Friday Focus: Transformative academic journey

Aug. 25, 2023

— By Dan White, chancellor

This past week I participated in some of my favorite events at UAF, welcoming students to the start of a new fall semester. All week, hundreds of new UAF students came onto campus from across the state and around the world to start their educational journey. Each one of them took a unique path to get to this starting line, and each one of them will make the UAF experience their own. This year’s incoming first-year students are arriving at UAF at a time of great transition and opportunity.

At a recent Chancellor’s Cabinet meeting, Dr. Taryn Lopez gave an update on UAF’s progress towards R1 research status and shared how we achieve this goal by 2027. There are many different paths to R1 for UAF, whether it be through increasing our Ph.D. graduates, recruiting more post-docs and research faculty, or upping our research expenditures. I am confident that no matter the mechanism we use, the outcome will meet success. UAF, our university system, and the entire state will be transformed for the better when we join an elite group of R1 universities.

By the time this incoming class graduates, they will be graduating from a university that also looks different than the one they joined this week. On Monday, construction began on the 6th floor of the Rasmuson Library, which will soon be transformed into a modern, comprehensive student success center. Over the past few months, we have made progress on renovations of the Moore and Bartlett Halls. Once complete, these new residence halls will enhance the the student experience at UAF.

Looking ahead, we plan to begin construction on the Troth Yeddha’ Indigenous Studies Center by 2025. Conversations with the Nanook Athletic Alliance regarding a new hockey arena at UAF are in progress, and President Pitney is working closely with the legislature to address our deferred maintenance needs. We have also started working on our UAF Master Plan, envisioning a new student welcome center in the Lola Tilly Building that will serve as the focal point for UAF.

Much like this year’s incoming class, UAF is currently making investments that will transform our future. What we are doing now will change our campus four, five, 10 years down the road. It is an exciting time to be a Nanook.

Thank you for choosing UAF.

Friday Focus is written by a different member of UAF’s leadership team every week.