(Juneau) - The Alaska Senate has named the seven Senators that will make up the new Senate Special Committee on University Oversight.

Senate Majority Leader Gary Stevens is a retired UA professor and will chair the new committee. "The university system is a growing economic engine with major impacts on every part of Alaska. The senate needs to understand the enormous issues facing the institution and to ensure the university is both accountable and responsive to the state's needs."

The committee was formed to help guide the university system into the 21st century. It will examine several issues, including but not limited to, academic standards, increasing the scholars program which offers free tuition to Alaska high school seniors in the top 10% of their class to the top 15%, using tobacco settlement funds for university improvement projects and making sure the university system uses state revenues to the maximum potential.

The seven members of the Senate Special Committee on University Oversight are:

Sen. Gary Stevens (R - Kodiak) - Chair
Sen. Ralph Seekins (R - Fairbanks) - Vice Chair
Sen. Con Bunde (R - Anchorage)
Sen. Tom Wagoner (R - Kenai)
Sen. Ben Stevens (R - Anchorage)
Sen. Kim Elton (D - Juneau)
Sen. Lyman Hoffman (D - Bethel)

The committee will meet during and after the 2006 legislative session and will terminate at the start of the 2007 session.

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