Friday Focus: It takes vision
August 9, 2019
— by Evon Peter, vice chancellor for rural, community and Native education
We are facing complexity and uncertainty on an unprecedented scale. It has not been easy for any of us — whether faculty, staff, students or administrators — to navigate the roller coaster of feelings associated with all the layers of uncertainty. We each navigate such times in our own ways. I hope yours is enabling you to remain connected with peers, colleagues, co-workers, friends and support services in a positive and meaningful way.
While there is a great deal of uncertainty, there are things that I remain clear about. And this clarity is the driving force for me to remain engaged and active in this transitional time.
We have a dynamic, powerful and transformative portfolio of workforce, academic, student support and research programs that have been built through the passion, sweat and tears of those who came before us. Some have dedicated their entire careers to guide us to where we are today, situated as a globally unique, world-class university that serves underrepresented, nontraditional and traditional students alike so they can achieve their highest potential and help change the world.
We owe it to those who came before us, to our current students and to those yet to arrive to do our best in navigating the current uncertainty to achieve the best possible outcomes. We will have a university on the other side of this transitional time, and we need to remain engaged in a positive and productive way to help shape the future.
The excellence we have achieved is rooted in our ability to express a vision, plan and then execute steps to transform vision into reality. We clearly do this well at UAF, and our visions are perhaps more valuable now than ever before in a rapidly changing local and global context. Whether it is social, environmental, political or economic change, we have the expertise to lead in critical ways.
It is not time for us to step aside; it is time for us to step up. Just this Monday, the Center for Alaska Native Health Research, Center for One Health Research and College of Rural and Community Development partnered to submit a $100 million proposal to the MacArthur 100&Change competition. Across the university, our visions are critical, and it is the right time for the world to better understand our capacity and what we have to offer.
Today at 1 p.m., I am excited to join faculty, staff, supporters, graduates and their families at the UAF CTC Fire Academy graduation at the University Park building. It is a time to celebrate their achievement and commitment to help others.
What we do matters, whether it is training first responders who are there in our time of greatest need, preparing teachers for our schools or launching the career of a future Nobel laureate. I will conclude my Friday Focus by thanking you all for your many forms of effort and leadership that make our university a world-class institution. I wish you all well with the start of the fall semester.
Friday Focus is a column written by a different member of UAF’s leadership team every week.