Following Alaska Anchorage's first West Region title, the women's cross country team jumped up two slots for a program-best No. 3 ranking in the final U.S. Track and Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) poll, while head coach Michael Friess was awarded the women's West Region Coach of the Year accolades -- his first ever. Read the full press release.

Also, junior Marko Cheseto registered UAA's first men's West Region Athlete of the Year honor, announced by the USTFCCCA on Thursday, Nov. 12. Read a story about this honor in the Anchorage Daily News.

Additionally, seven Alaska Anchorage runners were among the 74 student-athletes named to the 2009 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Cross Country All-Academic Team. Read more here.

Check out all of the latest Seawolf Athletics news at www.goseawolves.com.

Since University of Alaska president Mark Hamilton announced his retirement earlier this year, university officials have been coordinating a national recruitment effort to fill his shoes. Last week, the university launched a series of advertisements in Alaska newspapers and national trade publications, in addition to a direct mailing campaign targeted to colleges and universities across the country.

Read an account in the Anchorage Daily News.

Gov. Sean Parnell announced on Thursday, Nov. 12 that he's committed to creating construction jobs around the state by addressing the backlog of deferred maintenance projects for state-owned facilities. The state capital budget will include $100 million for deferred maintenance projects in each of the next five years. The budget will fund repair and renovation projects throughout Alaska for roads, ferries, airports, university buildings and public facilities.

The University of Alaska allocation of the $100 million is about $37 million. The university has about 400 buildings statewide with an estimated replacement value of $2.6 billion. Deferred maintenance is necessary to bring the university's facilities into conformance with appropriate building standards, codes and programmatic functions. Critical electrical repairs and other utility upgrades are necessary system-wide.

Read the press release issued by Gov. Parnell's office.

KTVA Channel 11 covered Gov. Parnell's press conference at UAA on Thursday morning. Watch the report here.

Tuesday, Nov. 24-Monday, Nov. 30

Take advantage of the long Thanksgiving weekend by renting out some gear from the Student Union Information Desk! The Info Desk will be running a special which allows students (and staff!) to rent out gear from Tuesday, Nov. 24 through Monday, Nov. 30 for the price of a weekend. Reservations are accepted.

Gear rental hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Monday through Friday, and from 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. For more information, contact the Student Union Information Desk at (907) 786-1204.

USUAA, your student government, is seeking a motivated student interested in advocacy, policy implementation and mediation to serve as the Student Ombudsman. The Student Ombudsman is appointed by the USUAA President to serve as a neutral party to confidentially address student concerns and assist students in resolving their University-related complaints. The Student Ombudsman may assist students in preparing documentation, understanding University policy, and/or coordinating mediations and meetings.

The Student Ombudsman works closely with the USUAA Advisor, Assistant Director for Judicial Services, and Dean of Students to develop resources and provide support services to UAA on the issues named above. The Student Ombudsman will receive training from these staff members before meeting with students. The Student Ombudsman is volunteer position.

Eligibility

Students interested in this position must have completed at least 30 credits, hold a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.5, be actively enrolled in at least 6 credit hours at the UAA Anchorage campus, and be in good disciplinary standing. This position may require between 2 and 5 hours of work each week.

Please contact the USUAA President at (907) 786-1206 or at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it for additional information.