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Moores and Slaten Honored With Staff Emerita Rank

The rank of Staff Emerita was conferred upon Pat Moores and Fannie Slaten during UAA commencement ceremonies earlier in December. This high honor is in recognition of distinguished careers at the University of Alaska Anchorage, and was recommended by their colleagues with the concurrence of the Chancellor’s Cabinet. Both Pat and Fannie retired this year after long service with the College of Business and Public Policy.

Congratulations to both Pat and Fannie!

Pat Moores Pat Moores

Pat Moores retired in September 2020 after more than 45 years with UAA. Thirty-three of those years were served as Administrative Specialist with the College of Business and Public Policy (CBPP), where callers to her voicemail would hear, “My name is Pat and I am here to help you."

Dr. Elisha Baker, Provost Emeritus, worked with Pat for eighteen years. "Ms. Moores was an integral part of the CBPP instruction team supporting faculty and students daily,” he wrote in a nomination letter. “She was tireless in her efforts to ensure that faculty had the resources they needed in a timely fashion for their classes, and her compassion for students is unmatched. She went beyond the scope/requirements of her job daily to assist students in meeting their goals. Emeritus is not an honor that is earned by longevity but rather is awarded by peers for exemplary service. Her service to the University and the community is exemplary."

“What impressed me about Pat was her single-minded dedication to carry out the working of our college with an eye to detail and with fairness,” wrote Finance Professor Nalinaksha Bhattacharyya. “For many of us she was the institutional memory.”

“Not only is Pat professional and capable at typical administrative tasks, she is uniquely reliable, resourceful, and understands the big picture of what needs to happen,” wrote Lance Howe, Chair of the Department of Economics.

Fannie Slaten Fannie Slaten

That extended to going above and beyond to help out new faculty, wrote Accounting Professor DJ Kilpatrick. “Before arriving on campus, I happened to mention to Pat that my housing plans had fallen through and that I desperately needed to find a place to stay. When I showed up in her office a little later, I was surprised to find that Pat had done an internet search, found a listing of rentals currently available and noted which ones she thought would be most promising. Her actions were of tremendous help...and I ended up renting a unit on her list.”

“Pat always gave 100% in every request, even when the request was a challenging task,” wrote nominator Jennifer Wisel, who had worked at CBPP with Pat and now works in Alumni Relations. “Her attention to detail and steadfast commitment to faculty was above and beyond the highest of standards.”

During her decades with the College, Pat saw herself as a member of a larger team all dedicated to supporting students. “You can’t throw a ball and catch it yourself,” she said. “We are a team and we work together.”

Fannie Slaten retired in June 2020 after more than 35 years serving faculty and students as an Academic Administrative Assistant at CBPP. When she received the news of her honor, she was surprised, but also “honored and elated.”

For years, Fannie was the administrative assistant for multiple departments and covered the varying needs with ease and with a positive attitude, wrote Accounting Professor Stasia Straley in a nomination letter. “Her support is really incredible when you consider that she gave such a high level of attention to about 50 professors teaching a total of about 160 courses each semester.”

“In spite of all of the pressures and challenges of taking care of many faculty with a variety of needs, I cannot recall Fannie being anything less than gracious, professional, ethical, kind, and good humored,” added Accounting Professor DJ Kilpatrick.

Gökhan Karahan, Chair of the Accounting and Finance Department, developed a special rapport with Fannie. “I started connecting with her on our linguistic roots,” he said. “We would just throw out a word or so and see if they would have the same meaning and use in our prospective languages. In my eyes, she was my long-lost big sister from the Altai-Yenisei region of Central Asia.”

“Forever cheerful and professional, she demonstrated the true meaning of being a team member,” wrote Jennifer Wisel of Alumni Relations. “Fannie projects a can-do attitude that has a calming effect. She is a caring and accomplished colleague that has significantly and positively impacted the lives of numerous students and faculty,” wrote Marketing Professor Mei Rose.

“Fannie truly cared about the well-being of the people around her and worked each day to make their lives better,” wrote Terry Fields, professor in the Weidner Property Management and Real Estate Program.

In addition to her role at the College, Fannie contributed to UAA-wide initiatives, such as staff council, staff development day, and helping the United Way campaigns. “I have enjoyed working for faculty, staff, students, and for the UAA community,” she said. “I would like to thank the reviewers for this honor.”