From the chancellor

Friends of UAF,

Earlier this month, we hosted the UAF Blue and Gold Celebration, a can’t-miss evening celebrating what makes UAF unique. In addition to eating s'mores on the patio, enjoying live music from a band of alumni, and raising funds to provide vital scholarships for students, we also had the privilege of acknowledging the recipients of this year’s Emil Usibelli Distinguished Teaching, Research, and Service Awards. Thank you to everyone who attended this event in support of UAF. I appreciate traditions, new and old, that allow us to reflect on the long history of community engagement at UAF.

I am excited to share some new things on campus this fall. I invite you to come check them out! This summer, we reopened the newly renovated Moore and Bartlett residence halls. Students moved into dorms with new furniture, new bathrooms, and (invisible to them) new pipes. We also opened the doors at the new Student Success Center this semester. Located on the sixth floor of the Rasmuson Library, this one-stop-shop for student support is a modern, welcoming space for students to access all the services they need to succeed. Thank you to the GHEMM Company and Bettisworth North for their work on these two spaces.

In addition to the new, we are also proud to celebrate our traditions. This fall, students will celebrate one of UAF’s oldest traditions with Starvation Gulch. The bonfires have been a symbol of the passing of the torch of knowledge to our new students since 1923. Our Board of Regents celebrated 107 years since their first meeting, and I appreciate their consistent support of UAF. UAF has been around for a long time, in no small part due to the generosity of donors like you. You are part of a long tradition of community support for UAF. Your investment in our university will allow us to create new traditions for many years to come. Thank you for giving what you have and what you will as we celebrate the old and the new this year at UAF.

Thank you.

Dan White
Chancellor