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Gala honors faculty, alumni and students |
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After the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, as you settle into the new year, please join 400 of your closest friends at UAF's premier event, the Blue and Gold Gala, set for Friday, Feb. 9, at the Carlson Center.
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Enjoy fine dining, live music by the Young Fangs and an evening celebrating UAF's distinguished faculty, alumni and students. Join Chancellor Daniel M. White and Ann Marie White in honoring recipients of the Emil Usibelli Distinguished Teaching, Research and Service Awards, professors Sarah Fowell, Eugenie Euskirchen and Erin Pettit, respectively; the Distinguished Alumnus honoree, Eric Toskey, a two-time alum of UAF's petroleum engineering program and CEO of Letton Hall Group of Houston; and the William R. Cashen Service Award honoree, Kurt Koudelka, a paramedic-firefighter in Oregon who earned two fire science degrees from UAF. Koudelka is also a charter member of the alumni association's dynamic Student Firefighters Chapter. Net proceeds from the gala support student scholarships.
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| Tickets for this semiformal event are available at the gala website, where you can also view photos and videos from last year's gala. Thank you to all of the sponsors of the gala this year! It wouldn't be possible without you. |
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Engineering building ribbon-cutting Dec. 8 |
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UAF celebrated a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house for the newly completed Engineering Learning and Innovation Facility on Dec. 8. The new building, just in time for the 2018 spring semester, adds 119,000 square feet of space to support engineering research and education at UAF. University leaders and donors spoke at the ribbon-cutting ceremony in the ConocoPhillips Alaska High Bay Structural Testing Lab.
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| Private donors included ConocoPhillips, BP Alaska and Usibelli Coal Mine. Built with UA-issued bonds and legislative funding, the facility was years in the making. Many alumni, professors and members of the joint engineering advisory board attended the Dec. 8 event. Students are eager to move in! Read more about the facility, led by project manager Cameron Wohlford `97, in thisKUAC-FM story. Photos by UAF photographer JR Ancheta `15. |
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Seattle alumni start early
The all-UA alumni group in Seattle featured a breakfast event with University of Alaska Anchorage Interim Chancellor Sam Gingerich, pictured right with his wife, Erin Holmes, associate vice provost of institutional research at UAA, and alumna Ann Cook `72, of Bainbridge Island. The event was held at MakerSpace in Seattle. Gingerich provided an update on UA system priorities and how alumni can help. The Seattle alumni group includes graduates of UAF, UAA and UAS. For more information about the all-UA alumni group in Seattle, please contact Jeremy Vermilyea`92 at jeremy@vermilyealaw.com.
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Alums gather in Anchorage
A group of UAF alumni gathered in Anchorage to meet the new chancellor, connect with each other and gear up for the Governor's Cup hockey game against the UAA Seawolves on Dec. 9. Thank you to the alum husband-and-wife duo of Charles Fedullo `04 and Shannon McCarthy `88 for hosting this event at Strategies 360 in Anchorage. And yes, the Nanooks officially won the cup. There are two more games in the series in Fairbanks Feb. 23-24, 2018.
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Stay on top and get involved in UAF Impact
Stay on top of what's going on in the state capital each session by signing up to receive the Capitol Report by Miles Baker, UA's associate vice president of government relations. The Capitol Report offers the latest news as well as information about public hearings and opportunities to weigh in on higher education issues in the state. Did you know that 36,000 of the registered voters in Alaska are alumni from the UA system? Together, we can make an impact.
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The second session of the 30th Alaska Legislature begins Jan. 16. The alumni fly-in to Juneau is set for Feb. 20-21, 2018. The UAFAA last year invited UAA and UAS alumni to join our efforts, and we've done so again this year with the goal of presenting a united front of alumni support before our elected state officials.
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Another way to keep up to date with UAF is to sign up for news releases right here.You'll find great information about what our awesome faculty, students, staff and alumni are up to!
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| Pictured above is UAF alumnus Rep. Scott Kawasaki `99 in his office in the Alaska State Capitol. |
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UAF begins search for next provost
A nationwide search is underway for a successor to Provost Susan Henrichs, who has announced her plan to retire in June 2018 after serving UAF in various capacities since 1982.
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College of Engineering and Mines Dean and alumnus Doug Goering is chairing the search committee, which includes several of his fellow UAF alumni. More information on the position and the search timeline was available online. Please help UAF spread the word to qualified candidates!
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| Stay tuned about the farewell party for Provost Henrichs, who has served this university with integrity and distinction for more than three decades. |
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Thank you to UAFAA Benefactor Fund donors
We're overwhelmed and humbled by the outpouring of generosity alumni have shown with a recent invitation to support the UAF Alumni Association's Benefactor Fund, which supports projects and equipment that enhance campus and student life. Learn more about the program and who contributes on our Benefactor Fund page.
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| There are many ways to give to UAF. Support your former college or school, donate to a particular scholarship, or target your giving in a way that's the most meaningful to you. Thank you! |
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YPC offers mentoring program for young UAF alumni
The Young Professionals Council is offering a special $25 discount to UAF alumni who want to be mentored by a community leader in YPC's Mentoring Program.
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| Mentoring connects young professionals with individuals in their industry and beyond who can help guide them on a successful career path. Experienced professionals can help young professionals navigate their daily responsibilities and can also bestow years of knowledge and experience in other aspects of personal development. |
The Young Professionals Mentoring Program cultivates leadership skills within young professionals to propel growth in their careers, finances and personal lives. The investment for participants is below: |
| ·Fairbanks Young Professionals Council members — $50 |
| · N on-Fairbanks YPC members — $100 |
·UAF alumni DISCOUNT (includes YPC membership and mentoring fee) — $5
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| For more information about YPC and the special UAF alumni discount, contact Hannah Cooper at fairbanksypc@gmail.com or call her at the Fairbanks Economic Development Corp. at 907-452-2185. |
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Centennial Wraps Up
By Michelle Renfrew `98 and Emily Drygas `97 `08
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In 2017, UAF celebrated 100 years as Alaska’s flagship university — a century of teaching, research and service built on the grit and determination of our
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founders. We have had the distinct honor to serve as co-chairs of UAF’s centennial executive committee. With the help of the planning committee and departments and individuals all across campus, we were able to do some incredible things in recognition of this important milestone. Here are a few highlights by the numbers:
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- More than 50 events were held.
- More than 100 volunteers helped UAF.
- More than 2,000 participants celebrated with UAF.
- Centennial edition of Aurora magazine was mailed to 21,500 people around the world and emailed to 17,000.
- Centennial timeline videoproduced by eLearning and UR was viewed more than 7,700 times.
- Centennial website received more than 37,200 page views.
- Our profiles of notable UAF peopleand their big ideas drew almost 5,000 clicks.
- Raised more than $120,000 for student scholarships at the Blue and Gold Gala.
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- Received “Happy Birthday UAF” messages from around the world.
- Engaged with thousands of UAF supporters on social media with #uaf100.
| People from across the state, nation and world got involved. We had great participation in the Nanook Rendezvous alumni reunion, which moved from fall to midsummer, and included more than 100 guests representing eight different states. Our friends also were generous this year. They supported centennial fundraising efforts for scholarships and and fellowships, the new engineering building, and development of the Troth Yeddha’ Park and Indigenous studies center. We raised a record amount for student scholarships at the newly branded Blue and Gold Gala. |
As we reflect on the year, we believe we’ve accomplished all we set out to do.
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Thank you for your ideas, your enthusiasm and your passion for this university. We could not have done this without you.
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At UAF, Michelle Renfrew and Emily Drygas are the respective directors of university relations, and development and alumni relations.
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Nominations for UAFAA board seats start Feb. 1
Are you an alum looking to make a real difference for your alma mater? Are you interested in giving back, being a leader in the nonprofit sector and an ambassador for UAF? Consider running for a seat on the board of directors of the UAF Alumni Association, a dynamic and committed 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that exists to support and connect alumni back to UAF.
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Four seats are open for the spring elections, and nominations will be accepted throughout the month of February.
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The open seats include Seat 4, Southcentral Alaska; Seat 5, Fairbanks North Star Borough; Seat 6, at-large; and Seat 7, Southeast Alaska. Learn more about the board here, as well as the expectations, roles and responsibilities of being a board member.
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Upcoming alumni events — save the date
- Jan. 20, UAFAA board meeting (teleconference).
- Feb. 9, Blue and Gold Gala honoring faculty, alumni and our mission.
- Feb. 1-28, Nominations for UAFAA board seats open. Learn more.
- Feb. 20-21, UAF Impact, alumni grassroots advocacy capitol fly-in, Juneau.
- April 28, Grad Bash celebration for 2018 graduates.
- April 27-28, Spring UAFAA board meeting, Fairbanks.
- May 5, UAF commencement and alumni reception, Fairbanks, Carlson Center.
- July 19-22, Nanook Rendezvous reunion, celebrating all classes.
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