I AM UAA: Wendy Withrow

B.Ed. '95, UAA retiree
Hometown: Anchorage, Alaska
Fun fact: Lived in Madrid, Spain, for 8 months when she was 10 years old

During her 20-year career at UAA, Wendy Withrow worked at all levels of the university: department administration (biology, nursing and English), a dean's office (College of Arts and Sciences) and the upper echelons of leadership (provost's office).

"I knew I liked working at universities," Wendy says, describing why she chose to find work at UAA after experience at Oregon State University and Stanford University. "People at universities are educated and interested in ideas, campuses are usually nice and the work is not about making money."

Wendy is the quintessential Alaska transplant. She moved north from California in 1981 at age 33 with a sense of adventure and a desire to raise her daughter, Jessie, in a more kid-friendly place than the Bay Area. Having moved around her whole life and worn numerous "job hats" since earning her B.A. in sociology in 1969, Wendy was looking for a new context and new opportunities for both Jessie and herself.

It was 1988 when Wendy came to work for UAA and 1991 when she began pursuing her bachelor's in education. By going back to school for a second degree, she wanted to set a good example for her daughter and to combine her passions for English and young people by becoming a high school English teacher. Upon finishing her degree, she decided that staying at UAA was a better fit for her than the high school classroom.

"What I liked most about working at UAA was that, even though I was clerical staff, I always felt respected and appreciated," she explains. "It was a stimulating place to work."

It's been two years since her retirement, and Wendy still embraces her love of learning and community by volunteering for Anchorage Science Pub, a nascent science education event held every second Sunday at Taproot in Spenard. She stays connected with faculty on UAA's campus, inviting them to be presenters for the monthly Science Pubs. And since their inaugural event in January, the group has welcomed professors John Petraitis and Claudia Lampman from the Department of Psychology as presenters and assistant professor Jackie Cason from the Department of English as a new committee member. Wendy also has her sights set on Kenrick Mock from the Department of Computer Sciences and other faculty willing to share their current research, knowledge and ideas.

Besides helping to host Anchorage Science Pub, Wendy can also be found this summer at the Downtown Farmer's Market and the Three Barons Renaissance Fair, displaying her talent as a folk musician. She has also participated over the years at the Last Frontier Theatre Conference in Valdez and with the Alaska Overnighters, exercising her playwriting and acting skills.

Noting the 32 times she moved before coming to Alaska, Wendy commented, "It's the first place I have ever lived long enough to see people I know at the grocery store. I have roots here and am connected to many different networks."

Science, theatre, art, music-she embraces it all.

"I see the kind of research that UAA faculty does in and about Alaska, and I think that the more knowledge we have, the better we can be stewards of Alaska and keep it the way we want it," she says. "On the other hand, too, I'm such a humanities person at heart. To me, the fine arts are a great contribution of the university. I've seen people come through the UAA Fine Arts departments and then pursue their interests in the community. That's a big contribution; high civilizations promote the arts."

So keep an eye out for Wendy this summer. She is the cyclist on Anchorage's bike trails. She is the folk musician at the farmer's market. She is the writer behind various short play productions. She is UAA.

To connect with Anchorage Science Pub, visit them on Facebook or check their events page at TaprootAlaska.com. Coming up in June is a special Tuesday night event (June 12) at Cyrano's featuring Kepler Mission scientists from NASA.