A New Hope at SOM
The second-most new staff member at SOM is Hope Bickmeier (we met the other newbie, Anita, in an ). Hope is the Project Coordinator for the .
Get to know Hope:
Why did you want to work at the School of Management?
SOM has a reputation for being both community- and student-centered. I wanted to join a department where I could be part of UAF, as well as an active member of the Fairbanks community. The NLC will allow me to work directly with students and leaders throughout Fairbanks and Alaska.
What do you like about Alaska?
There’s breathtaking beauty, fascinating people, and more events taking place than I could ever attend. I’ve lived a lot of places and I’m convinced that Fairbanks has more to offer than any other town its size anywhere.
What makes you a great asset to the SOM team?
I bring a passion for my work and I fully believe in the NLC’s mission. I’m eager to help develop some of Alaska’s future leaders while promoting the exceptional education offered by SOM.
If you could time travel, what useful advice would you give your college student self?
Besides telling myself to get rid of every pair of tapered jeans I owned at the time, I would encourage myself to keep an open mind about opportunities in life. What a blessing that I didn’t get everything I wanted during my college years! Happiness and success can sometimes be found in the most unlikely places.
The fine print:
Hope has a BA in Political Science from Hillsdale College in Michigan (2001) and an MA in Professional Communication from UAF (2008).
Hope has most recently worked as an Adjunct Faculty and Academic Adviser and Assistant Director for Business and Social Science at Buena Vista University of Graduate and Professional Studies at Fort Dodge Iowa (2008-2011). Hope previously worked for UAF as Administrative Assistant for HR (2003-2004), Admissions Counselor (2004-2007) and as Assistant Director for Admissions (2007-2008).
During her time at UAF, Hope worked with Susan Herman to create Leadership Alaska.