Once again it appears to me that everyone wants to go to Juneau while the Chancellors and I hit the Rotary Clubs, PTAs and Chamber of Commerce organizations. We need people talking to the people they know at their tennis club or at their bridge club, or at church. We need the several people, in this huge state with a small population, who have close personal relationships with the power structure to convince them to voice their support for the University. When we bring to the table the leaders of industry in Alaska to say that they are investing in the University, we will have a more powerful message than when one of us does it. As the session draws near I am hearing more positive messages than at this time last year.
Word is also that the bond issue is a non-starter.
I am far too new at Alaskan politics to know how much to weigh these reports. Once again I recommend that we stick to our expertise - we know what we need. I for one will not negotiate that need. One slightly more difficult piece this year is that we have clearly detailed programs. We are not using exactly the same currency as is the legislature.