University of Alaska System

Dory Straight recognized with Staff Makes Students Count Award

Sept. 30, 2022

Staff members lay the foundation for student success and are vital to the operation of our university system. That is why, each year, staff who go above and beyond in service to students are recognized with the Staff Make Students Count Awards.

During the September Board of Regents meeting, UA President Pat Pitney recognized four outstanding staff members -- one each from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the University of Alaska Anchorage, the University of Alaska Southeast, and University of Alaska System Office -- for the 2022 Staff Make Students Count Awards. 

The university recipients were: Kevin Lechtenberg, Associate Athletic Trainer with the University of Alaska Anchorage; Minnie Lucy Naylor, an academic advisor with University of Alaska Fairbanks Rural Student Services; and Martin Carter, IT Support Specialist with the University of Alaska Southeast.

This year, Dory Straight, a scholarship officer in the UA Foundation, received the System Office award. Dory is the primary point of contact for the foundations’ scholarship funds. Each year, she works with colleagues across the system to provide current balances and guidance to each university to help get millions of dollars of privately funded scholarships to the UA students who need them the most.

She has an intimate knowledge of all of the scholarships available at UAA, UAF and UAS. She knows the donors, and the history of the scholarships, and her number one priority has always been to make sure that scholarship funds are put to use for the students who need them most.

Dory’s position allows her to communicate with students when they are frustrated and not sure if they can afford to continue with school, and when they are over the moon after being told that they were awarded a scholarship.

At the UA Foundation, Dory is the one who continues to bring students into the conversation when considering potential new processes or procedures. She always asks “how will this affect our students?” When the foundation implemented a new scholarship award platform, Dory made sure the process ran as smoothly as possible for the student applicants.

Dory received several letters of support from colleagues, and the nomination’s supporting materials included copies of thank you notes from both scholarship recipients and the community donors that support the scholarships.

Thank you, Dory, for your service to the foundation’s scholarship program and to the university system as a whole.

The Staff Make Students Count Awards were established in the spring of 1999 to recognize university staff who have provided outstanding service to students.