anchorage's website for more information on the election.

If you haven't registered to vote yet, you can do so at the Student Union Information Desk to be eligible to vote in the next election.

If you have any questions, please contact the Student Union Information Desk at (907) 786-1204.

Preconference Symposium: "The Things We Make: Alaska Native Artists and Their Art"
Thursday, April 4, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
Anchorage Museum

Registration is $15 at the door and includes admission to all panels and artist performances, as well as coffee and snacks.

Conference, day one
Friday, April 6, 8 a.m.
Wendy Williamson Auditorium

Sessions and registration begin at 8 a.m. Graham Smith (Maori) from Whakatane, New Zealand will deliver the keynote address at 9 a.m.

Conference, day two
Saturday, April 6, 8 a.m.

Sessions begin at 8 a.m. Brunch will be provided in the UAA/APU Consortium Library at 10:30 a.m.

Closing banquet
Saturday, April 6, 5:30 p.m.
Alaska Native Heritage Center

The closing banquet begins with an open house at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 6 p.m.

For more information or to register, visit the Alaska Native Studies website.

Technical demonstrations
April 3-7, 9 a.m.-noon
Fine Arts Building, Room 106

Workshops for art students
April 3-7, 1-5 p.m.
Fine Arts Building, Room 106

Public lecture
Thursday, April 4, 5:30 p.m.
Fine Arts Building Room 116

A studio artist who lives in Helena, Mont., Richard Notkin's teapots, ceramic sculptures and tile murals are visual explorations into social and political commentary, reflecting the current dilemmas of our contemporary human civilization. His work has been exhibited internationally and is in more than 60 public collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park in Japan. He has held visiting artist positions and conducted more than 300 workshops around the world. Among his awards are three artist fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as fellowships from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation and the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation. In 2008, Notkin was elected a Fellow of the American Craft Council and was also awarded a USA Hoi Fellowship by the United States Artists Foundation. Richard was a featured artist in the "Craft in America" series that was broadcast on PBS. Clips of Notkin's appearance on the series can be found here and here.

System News:

• UA turns to wellness programs to counter rising healthcare cost trend
• University of Alaska report details teacher preparation, retention and recruitment challenges
  

Conversations with UA:

• Q-and-A Conversation with Helen Atkinson: Gryffindor
  

Announcements:

• Soup-er Scholarship Feed launches statewide staff campaign
  

The report, prepared by the Center for Alaska Education Policy Research (CAEPR) in conjunction with the University of Alaska Deans of Education, shows:

• High teacher turnover continues to exist in rural Alaskan communities, but there is clear evidence that teacher mentoring reduces turnover. (page 9)
• New findings revealing why many University of Alaska teacher education graduates are not teaching immediately after graduation. (page 21)
• Positive gains in graduating more special education teachers and counselors. (page 18)
• The university is graduating more teachers today than it has in the last six years. (page 16)

A number of Alaska teacher education trends mirror national trends. There are more certified teachers in the nation than there are positions available, but there are still shortages for teachers in certain areas such as high school math, high school physical science and special education, as well as geographic locations. For Alaska, there is a lack of comparable wages with other states and more difficult working conditions.

The university is partnering with Alaska's schools to meet these challenges, focusing on equalizing conditions across districts and attracting teachers to schools where their skills are most needed.