March 21, 2023

                                                                                             Daylight: 12:22:23

Welcome back!

How was your break? Are you rested and restored? I hope so because we are about to start the free-fall ride to the end of the term! Let’s take stock of where we are at. Counting this week, there are two more weeks of classes in March and four weeks in April. That is only five more Mondays of classes and six more Fridays. After that, final exams land during the first week in May. Commencement is on Saturday, May 6. That is only 47 days from today! Folks, it is going to be over before you know it.

What is your plan? Take a moment to answer that question. What are you going to do to make the most of these final days and weeks? Are you able to find and commit the time it takes to do your best? Be honest with yourself. Do you need to assess your priorities to make the most of this semester, this opportunity to do your best?  If this question feels overwhelming, or if you find yourself feeling buried and overwhelmed as you return to classes – please reach out. We are all here to help you have an awesome six or seven weeks ahead. If you don’t know where to go, reach out to the Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities. They can help guide you to resources and help with strategies.

As usual, here are a few things you should know and/or do:

• Do you want to make a difference at UAF? ASUAF elections are coming up. The deadline for nominations is March 23. That’s this Thursday. Here is a link to more information. We need your help to help us be all we can be as an institution. We need all students to participate, but we especially need you!

• Graduating? The deadline to purchase regalia is March 25. Purchase your caps, gowns and other regalia from Jostens so you receive them before the ceremony. Visit www.jostens.com to order. Your graduation fee does not cover these items.

• Registration is coming. Priority registration opens Monday, March 27! See your advisor to select your summer and fall classes!

• Before you register, do your UA Title IX Training. It is fast. It is important. Do it.

• Lastly, (and I mentioned this in last week’s letter) over the break, the great people at the Office of Information Technology moved our UA Online software off of decades-old hardware; it is now supported from a comfy high-tech home in ‘the cloud.’ This is a huge step forward for the student information systems at UAF. We now begin a much-needed modernization of our student-facing administrative systems. Good people have been working for years to get to this point and over the break, we took a big step forward to make things better for you. This is big news.

Have a great week! We are keeping an eye on the storm out in Nome, and hope all is peaceful there. Here in Fairbanks, it looks to be warm, sunny and amazing.

Let me know what we can do better to serve you in the final weeks of the semester! 

As always, I’m at obguthrie@alaska.edu.

— Owen Guthrie, vice chancellor for student affairs and enrollment management.