 Commencement is one of my favorite days in our annual calendar. I love the gathering
of our community and the celebration that fills the great cement hall of the Carlson
Center. The whole academic year culminates in this wonderful afternoon. The Nanook
Ice Hockey arena, normally floored in a sheet of ice, is filled with celebration and
warmth. All the months and years of work by our students and their support teams,
and all the work by our staff and faculty from the months gone by come together in
this wonderful, uplifting exhalation of collective joy. It is great. I hope to see
you there! (1 p.m. in the Carlson Center.) It recently occurred to me that commencement
refers to both a beginning and an end. I don't know why I never thought of this before,
but it struck me as being so appropriate for our special day of celebration. For our
students, commencement IS both. It is the day when we celebrate the completion of
their great journey with us and their moment of a new beginning. It is a great stepping
off into the next chapter of their lives. Continue reading the Friday Focus.
 The University of Alaska Fairbanks will honor the Class of 2024 during its 102nd commencement
ceremony on Saturday, May 4, at 1 p.m. at the Carlson Center in Fairbanks. Read more on this year's commencement.
Ice Cream Thursdays scoops out volunteers
Summer is almost here, and with that comes the return of Ice Cream Thursdays! Ice
Cream Thursdays will begin on May 23 and run every Thursday, except for July 4, through
Aug. 1. If you or your office would like to help the Center for Student Engagement
with this event, please email Gretchen Bates to sign up.
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The Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Activity congratulates the individuals
and groups who received an URSA Summer 2024 Student Project Award. Learn more about the recipients.
This is a call for volunteers for the 15th annual Really Free Market, the ultimate
freecycling event, on Saturday, May 18. The event is held on the UAF Campus in the
Lola Tilly parking lot. As in past years, drop off is from 8-10 a.m. and cleanup usually
begins about 11:30 a.m. Get more details on the event.
Changes are coming to how staff, faculty, and students interact with UAOnline. Over
the next 18 months, UA will be upgrading UAOnline and Banner Self-Service to version
9. Read more about the upgrades.
Our annual window and building washing contract is kicking off a few days early this
year. Please see the scheduled dates, times and service for each building. Read more on preparing for the washing schedule.
A high point for about 300 seismologists, geologists and other scientists gathering
in Anchorage for a weeklong conference came Monday on the waters of Prince William
Sound with an approach to a wide and high unstable hillside that could cause a catastrophic
tsunami if it rapidly collapses. Read more about the landslide cruise and research.
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