Novatney, Dorothy H.

Dorothy Holverson Novatney (1905-1999) was born in Minnesota, attended the University of Minnesota, and graduated from Pomona College. She earned a master's degree in English literature at Claremont Graduate School and a doctorate in adult education at Columbia University. A specialist in adult education, she was appointed in 1938 as supervisor of a WPA project in New York, where she trained teachers. The outbreak of World War II found her visiting an aunt in Ketchikan, Alaska, where she remained to teach English and journalism at the local high school before joining the University of Alaska as associate professor of English. In 1945 she was hired as first supervisor of the Alaska Territorial Department of Education in Juneau, becoming deputy commissioner of education two years later. Her job required her to travel throughout Alaska, inspecting rural schools. In 1954, she held a four-month United Nations fellowship to study rural schools in Australia. Two years later she was named first director of the Juneau-Douglas Community College, at Auke Bay, Alaska, where the school library was named for her in the 1970s. (Information from folder 7 in the collection. See also UAF web page: http://www.alaska.edu/opa/eInfo/index.xml?StoryID=193.)

From the description of Dorothy Novatney papers, 1943-1983. (University of Alaska, Fairbanks). WorldCat record id: 609718408

Dr. Dorothy Holverson Novatney came to Alaska in 1940 when she was 35 years of age. She taught English at the high school in Ketchikan and then moved to Fairbanks to teach at the University. In 1945 she became the first Supervisor of Elementary and Secondary Education. Her responsibility was to inspect schools throughout the state and report back to the commissioner. By 1947 she became Deputy Commissioner of Education. She resigned from the Dept. of Education in 1956 and was subsequently asked to start a community college. She originated Juneau-Douglas Community College which later became the University of Alaska Southeast. Dr. Novatney was the first Director of the new community college. [Excerpted from: "The Names Behind the Buildings at UAS," Whalesong, February 20, 1998, p. 4.].

From the description of Dr. Dorothy Novatney slide collection, ca. 1945-1955 [graphic]. (Alaska State Library). WorldCat record id: 50514046