We are very pleased to present to you the Fall 2003 edition of Contact – your window on APU – and hope that you find it both interesting and informative. We also hope you have enjoyed the Alumni Only E-News we have been sending to those of you on our email list. We’re trying hard to keep you posted about important happenings and upcoming events.

Our next big event will be a recognition dinner on Friday, December 5 to honor some of the people who are truly Pioneers in Anchorage Cross Country Skiing: Jim and Dee Mahaffey, Dick and Anne Mize, George and Judy Moerlein, Don and Marion Richter, and Jim and Sally Burkholder. We are sure many of you know or remember Jim Mahaffey, a past ski team coach and physical education instructor here at APU, or you may know one of the other honorees. If you are interested in attending this special fundraising event for the APU Nordic Ski Team, please contact the Office of Development at 907-564-8250. Tickets are $50 per person.

Are you already a member, or have you ever considered joining the Alumni Association? The Alumni Association benefits the university as well as you personally. Gifts made to the Alumni Association go directly to help fund AMU/APU Alumni Association scholarships for students with financial need.

A yearly membership is only $37.00 and you get all of these benefits:

• University discounts, including reduced fees for use of the Mosley Sports Center, which includes access to the pool, weight equipment and climbing wall
• 10% discount on logo items at the APU bookstore
• Notice of special campus and Alumni events
• A subscription to Contact Newsletter and Alumni Only E-News
• An AMU/APU Alumni Association window decal to display proudly in your vehicle
  

If you are interested in joining the AMU/APU Alumni Association, use the enclosed envelope or contact the Office of Development at 907-564-8250, jcombs@alaskapacific.edu, or 4101 University Drive, Anchorage, AK 99508.

We are working on the Alumni Webpage and should have it ready to view in the next couple of months. Watch for it!

Mark your calendars for December 5 and join us in celebration of the Pioneers in Anchorage Cross Country Skiing.

The Recognition Dinner will take place at 6pm in the Atwood Center on Alaska Pacific University campus and will be hosted by the APU Ski Team. The cost of a tickets is $50 per person. For additional information please contact the Office of Development at 564-8250.

Excerpts from his graduation speech
August 14, 2003

"Earning an MBA is a challenge and, like many other graduates here, I’ve had to balance education and career simultaneously. As the President and CEO of Chenega Corporation and a student, I’ve had my hands full.

This achievement has been a long-time dream of mine and I am pleased with the accomplishment. But I didn’t just earn my MBA to satisfy my own personal goals; I also wanted the assurance – for myself, the board of directors and shareholders of Chenega – that I had the skills necessary to take the corporation to the next level, and strategically lead Chenega to meet future objectives.

I am proud to say that I am the first person from my village, Chenega Bay in southwest Prince William Sound, to receive a master’s degree, but hopefully, through my example, I will encourage others to fulfill their goals of higher education. Although it takes a lot of hard work, determination and drive, the rewards are plentiful.

Throughout my education, I was fortunate to receive many scholarships from various organizations, and I’d like to thank them for their support. I want to emphasize to Alaska Natives and others that there are many scholarship opportunities available to those willing to seek and find them. And as long as you are vigilant in scholarship research, the application process and follow up, you are likely to be successful. It takes some work, as do all good things, but it’s well worth it."

Earlier this year, Mrs. Nancy Stauber, an AMU Alumna, established a scholarship fund to serve as a lasting remembrance to her husband Ed Stauber, a decorated officer, acclaimed volunteer, ski enthusiast and Alaska Methodist University Alumnus.

The Ed Stauber Memorial Scholarship was created to help provide financial support for students participating in Nordic Skiing at APU – something Ed himself was passionate about.

Ed’s wife Nancy received a B.S. in Nursing from AMU in 1974. Ed and Nancy met as undergraduates at AMU and were married in 1971. Nancy received a four-year scholarship from the March of Dimes without which she would not have been able to attend college. Nancy is grateful that she now has the opportunity and ability to establish this scholarship in order to honor her husband, support Nordic skiers at APU, and allow others to benefit from scholarship support just as she did.

If you would like to help grow the Ed Stauber Memorial Scholarship Endowment Fund by making a taxdeductible gift, please use the enclosed envelope and indicate that it is to be directed to the Stauber Scholarship. You also may call the development office 907-564-8250 for more information or to make your gift.