ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE  HOUSE HEALTH, EDUCATION AND SOCIAL SERVICES STANDING COMMITTEE  May 5, 2005 8:51 a.m. MEMBERS PRESENT Representative Peggy Wilson, Chair Representative Vic Kohring Representative Sharon Cissna Representative Berta Gardner MEMBERS ABSENT  Representative Paul Seaton, Vice Chair Representative Tom Anderson Representative Lesil McGuire COMMITTEE CALENDAR CONFIRMATION HEARING(S) University of Alaska Board of Regents Tim Brady - Anchorage - CONFIRMATION(S) ADVANCED PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION No previous action to record WITNESS REGISTER TIM BRADY, Appointee to the University of Alaska Board of Regents Anchorage, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as appointee to the University of Alaska Board of Regents. ACTION NARRATIVE CHAIR PEGGY WILSON called the House Health, Education and Social Services Standing Committee meeting to order at 8:51:58 AM. Representatives Wilson, Kohring, Gardner, and Cissna were present at the call to order. ^CONFIRMATION HEARING(S) ^University of Alaska Board of Regents CHAIR WILSON announced that the committee would be considering the appointment of Tim Brady to the University of Alaska Board of Regents. 8:53:20 AM TIM BRADY, Appointee to the University of Alaska Board of Regents, in response to the question of why he wishes to serve on the University of Alaska Board of Regents, relayed that Alaska has been good to him and his family, that he had expressed to the governor a desire to serve [the state], and that he is interested in all issues pertaining to educating young people. Furthermore, he said, he thinks Alaska has a dynamic university system, and characterized Mark Hamilton - President, University of Alaska - as an exceptional leader. MR. BRADY said he would relish and appreciate the opportunity to participate in the process and see what he could bring to the table. He said that some of his strengths include planning and organizational skills, having a familiarity with budgets, and having an understanding of capital project costs. He then detailed some of the university [construction] projects that he has worked on, and noted that the attorney general has relayed to him that serving on the University of Alaska Board of Regents would preclude him from undertaking any more [construction] projects for the university system. CHAIR WILSON commented that the aforementioned could prove to be quite a sacrifice. 8:57:23 AM REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA asked Mr. Brady to comment on how he thinks that the university system, particularly the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) campus, can meet the training needs of the health care industry in Alaska. MR. BRADY said it seems that after undergoing a policy change recently, the university has been doing a great job responding to the needs of the community. For example, UAA now has a nursing program that was put in place in response to requests from hospitals in the area. Another example is the university's two-year associate degree construction engineering program established with the help of Alaska's construction industry; the existing two-year associate degree program will soon be expanded to a four-year associate degree program. He then made mention of a program that reduced tuition for a certain percentage of students, and offered his understanding that 86 percent of the students who went through that program now live and work in Alaska. He opined that the university has an obligation to respond to the needs of the community with regard to producing a qualified workforce. REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA noted that the health care industry has about 200 specialties, nursing being just one of them. She opined that the nursing program could stand to be expanded as could other programs, which could ensure that young Alaskans stay in Alaska. MR. BRADY acknowledged that it is very frustrating to have to search outside of Alaska to find qualified help, and relayed a personal example wherein he'd hired someone from the Lower 48 who then elected to leave Alaska in favor of family commitments. He said he is all for doing whatever it takes to keep Alaska's most valuable asset in Alaska, adding that he thinks that the university is now beginning to take the appropriate steps in that regard. He again opined that the university has an obligation to respond to the needs of the community with regard to producing a qualified workforce. 9:05:57 AM CHAIR WILSON remarked that less than 20 percent of Alaska's students finish college. She asked Mr. Brady whether he is willing to steer the university towards helping, through alternative educational programs, those who don't go on to receive a college education, so that they too can enter the workforce and become productive members of society. MR. BRADY replied yes, and indicated that this is an issue of great concern to him. He then mentioned some of the steps he is already taking in that regard, and suggested that the university is the proper vehicle with which to undertake this task. REPRESENTATIVE KOHRING, commenting on the expense of the university system's rural campuses, asked Mr. Brady whether he feels that the university system should consolidate its campuses. MR. BRADY said he doesn't feel he has enough information at this time to answer that question, but acknowledged that it is an issue that will have to be addressed. REPRESENTATIVE KOHRING said he is very impressed with Mr. Brady's resume, and opined that Mr. Brady is eminently qualified to serve on the University of Alaska Board of Regents. CHAIR WILSON surmised that the advent and expansion of the university's distance education program has altered the university and the public's perception of it. She then noted that the committee needed to await the formation of a quorum in order to take action. [While awaiting the formation of a quorum, Mr. Brady and members spoke briefly of matters unrelated to the confirmation hearing.] 9:18:00 AM REPRESENTATIVE KOHRING made a motion to advance from committee the name of Tim Brady to the University of Alaska Board of Regents. There being no objection, it was so ordered. ADJOURNMENT  The House Health, Education and Social Services Standing Committee was recessed at 9:19 a.m. [The meeting never reconvened.]