Letters to the Editor

Ilisagvik receives high marks

Ilisagvik College ended its re-accreditation process in April with an evaluation visit by a team from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.

The six-member accreditation and evaluation committee visited the college for three days to interview and investigate each department.

The re-accreditation process calls for an outside group of evaluators to visit institutions and verify that the standards established by the Northwest Commission are being met.

The initial findings included several commendations for good work and only two general recommendations for improvement, one of which is already under way.

"Ilisagvik is as good or better than any college in the northwest region. You have a lot to be proud of," said Gerald Pumphrey, chair of the committee and president of South Puget Sound Community College.

This is something we at the college know and feel but were happy to hear from an outside group. The interim dean of instruction, Pat O’Rourke, who has been involved in accreditation for many years, put the recommendations into perspective.

"In more than 50 visits I have made over the years as a member of accreditation teams, I have never given fewer than five recommendations to any college," he said.

Now is the time to come out and see what Ilisagvik does best: Educate the future leaders of the North Slope on the North Slope. Go far, stay near.

– Deseree L. Salvador,

Assistant professor,

Ilisagvik College, Barrow

Before the All Alaska Sweepstakes Dog Sled Race fades from memory for another 25 years, I would like to thank the people of Buckland, Deering, Gold Run, Candle, Kiana and Kotzebue, without whom we couldn’t have made this race happen.

I offered to help with checkpoints and trail coordination and soon found myself calling people I’d never met and asking them if they would be willing to help.

The response was overwhelming and inspiring.

Bob Douglas, of Kotzebue, spent a week traveling and camping in search of repeater sites so that we could have communications at the north end of the trail and then operated the Candle radio with his wife, Cathy, for another week.

Bob put me in touch with Brian Weinard of Deering, who volunteered to haul much-needed stove oil and gas to Candle and later snowmachined the checkers out when planes couldn’t fly.

Brian led me to Ken Upchurch, who mines at Gold Run. Ken put in the initial trail from Candle to Gold Run and then opened his cabins to checkers, our ham radio operator, mushers, handlers and spectators.

Just one phone call to Mona Washington in Buckland City Office led to Fletcher Gregg and Lester Hadley signing on as enthusiastic Gold Run checkers, supported by trailbreakers and stakers Chester Ballot, and Delbert and Mariah Thomas.

When I needed fuel and propane on short notice, Herman Reich and Kotzebue Crowley donated what we needed, and Eric Sieh flew the supplies and our trail stakes to Candle.

Larry Westlake of Kiana journeyed to Candle to volunteer as a checker, and a whole host of great folks from Kotzebue came to Candle to add the fun and excitement of this 100-year historic event.

This race really brought people from the south and north ends of the trail together to create a 2008 event as memorable as that first race 100 years ago and one that will surely be celebrated 100 years from now. It has been an honor to share in this with you.

Thank you, thank you all.

– Sue Steinacher,

Nome