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2020 Blue and Gold, an historic success
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UAF faculty and alumni awardees, event speakers and university officials pose for a photo before the 2020 Blue and Gold Celebration. UAF photo by JR Ancheta.
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Thank you to all who attended the 2020 Blue and Gold Celebration, held Feb. 8 at the Carlson Center. Because of your generosity, UAF raised a record $200,000 for scholarships and programs, including the Student Support Fund.
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If you were not able to attend, you can still contribute to the Student Support Fund by sending a text to 41444. In the body of your message, type the word Students (space) Dollar Amount (space) Your Name. Example: STUDENTS 250 Jane Doe. Hit “send” and you’re done. A link will come back to you so that you can complete your pledge. If you’d like to contribute to a different fund, you will have that option.
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Thank you to all of our donors and participants, including our presenting sponsor, Kinross Fort Knox, and our alumni co-emcees, Meadow and Bill Bailey. Congratulations again to our alumni awardees, Caroline Tritt-Frank '90, '01, our 2020 UAF Distinguished Alumnus Award recipient, and Paul McCarthy, who received this year's William R. Cashen Service Award.
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Pruitt legacy supports students
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UAF alumnus James Pruitt left a planned gift of more than $3 million to both the School of Management and the UAF Alumni Association.
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Today, part of that gift forms the nucleus of the Student Support Fund, which helps students through unexpected challenges. Pruitt’s passion was supporting hard-working, nontraditional students.
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James Pruitt at UAF in the mid-1970s. Photo courtesy of Gary Pessemier.
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Pruitt received his Bachelor of Business Administration in 1973. He started working for Amoco about six months after graduating and was able to retire after a long career with BP, which acquired Amoco in 1998. He was 68 years old when he died. Tammy Tragis-McCook, the school’s development and outreach director, started talking to Pruitt a little more than five years ago when he began funding the Green Island Scholarship for two freshman or sophomore students enrolled in the business program. Though she was never able to meet him, she felt she understood what mattered to him.
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Pruitt said UAF prepared him for the successful career he had in the oil industry, and for that he was thankful. “He had very good memories of his time at UAF,” Tragis-McCook said. “He worked while he went to school, so he was one of our nontraditional students at a time many students did not work. It was important to him that his scholarship students worked in the summer to offset educational expenses. He wanted to support industrious students who took part in financing their own education.”
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Pruitt's gift represents the largest UAFAA has received to date. Thanks to his generosity, the alumni association board of directors quickly established a unique funding source for students, one not based on grades or designated to a specific field of study. In addition to establishing the fund with a $10,000 gift in the fall of 2019, the UAFAA board voted to donate an additional $15,000 during the Blue and Gold Celebration.
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Alaska Nanooks retain Alaska Airlines Governor's Cup
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The Alaska Nanooks hockey team earned home ice advantage for the first round of the 2020 Western Collegiate Hockey Association Playoffs after defeating the University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves on Saturday, Feb. 29. UAF photo.
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Congratulations to our Alaska Nanooks Hockey team for their victory over UAA in the 2020 Alaska Airlines Governor's Cup. The UAF Alumni Association partnered with Denali State Bank to host a pre-game pep rally on Friday, Feb. 28. Thanks to Miguel's Authentic Mexican Cuisine for the excellent food and special thanks to HooDoo for their support. More than 100 alumni, Nanooks fans, UAF student athletes, alumni hockey players and members of the UAF Face-Off club were in attendance.
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(From left) Alums Dave Hackney '72, '78 and Phil Richardson '71 pose with Nanook and Tim "Goldie" Bauer, treasurer of the UAF Face-Off Club, at the UAFAA Gov Cup Pep Rally co-hosted by Denali State Bank. UAF photo by JR Ancheta.
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Get ready to celebrate with us
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Alumni gather at the Welcome Picnic during the 2019 Nanook Rendezvous. UAF photo by JR Ancheta.
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Don't miss our all-class Nanook Rendezvous reunion, set for July 16-18, 2020 during Golden Days here in Fairbanks. Whether you graduated last year, 50 years ago or somewhere in between or beyond, we'd love to have you!
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We've got a great lineup of events, starting with a welcome picnic at the Georgeson Botanical Gardens on the Fairbanks campus. Share stories about your time at UAF and, after the picnic, stay and enjoy music in the garden. Other planned activities:
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- UAF Campus Day: Join us for student-led tours and other events.
- Nanooks Night at the Goldpanners: Alumni get free admission to the baseball game.
- The Golden Days Grande Parade: Ride the UAF float or walk along with us. Wear your blue and gold! No charge to join the UAF contingent.
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Want to stay on campus, maybe even in your old dorm? Summer guest housing is also available. Throughout the weekend, reunion attendees will have free admission to the Student Recreation Center on campus and discounted admission to the University of Alaska Museum of the North.
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Watch for your UAFAA election ballot in your inbox
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Members of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Alumni Association will choose candidates for three open seats on its board of directors this month. An electronic ballot will be emailed to all UAFAA members in good standing beginning March 9, 2020. In addition, paper ballots will be available by request and must be returned to the Alumni Office in 201 Constitution Hall by March 23, 2020.
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- Seat 1-A, rural (outside Fairbanks North Star Borough, Southeast Alaska, Municipality of Anchorage and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough)
- Seat 2-A, Southcentral Alaska
- Seat 3-A, Fairbanks North Star Borough
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UAF alumni profile
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Alumni artist creates unique painting for library
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Percy Avugiak’s success as a first-generation college graduate was made possible by the support he received while he was a student on the Fairbanks campus. He credits the Rural Student Services program for his smooth transition from growing up in the rural community of Chefornak to a successful college experience.
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“They made UAF feel very much like a home away from home,” he said. “RSS was a place where I got to meet new people and share stories. I learned a lot about other cultures, enjoyed potlucks and ate traditional foods.”
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Percy Avugiak stands in front of his mural "Invitation Dance and Celebrations," which is located in the west entrance of the Rasmuson Library on the Fairbanks campus. UAF photo by JR Ancheta.
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Avugiak also learned about the Inu-Yupiaq Dance Group through the program. For him, it was a daily connection to home. They shared songs, stories and dances, and traveled to many places throughout Alaska.
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That is the theme is a new mural on the Fairbanks campus, "Invitation Dance and Celebrations." Avugiak's mural has been displayed at the Rasmuson Library's west entrance since September 2019.
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The artist used vibrant colors to convey a message about strength, progress and passion. Avugiak’s work tells a story. This image depicts dancing and traditional Alaska Native clothing that surrounds colorful graduates dressed in cap and gown. The graduates appear to be at commencement and are tossing their hats, communicating the celebration achieved by completing their college degrees.
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UAF class notes
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Let us know what you are up to! We are currently gathering photos, snippets and stories for the winter edition of the online Aurora magazine.
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We invite you to share positive stories from your time at UAF, updates about your current achievements and other news.
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Calling all previous UAF resident assistants
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UAF alumni Jeremy Vermilyea and Sean Topkok recently shared memories of their time as resident assistants during a recent visit on the UAF campus. Photo by Theresa Bakker.
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If you enjoyed being a resident assistant at UAF, we would love to hear your stories! Our Residence Life team hopes to share stories about what the position has given folks during their college careers.
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The stories will be used to recruit new resident assistants, but it might also be fun to have a collection of stories from over the years about the role Residence Life has played in the lives of students.
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If you are willing to share some memories, please call 907-474-7203. Or send an email to Rachell Peterson at rrpeterson2@alaska.edu or Brittany Van Eck at bvaneck@alaska.edu.
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If you live locally, we can arrange to meet in person and have our photographer take a photo. If you are not a local resident or if you would prefer, you can also provide a photo with your submission. Current photos, as well as photographic memories from the time you were a resident assistant, would be appreciated.
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Membership supports UAF students and more
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Membership in your UAF Alumni Association helps support alumni outreach and events like the annual Nanook Rendezvous reunion and student scholarships, along with campus projects such as the One Health, One Future conference, the Blue and Gold Celebration, Grad Bash and many other worthy endeavors.
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UAF alumni membership rates:
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One-year membership = $50
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Three-year membership = $140
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Lifetime membership = $1,000
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Special rate for friends of UAF alumni = $60
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One of the best deals offered to UAFAA members is the 50% discount on admission to the UAF Student Recreation Center. Check out the rates for members at the center's website.
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By being a UAFAA member you are also eligible for discounts on your Geico insurance policy. Visit them at geico.com/alum/uafaa to find out how much you can save.
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Members also have access to Polar Perks, which provides discounts and deals all over the country and in your local area on dining, movies, travel and more. Check it out at UAFAA Polar Perks.
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Once you have your membership card, you also have access to campus libraries, career services and all the fun the Wood Center has to offer. There are many other discounts and incentives honored by local businesses.
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Upcoming alumni events — save the dates
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Questions or comments? Please contact us at:
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UAF Alumni Association
201 Constitution Hall
P.O. Box 750126
Fairbanks, AK 99775-0126
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Phone: (907) 474-7081
Fax: (907) 474-6712
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