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It's not just legislators descending on Juneau this month. On Thursday, Jan. 30, champions for the arts and humanities in Alaska will head to the Juneau Arts and Culture Center to recognize recipients of the . The nine recipients-four honored for their work in the arts, four in the humanities and one for lifetime achievement-were selected by the Alaska State Council on the Arts, the Alaska Humanities Forum and the Office of the Governor based on community nominations.

Congratulations to all the deserving recipients whose work helps make Alaska such a culturally rich state. We wanted to give a special shout out to the three humanities awardees with ties to мÓÆÂÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±.

William "Willie" IÄ¡Ä¡iagruk Hensley is a former Alaska legislator, a businessman, a scholar of Alaska Native history in the state and now a distinguished visiting professor for мÓÆÂÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±'s College of Business and Public Policy. Read more about him here.

Aaron Leggett (B.A. Anthropology '06) is a мÓÆÂÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½± alumnus and special exhibits curator at the Anchorage Museum. He's also served as an adjunct faculty member and an advisory board member at his alma mater. Read more about his work co-curating "The Dena'ina Way of Living" exhibit at the Anchorage Museum here.

Eva Saulitis is a poet, essayist and biologist who teaches graduate-level creative writing for мÓÆÂÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±'s low-residency MFA program and undergraduate creative writing at Kenai Peninsula College's Kachemak Bay Campus. Read more about her research with Alaska orcas and her newly released memoir, Into Great Silence, here.

We appreciate the unique perspectives and expertise these Alaskans have contributed to мÓÆÂÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½± students over the years.