Come July 1st, UAS will be saying farewell to an invaluable member of the UAS staff, Tish Satre. 
Recently, Satre has announced her retirement after nearly 24 years of serving as Director of UAS Student Services.  Student Services will have to get used to operating next semester without Satre and all of her “Tish-isms.”
“There are certain ones I have to claim,” Satre said of the “animal” rule she created, stating that if an animal can’t survive underwater for 20 minutes, it can’t live in Banfield.  
Satre came to Alaska from the University of Washington in 1985, seeking a job at one of the new campuses in Anchorage and Juneau.
“My boss was the consultant of the facilities being developed in Anchorage and in Juneau. He told me to go and interview at both of the campuses.  He said to me ‘Go North, young woman, to the land of opportunity!’  And I did.  I came up here and just fell in love with Juneau. “
Even though she wasn’t expecting to be in Juneau as long as she was, Satre’s first impression of working at UAS was unforgettable.  “When I got here in 1985, I thought I’d be here for 6 months,” Satre said.  “There was just so much to do.  We were opening housing, but housing wasn’t ready to open, so we were renting the Super 8 motel.  It was just ‘Oh my god! How are we going to feed them?’ It was an amazing start.”
 For Satre, working at UAS and starting the Student Services program was the experience of a lifetime.  “When you get to start a program from the beginning, it’s really like you are giving birth to something.  It was pretty cool, starting some of the things like Winter Fest and the Polar Bear Plunge and those University traditions.  It’s fun to be part of a growing institution and be able to bring that kind of fun stuff here.”
Looking through a box of photos, it is clear that Satre has witnessed many important events in the history of UAS.
“I was here before the library and the pavilion were built and there were only mud parking lots,” Satre reminisced.   Among the many miscellaneous photos and memorabilia, Satre has pictures of many important events that occurred early in UAS history.
Included in the large array of photos are pictures of events such as the totem pole raising from 15 years ago, the first time the white lights were placed all around camps, the opening of Banfield in 1996, and the first dance Satre organized before the Egan library opened.  “It was one of my first big events in 1989.  We had a huge dance in [the Egan library].  We put the band on top of the study rooms,” Satre explained.  “It was the best.”
Satre plans on displaying some of the photos and posters she has collected over the years so students can come in and enjoy a glimpse of some of UAS’ past history.  “What I thought I’d do over the next month is plaster the walls [in my office] with pictures and event posters and tell people to stop by.  It’s part of my history here.”
Visiting children, grandchildren and enjoying life are in the future plans for Satre and her husband, both of whom have had bouts with cancer.  “There is a part of facing your own mortality.  I’m a cancer survivor.  I’ve had three cancers and 14 reoccurrences.  My husband faced cancer this past year and we both decided to grab the brass ring a little earlier, while we are both still healthy enough to enjoy it.  I think we’ve got our priorities straight.   Priorities are family, really keeping tabs on your health, and helping my mom as she is in retirement.  I don’t think I’m going to get an award for working, so I plan to have some fun. “
Over all, Satre is happy with the timing of her retirement. “I’ve had the best staff in the world.  I couldn’t be leaving at a better time because they are all so capable that any one of them could step into my shoes or continue to have that commitment to quality of programs we have here, so I just couldn’t leave at a better time.”
While Satre is preparing for her retirement, Bruce Gifford, UAS’ Vice- Chancellor is preparing to search for her replacement.  “I’ve worked with [Satre] for about 13 or 15 years.  I depend upon her for a great deal so there is going to be a huge hole in Student Services,” Gifford said of Satre’s retirement.
With other openings occurring in Student Services, it will take time to find a replacement for Satre.  “We will be refilling the position.  I’m waiting for a few other openings we are likely to have in Student Services just to see what we are going to need for the coming fall.  We will be advertising the job opening.  Once we have a job description developed, then we will advertise in the normal places where we try to find people to go to work in colleges and universities.  There are websites like hire@jobs.com that we’ll go and advertise in,” Gifford stated.  Satre’s position will undoubtedly be a difficult one to fill.
Satre announced her retirement at the end of March, but will continue with her duties as Director of Student Services until she officially retires on July 1.