UAA seeks nominees for 2019–2020 honorary degree awards

On Sunday, Dec. 16, at the fall 2018 UAA Commencement ceremony, Joseph P. Josephson of Anchorage was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. This award is bestowed to an individual who has made a significant and lasting contribution to the university, to the state of Alaska, or to the individuals' discipline or profession.

Nominations for the fall 2019 and spring 2020 honorary degree awards are currently being accepted. The deadline for nominations is Jan. 31, 2019. Learn more about how to nominate someone here.

About Joseph P. Josephson Joseph P. Josephson has a long history of political and public service in Alaska, dating to back before statehood. His leadership in local and state government has contributed significantly to the well-being of Alaskans.

Josephson earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Chicago in 1953. He attended Columbia University Law School from 1953 to 1955, when he enlisted in the U.S. Army and was eventually commissioned a lieutenant in the Army Reserve in 1959. He finished his J.D. degree at Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America in 1960.

His professional service for Alaska began in 1957 as legislative assistant to Alaska Delegate in Congress, E. L. (Bob) Bartlett. In 1959, Delegate Bartlett became Alaska's first United States Senator and Josephson continued as his legislative assistant until 1960. In 1960, Josephson was appointed by President John F. Kennedy as the Chair of the Alaska Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. He was admitted to the Alaska Bar Association in 1961 and in 1962 was elected to the Alaska House of Representatives. He held that position until 1966 when he became a city councilman in Anchorage. Following passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, Josephson also served as State Co-Chair of the Joint Federal-State Land Use Planning Commission, appointed by Alaska Governor Bill Egan.

Josephson served his first term in the Alaska State Senate from 1968 to 1972. In 1975, he was vice-chair of the Anchorage Charter Commission, which unified the Anchorage Borough and City of Anchorage. Josephson was a City Council member and a Borough Assembly member before the merger. Between 1982 and 1988, he served again in the Alaska State Senate.

Josephson's commitment to public service is evident in the positions he's held in the community, beginning with his past presidency of Southcentral Alaska Red Cross. He's a longtime member and trustee of Congregation Beth Sholom, where he currently serves as president of its board of trustees. He has also served as a board member for Alaska Civil Liberties Union, Child Care Connection, Cook Inlet Historical Society and as a former president of Out North Theatre.

A husband and father of five, Josephson also served as adjunct instructor at UAA, teaching classes on civil procedure, constitutional law, elections, political science, and on American government and state and local government.

At 85, Josephson continues to work as an attorney. He's spent countless hours providing legal services to the underprivileged in the community, and has mentored many young lawyers throughout his career.

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