Friday Focus: Appreciating the uniquely resilient
The UAF Financial Aid Department braves the frigid temperatures to join the "40-Below Club" and get their photo taken in front of the UAF digital temperature sign on Alumni Drive the morning of January 26, 2024.
Feb. 16, 2024
— By Owen Guthrie, vice chancellor for student affairs and enrollment management
The last few weeks were pretty awesome here in Fairbanks. It was seriously cold for a bit. A good friend of mine said around day 12 of the cold snap, “This is just stupid.” It was, and then it was warm. It was amazing. It was Fairbanks.
It was cold like it hadn’t been for a long time. Pipes froze, cars didn’t start and heating systems failed. It was really cold. If you are here in Alaska, you know what I mean. Early one Friday morning I walked into the Arctic Java coffee shop in the Wood Center. It was bustling. About a dozen students chatted while waiting to get a coffee; others waited at the end of the bar for their steaming cups to arrive.
It was 42 below outside. Beyond the windows lay a wall of frozen, murky darkness. But inside it was warm and there was a wonderful positive vibe. We were a diverse group, sporting lots of comfort wear and practical clothing choices, but all shared one thing in common. We were all out and about on a 42-below morning! UAF faculty, staff and students on the Troth Yeddha’ campus do this like it is any other Friday morning. Like it is nothing; we just get up, and get to work. Take a moment. Take that in. Who else does that? Whatever it is you did to make it through those coldest of days - it is impressive. Such toughness, such resilience.
And then it got warm. The last few days have been amazing in the other direction. I went for a long walk through the arboretum earlier this week. It was eighty degrees warmer than just a few days earlier and still just about freezing. It was light and it was bright and it was and always is so beautiful back there. The sign warning of a potential angry mama moose on the trails just added to the whole experience. How many universities have an enormous forest reserve with lakes and fields and trails, and an angry mama moose on the loose, right out their back door?
The extremes that we share form a part of the context that makes this community amazing. They shape who we are; a community of remarkable people with hardy souls. We persevere and we carry on, moving our mission forward despite the challenges the universe provides, and also because of those same challenges. We have amazing people who illuminate UAF with their achievements in the public spotlight and amazing people who work behind the scenes. These strong, resilient souls keep the sidewalks shoveled, payroll processed, and the data flowing through our networks. Over the years, countless dedicated individuals have spent their working lives in service to our collective efforts, and many are known only within their close circles of fellow employees.
One such individual is Mary Buchanan, the Customer Relationship Management Software Administrator for our Admissions team. From Mary’s quiet windowless back office in Signers’ Hall, she is opening new digital pathways for students to discover UAF. Since August, Mary and a few close collaborators have opened new gateways to UAF for students across the U.S. and across the world by integrating three new admissions application platforms or portals with our CRM. The transformative impact of her efforts has been nothing short of extraordinary. We have obtained hundreds of additional applications for the fall class of 2024. These are applications that likely would not have reached us otherwise. Each application represents a new potential student considering us as their destination, a student seeking their path to future adventures and future opportunities here among our community.
Students walk to and from class in negative temperatures on the Troth Yeddha' Campus on Jan. 26, 2024.
Three new integrations down, Mary is adding two additional partnership portals. One is a gateway for international student recruitment and the other is a gateway for corporate enrollments, providing US employees with tuition benefits an accessible path to higher education. This is big stuff for UAF and for our collective future. For the students who discover us through these new channels, it may be life changing. They may soon be standing in Arctic Java on a 42-below morning finding warmth with friends and faculty.
In the grand tapestry of our university's history, producing over 100 years of transformative impact and over 100,000 alumni, we recognize the publicly celebrated achievements of our students, staff, and faculty. Yet, it's important to acknowledge that none of these milestones would be possible without the many individuals like Mary, who have achieved so much behind the scenes for decades and shaped the very foundation of our success. As we celebrate the returning light and warmth of spring, let us extend our gratitude to all the unsung heroes at UAF, whose dedication and passion continue to propel our university forward.
Wishing you all a fantastic weekend, and may we all appreciate the uniquely resilient individuals who make UAF an exceptional place to learn and grow. Enjoy the beautiful sunshine and warmth, wherever you are!
Friday Focus is a column written by a different member of UAF's leadership team every week.