|
|
|
|
Whether you are at home enjoying the holiday delights, or staying on campus with your bubble of friends, we hope that you are finding time to rest and take care of yourself after a long and challenging fall semester.
|
Fall 2020 taught us a lot. None of us, neither the students nor faculty, staff or administrators, fully knew how the COVID-19 pandemic would impact us and what the semester would feel like. Now, reflecting back on the semester, we know how we can keep our campuses safe and provide even more access to classes, research and social experiences for students. There are so many things to be thankful for.
|
We’d like to express our gratitude to you for being true partners in this unique journey that we navigated together. You took the Nanook pledge and continued your academic pursuits while keeping UAF and your community safe. You adapted to different teaching modalities. Where possible, you stood up to support someone else in need. During a time where it was hard to keep the rhythm, motivation or energy, you made it through. And that is a victory you own, a victory far more important than a grade on a transcript.
|
We talked directly with some of you. We heard from your faculty, instructors, student leaders, family and friends. We received your input through survey responses and emails you wrote to us. You appreciated that UAF was open, accessible and safe. You wanted more in-person classes and some more opportunities for safe social interactions. You advocated for continued flexibility and for normalcy. We also heard how important spring break is for you.
|
Your messages were loud and clear, and we’ve built in your suggestions in our spring 2021 plans, which we share with you below.
|
Academic calendar and spring break
Spring 2021 will follow a normal academic calendar with established class time blocks and a traditional spring break from March 8-12.
|
Extended withdraw date
We have extended the withdrawal deadline from March 26 to April 26 to allow students flexibility to withdraw from a course in case they face unforeseen difficulty. Please note that the add/drop deadline of Jan. 22 has not changed. Students, especially international students, student-athletes and students receiving VA funding, should consult with their advisors before withdrawing from a course as this may impact their financial aid or other eligibility requirements.
|
Final exam time blocks
To account for time needed to move between classrooms or adjust to technology, the 2-hour blocks for final exams have been changed to 2.5-hour blocks.
|
More in-person and hybrid classes
For the spring semester, 41% of our courses are currently scheduled for face-to-face, and 15% for hybrid delivery. In contrast, only about 26% of courses at UAF were face-to-face in fall 2020. You can check out the spring courses and the modality of offerings here.
|
More in-person events and activities
In fall 2020, we safely and successfully hosted several small, in-person events like the Halloween movie night and luncheon with the ASUAF student body. We have also prepared an outdoor ice-skating rink. In the spring, we plan to host more events and build opportunities for safe social interactions.
|
IMPORTANT: Enrolling for spring courses
We know that some of you felt so burned out from the fall semester that you did not want to think about the spring semester. We hope that this first week of winter break has given you the much-needed space and time to rest and think about what you’d like to do next.
We are glad that a majority of students have registered for classes. Many courses are filling up. If you haven’t already signed up, now is a good time to get the classes you want in the modality you want (face-to-face, online or hybrid) through the student services tab on UAOnline.
|
Undergraduate students and new graduate students must speak with an advisor before registering. You can check here if you are not sure who your advisor is. For questions about eCampus online courses, you can contact eCampus at 907-455-2060 or uaf-ecampus@alaska.edu.
|
We wish you happy holidays and a safe, relaxing and joyful new year.
|
|
— Anupma Prakash, provost and executive vice chancellor
|
— Keith Champagne, vice chancellor for student affairs and director of athletics
|
|
|
|
|
|
    
|
|
The is an AA/EO employer and educational institution and prohibits illegal discrimination against any individual. Learn more about UA's .
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
