Alaska Native Language Scholarship receives gift from Sealaska; First recipient is new faculty hire at UAS

Linguists Nora and Richard Dauenhauer created the Emma Marks Memorial for Alaska Native Languages Fund with initial donations that were matched by UAS. The purpose of the fund is to support the growing Alaska Native Language program with emphasis on emergency needs.

Juneau, Alaska

Date of Press Release: June 1, 2011

The Emma Marks Endowed Memorial for Alaska Native Languages recently reached endowment level with a $5,500 gift from the Sealaska Corporation. The fund was established in 2007 to provide financial support for the study of Alaska Native languages, including, but not limited to: student scholarships, tuition, teaching assistants, adjunct faculty, curriculum development and materials. Applications are on-going through the University of Alaska Southeast Financial Aid Office. The current endowed balance is $26,278.20.

Linguists Nora and Richard Dauenhauer created the Emma Marks Memorial for Alaska Native Languages Fund with initial donations that were matched by UAS. The purpose of the fund is to support the growing Alaska Native Language program with emphasis on emergency needs.

The Emma Marks fund has already had an important impact on the AKL program; the only funding recipient so far, Lance Twitchell, will shortly join the program as its first tenure track professor.

"We cannot emphasize enough, as a people, how important it is for all of our people to actively learn our language and keep our identity, our culture, our ancestor's tongue, from dying," said Twitchell. "We look forward to many future benefits for the 3 indigenous Southeast language communities, Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian, as these funds are awarded to other students and program needs," said Alice Taff, Research Assistant Professor of Alaska Native Languages.