[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 7 (Monday, January 13, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S288-S289]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                       TRIBUTE TO BERNICE JOSEPH

 Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, today I wish to honor the life 
and achievements of Bernice Joseph, who committed her life to improving 
our State through education reform and to ensuring the success of 
Alaska Native students.
  As the vice chancellor and executive dean of the College of Rural and 
Community Development at the University

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of Alaska Fairbanks, Ms. Joseph played an important role in advancing 
university services to Alaska Native and rural students throughout 160 
communities within the State of Alaska. As a member of the university's 
senior management, she was a respected leader throughout the University 
of Alaska system and throughout the State. It has been said that if it 
had not been for Bernice and her work to build the College of Rural and 
Community Development, many would not have been able to earn their 
college degree.
  From 1995 to 2000 Bernice served as assistant professor at UAF in the 
Department of Alaska Native and Rural Development. Prior to her work at 
the university, Bernice served as deputy commissioner of the Alaska 
Department of Community and Economic Development, overseeing rural 
development programs as the tribal liaison and as a key advisor to 
Governor Tony Knowles. She worked tirelessly to strengthen rural Alaska 
communities and was a conduit in bringing rural Alaska concerns to the 
attention of the administration. She also served her community in many 
ways, including as a trustee for the Greater Fairbanks Community 
Hospital Foundation.
  As I reflect on her short time on this earth, I realize that she 
achieved so much. Bernice advanced our State's dialogue on Native 
education. In her 2005 keynote address to the Alaska Federation of 
Natives, during which she summarized her journey as a leader, she said:

       We are all too familiar with the statistics facing Alaska 
     Natives about educational attainment, suicide, alcohol and 
     drug abuse and the number of Alaska Natives in prison. 
     Education is the key to overcoming many of the barriers 
     Alaska Natives face. Yet, it must be an education that is 
     sensitive to Native Ways of Knowing.

  She was tireless in working to help our State's leaders understand 
that a strong cultural foundation and an education system that values 
Alaska Native knowledge are vital to the success of our Native 
students. One of her greatest joys was attending college graduation 
ceremonies across rural Alaska.
  Living in Fairbanks, and originally from Nulato, Ms. Joseph 
maintained her personal connections to her heritage and culture. She 
went to fish camp every summer and enjoyed moose hunting with her 
husband. She did it all, from the bush to the boardroom and in 2012 was 
named citizen of the year by the Alaska Federation of Natives.
  She will continue to be an inspiration to leaders, both current and 
emerging, throughout Alaska. The impacts of her contributions to ensure 
that our education system is relevant to Native students will be felt 
for generations.

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