Oct 14, 2024

Dear students, faculty and staff,

Today is Indigenous Peoples’ Day, a time to honor and celebrate the many ways in which the First Peoples of our state and nation enrich our university community. At UAF, we are proud of our strategic goal of becoming a global leader in Alaska Native and Indigenous programs. UAF is already leading the nation as the first public university to house a College of Indigenous Studies, and I am confident we will continue to make progress on the Troth Yeddha’ Indigenous Studies Center in the coming year.

There are several Indigenous Peoples’ Day events happening today that I encourage you to attend. On UAF’s Troth Yeddha’ Campus, the Festival of Native Arts Club will hold its annual fry bread taco fundraiser from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Brooks Building Gathering Room. In addition, the College of Indigenous Studies is hosting programming in the Wood Center throughout the day, including two presentations from Laguna Pueblo guest speaker Lee Francis IV (aka Dr. IndigiNerd). You can find the full schedule of events on the College of Indigenous Studies website. In Bethel, the UAF Kuskokwim Campus is co-hosting an event with community partners that will include yuraq performances, a Native foods potluck and more. Full event details are available on the event’s Facebook page. In Nome, the Northwest Campus is hosting a day of activities in the Nagozruk Conference room, a schedule for which can be found on their Facebook page.

I invite you to join me and your colleagues to participate in Indigenous Peoples’ Day events at UAF. Thank you for making UAF a place of belonging for all.

Dan White,
Chancellor