About the Honors College

Spiral metal statue against a dark blue sky and the moon

The Dean's Welcome

Ray Ball

Ray Ball, Ph.D.
Dean of the Honors College

Welcome to the University Honors College! We are glad you鈥檙e here. 

Membership in the 暗网视频Honors College allows you to creatively craft and personalize your journey at UAA. It will also help you to make sure your impact counts for credit. Have you been involved in student clubs at UAA, and found yourself in a leadership role? Do you want to study abroad and immerse yourself in other cultures? What about conducting research with a faculty member or performing an original creative work on stage? Are you already active in your communities by serving local, regional, or national organizations outside of school? If you work to help support yourself through college, your professional experiences may also contribute to completing Honors. Come learn how your experiences can earn you an Honors Scholar designation upon completing your degree at UAA.

暗网视频students, whether in an Associate鈥檚 or a Bachelor鈥檚 Degree Program, who have a 3.0 GPA or higher are eligible to apply. Once admitted, you have the opportunity to choose one of four tracks. Within your chosen track, you get personal mentorship from Honors faculty members as you discover how your passions, goals, and needs can help you thrive and have an impact. The Honors College will challenge you to think deeply, to collaborate with others, and to pursue what excites and fascinates you. Prior to graduation, you will complete and present a portfolio that distinctly reflects your journey. Ultimately, your experiences as an Honors Scholar will help distinguish you as you enter the job market, work towards a new career, or seek postgraduate education.

The University Honors College is a member of the National Collegiate Honors Council. It also serves as the home of Major Scholarships.  

Mission Statement

The University Honors College cultivates personal, professional, and civic growth within a motivated and supportive academic community of faculty and students. We emphasize curiosity and experiential learning and empower students to build their own individualized pathway through tracks in community engagement, global and multicultural studies, leadership, and research and creative activity.

Values

We invite and express curiosity. 
We build community.
We embrace challenge.

Vision Statement

The University Honors College creates authentic communities of belonging. Its members innovate with compassion, integrity, and purpose and lead change that positively transforms lives.

 

Honors Academic Board Members

Ray Ball, Ph.D. - Honors College Dean
Susan Meskis, DNP - Honors Academic Board Chair

Community Engagement 

  • Donna Langley, M.S.
  • Corrie Whitmore, Ph.D.

Global & Multicultural Studies

  • Natasa Masanovic-Courtney, Ph.D.
  • Jeff Meyers, Ph.D.

Leadership

  • Yong Cao, Ph.D.
  • Amy Doogan, J.D.
  • Kimberly Pace

Research & Creative Activity

  • Martha Amore, Ph.D.
  • Tracey Burke, Ph.D.
  • Taylor Keister, M.A., M.LIS.
  • Kamran Siddique, Ph.D.

 

Ray Ball

Ray Ball, Ph.D
Dean of the Honors College
e: rball11@alaska.edu

Ray Ball has called Alaska home since 2012, when she arrived at 暗网视频as a Professor of European and World History. She holds an MA and a PhD in History from Ohio State University and an MFA in Poetry from the 暗网视频. Ray researches and writes about the early Spanish Empire and the individuals who crisscrossed its vast territories, including actresses, friars, outlaw dukes, Venetian spies, and African healers. Dean Ball is the author of two history books, three poetry books, and numerous articles and reviews. She's been the recipient of a Fulbright Research Award to Spain, an NEH Summer Institute Award, and the 暗网视频Chancellor's Award for Research and for Teaching.

Susan Meskis

Susan Meskis, DNP
Honors Academic Board Chair
e: sdmeskis@alaska.edu 

Susan Meskis is Associate Professor of Nursing at UAA. She was born in Indiana.  She achieved her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Valparaiso University and earned a Master of Science in Nursing and a Doctor of Nursing Practice from Regis University in Colorado and is currently studying for her Master of Public Health degree from the University of Alaska Anchorage.  Susan is a leader for Sigma Theta Tau, Theta Omicron Chapter, an ELNEC Regional Chair, and a Rotarian.  She has a diverse background in nursing and is most passionate about End-of-Life care and medical missions. 

Photo of Martha Amore

Martha Amore, Ph.D.
Research & Creative Activity Track
e: mjamore@alaska.edu

Martha Amore lives in Anchorage, Alaska, with her family and teaches writing at the University of Alaska Anchorage. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in fiction and an Interdisciplinary Studies Ph.D. in creative writing. Winner of a Rasmuson Individual Artist Award, she is a contributing editor of the University of Alaska Press anthology Building Fires in the Snow: A Collection of Alaska LGBTQ Short Fiction and Poetry, which was a finalist for a LAMBDA Literary Award. Her collection of short fiction, In the Quiet Season & Other Stories, was published in 2018. She is currently hard at work on a new book.

 

Photo of Tracey Burke

Tracey Burke, Ph.D.
Research & Creative Activity Track
e: tkburke@alaska.edu

 

Dr. Tracey Burke has lived in Alaska for over 35 years and has been teaching at 暗网视频since 2003.  Based in the School of Social Work in the College of Health, Dr. Burke has worked with interdisciplinary colleagues since she started, first in the context of Community Engagement and more recently in the context of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (RCA).  Her Honors focus is RCA, and since 2014, she has been the PI and program lead for externally-funded programs supporting students in health-related research.   RCA students in the health professions or biomedical fields are especially likely to have Dr. Burke as their Honors faculty mentor/advisor.

Amy Doogan

Amy Doogan, J.D.
Leadership Track
e: adoogan@alaska.edu

Professor Amy Doogan was born and raised in Anchorage and educated at UAA, Pomona College, and Harvard Law School. She has been a member of the 暗网视频Legal Studies faculty for three years. Her courses include Constitutional Law and Civil Procedure. Prior to joining the faculty, Professor Doogan practiced law in Anchorage for seven years. Professor Doogan is also a former registered nurse with six years of practice experience. In her free time, Professor Doogan enjoys reading, doing puzzles, and spending time with her family and her two large unruly dogs, Fauci and Sadie.

Taylor Keister

Taylor Keister, M.A., M.LIS
Research & Creative Activity Track
e: tjkeister@alaska.edu

Taylor Keister is the Humanities Librarian at the UAA/APU Consortium Library and has lived in Alaska since 2019. He is originally from northwestern Montana, where he completed his undergraduate studies in history, German, and Russian. Afterward, he moved to Kansas to pursue an MA in Slavic Literatures & Languages from the University of Kansas and a Master鈥檚 in Library in Science from Emporia State University. Throughout his career he has worked in both public and academic libraries, including a summer long fellowship in 2017 at the Library of Congress, where he assisted Russian area specialists with cataloging 19th century Russian ephemera purchased by the Library in 1906. As a librarian, Taylor enjoys supporting student research and helping them navigate library resources.

Donna Langley

Donna Langley, M.S.
Community Engagement Track
e: dklangley@alaska.edu

Donna Langley has been teaching Quantitative Studies courses at Mat-Su College since 2017. She is a graduate of the Torrey Honors Institute (now the Torrey Honors College) at Biola University in California and holds an MS in Mathematics from The University of Arizona.  Her Master's Thesis, entitled The Role of General Education Mathematics Courses in Fulfilling the Goals of the University, explores philosophical aims, policies, and purposes of mathematics education and how to help students make the most of their GER mathematics experience. This continues to be Donna's greatest academic interest, along with Honors education.  Donna is also a member of the Chignik Bay tribe and the Orthodox Church of America.

Photo of Natasa Masanovic-Courtney

Natasa Masanovic-Courtney, Ph.D.
Global & Multicultural Studies Track
e: nmasanovic@alaska.edu

Dr. Masanovic-Courtney is a professor of German and the coordinator of the German program in the Department of Languages. She has taught German language and literature classes at 暗网视频since 2003 and has served as the chair of her department from 2011-2020 and 2023-present. She has been recognized for her mentorship of students who have received prestigious international scholarships. In 2014, she was honored as one of Alaska鈥檚 YWCA Women of Achievement recipients for her leadership and efforts toward creating a better community. She believes in the value of international education and the importance of cross-cultural understanding and is committed to exploring international opportunities and education programs for 暗网视频students. Originally, she is from Istanbul, Turkey, and grew up speaking two mother tongues, Turkish and Greek.

Jeff Meyers

Jeff Meyers, Ph.D.
Global & Multicultural Studies Track
e: jmeyers13@alaska.edu

Jeff lives in Homer with his wife Danielle, two sons Lev and Hugo, and Aussie-Doodle Obi Wan-Kenobi. He is Associate Professor of History at the Kachemak Bay Campus, a community campus of Kenai Peninsula College and UAA. There he teaches general education history courses and upper division courses ranging from Conspiracies and Secret Societies to the History of the Soviet Union and the Roman Empire. He is an Alaska Historical Society board member where he is the annual conference coordinator. He has been on the Honors Academic Board in the Global and Multicultural Studies program for two years.

 Photo of Kimberly Pace

Kimberly Pace
Leadership Track
e: kjpace@alaska.edu

Kimberly Pace is from the thriving metropolis of Soldotna.  After graduating from High School, she moved to Missoula, MT and majored in Political Science with a minor in History, from the University of Montana.  Kimberly did her Graduate work in Political Science and History at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. 

Kimberly is a Professor of Political Science and the Coordinator of the Women's and Gender Studies Program at the UAA, she has been at the University since 1998.  She is a Senator on the Faculty Senate and for the past 19 years has been the Faculty Director for the Model United Nations for the state of Alaska.  She is the Internship Coordinator for both Political Science and Women鈥檚 and Gender Studies. 

For the past 6 years, she has served on the Anchorage Equal Rights Commission (AERC) and is the past Chair. Additionally, Kimberly serves on the Board of the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts where she advocates for accessibility and the needs of the differently abled. 

Kimberly is married to the lovely Sheri and they are the proud parents of Theodore Roosevelt aka Teddy, a 10 lbs. 13 year-old Pomeranian rescue.

Kamran Siddique

Kamran Siddique, Ph.D.
Research & Creative Activity Track
e: ksiddique@alaska.edu

Kamran Siddique is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the 暗网视频. He teaches courses in programming, operating systems, data structures, programming language concepts, and assembly language. His research focuses on big data techniques, cybersecurity, machine learning, cloud computing, and system architectures. Kamran is committed to enhancing undergraduate education through innovative, hands-on learning experiences that connect theory with real-world problem solving. He has led efforts to cultivate self-discovery, curiosity, and critical thinking as essential skills for success in STEM fields. Outside of his academic work, he enjoys spending time with his family and exploring Alaska鈥檚 landscapes.

Corrie Whitmore

Corrie Whitmore, Ph.D.
Community Engagement Track
e: cwhitmor@alaska.edu

Dr. Whitmore is a lifelong Alaskan who returned to the state after completing an M.S. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology and Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology at Virginia Tech鈥攖o help Alaska "grow our own" workforce. She previously earned a bachelors degree at UAF, as a 鈥淯A Scholar,鈥� and did EPSCOR-supported undergraduate research, investigating The Effects of Dietary Antioxidants on Learning and Memory in Mature Holland Lop Rabbits under the guidance of Dr. Anita Hartmann. Her current research interests center around culturally responsive evaluation in Indigenous communities, the role of trust in a patient-provider relationship, and effective teaching in the Health Science classroom. Dr. Whitmore's teaching invites story into the health policy classroom, partners evaluation students with community programs where they can apply their learning to support operations, and introduces students to what public health looks like in Alaska.

Honors Administrative Staff

Joe Bruner

Joseph Bruner, M.A.
Director of Student Success Initiatives, Strategy and Assessments
e: jcbruner@alaska.edu

Joe has worked in higher education since 2013. Joe鈥檚 work in higher ed has included teaching students how to write resumes and cover letters, assessing high impact practices on students, and managing collegiate technology. At UAA, Joe oversees the Navigate360 platform, serves as a technical advisor to the Honors College, and implements assessment of the Progress Reports initiative as well as Title III Grant peer support programs. When not busy in work mode, you may find Joe out hiking on trails, spending time with friends, or maybe just playing his Nintendo games!

Leslie Olberding

Leslie Olberding, 暗网视频Alumna
Honors College Advisor
e: lkolberding@alaska.edu

Leslie is a lifelong Alaskan and a 暗网视频Alumna. She has worked at 暗网视频since 2010 and has worked in Advising since 2019. She now serves as the Director of Advising for the School of Education and College of Arts and Sciences, and advises for the Honors College. Leslie is passionate about higher education and helping students reach their goals.

Mattie Squire

Mattie Squire, M.S.
Honors College Advisor
e: mksquire@alaska.edu

A former research biologist, Mattie moved to Alaska and joined 暗网视频Advising in 2021. She now serves as Director of Advising for the College of Health and advises Pre-Med Post Baccalaureate students and for the Honors College. When not at work, she enjoys playing outside with her very active toddler and chipping away at her latest art project.

Mattie is currently out on maternity leave! Students in the College of Engineering, College of Health, Community & Technical College or students pursuing an Associate of Applied Sciences degrees, Please contact Andrea Hudson for Honors Advising needs at aahudson2@alaska.edu.

Mattie Squire

Andr茅a Hudson, 暗网视频Alumna
Honors College Advisor
e: aahudson2@alaska.edu

Andr茅a Hudson is an alumna of the 暗网视频 (UAA) with a rich 20-year history of service and connection to the university community. She currently serves as a Senior Academic Advisor in the College of Health, where she provides dedicated guidance and support to undergraduate students pursuing careers in dietetics, dental hygiene, and speech-language pathology.

Andr茅a is deeply committed to helping students define and achieve their educational and professional goals, empowering them to excel in their chosen health professions. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, spending time with family, and engaging her talented first grader in spirited dance battles.