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UAA celebrates 50 years
By Brian Bublitz
Special to the Northern Light
The University of Alaska Anchorage is celebrating a birthday
this year. Not the birthday of a student, faculty member,
president or alumni, but its own. UAA is turning 50.
In the beginning, UAA was known as the Anchorage Community
College, and in 1954 held its first class in a classroom
at West High School. In fact, the first 16 years were spent
in borrowed buildings. The school endured, and in 1956,
ACC celebrated its first graduation with a single student,
Vincent Earl Demarest, who received an associate of arts
degree in business administration.
“We’ve come a long way in 50 years,”
said John Dede, director of marketing and communications
for University Advancement, who is working with Communications
Coordinator Karen Hill to organize the anniversary celebration.
In 1978, the University of Alaska opened and separated
from ACC to offer four-year degrees. The two schools lived
side-by-side with ACC occupying what is today west campus,
and UAA at east campus. A state budget crisis nine years
later caused the two schools to merge and become UAA as
it is known today.
“UAA truly did evolve,” said Hill, “It
was very much a community effort.”
“It’s been 16 years as the institution that
we are, but our history goes back much longer than that,”
Dede said.
The Anchorage community will be welcome to participate
in the celebrations over the course of the year.
One of the first events launched was an art exhibit at
the Anchorage Museum of History and Art, Jan. 18. The exhibit
showcases pieces by UAA and ACC students and faculty members,
past and present. The art is in various media, including
drawings, paintings and sculptures. It will be showing through
March 7.
A “history wall” will also commemorate UAA’s
50th anniversary. The wall, a graphical representation of
UAA history, will be displayed at the University Center.
“This will be so anyone can just go down to the
University Center and take a look at what the last 50 years
have been like,” Gorsuch said.
Also in the works is a visit from Frank McCourt, author
of “Angela’s Ashes.” McCourt will visit
the campus bookstore Feb. 6 for a signing of his new book
“Tis: memoir,” and hold a discussion at the
Wendy Williamson Auditorium.
In a further effort to get the Anchorage Community involved
in the year’s events, UAA will host an art fair directly
following the Anchorage Heart Run, April 24. Alaska artist
John VanZyle, along with UAA art students and Anchorage
community members, will participate in the “Mural
in a Day” project, in which they will paint a mural
fir tree display. The event is planned to highlight the
opening of the new Environmental and Biomedical Laboratory
Building on Scoter Lane.
These events aren’t going to upstage any of UAA’s
annual events either. The Symphony of Sounds and the Student
Showcase at the Campus Center are still being planned to
include 50th anniversary themes.
The anniversary celebration will continue into the fall
semester as well.
“We also hope that celebrating the last 50 years
will serve as a launch pad to propel UAA forward,”
said Chancellor Edward Gorsuch.
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