Friday Focus: The power of celebration
Kyle Agustines, a graphic designer with the UAF University Advancement team, takes a moment to celebrate his graduation with Nook.
May 10, 2024
— By Theresa Bakker, interim executive director of university advancement
Last weekend marked the biggest celebration of the year for UAF.
At our 102nd commencement, thousands of people packed the Carlson Center to cheer for the members of the Class of 2024, joining graduates in a raucous round of chanting U! A! F!
As they walked across the stage, graduates accepted some well-deserved congratulations from university leaders. They posed for photos with the faculty who made their degrees possible. And they joined the community of more than 35,000 alumni who are the heart of Nanook Nation.
Commencement is UAF’s largest public event. It's a big deal for the university advancement team.
Kara Nash, UAF’s new institutional events manager, led the commencement planning team for the first time this year. She brought a new perspective to the 2024 celebrations and deserves kudos for the new ideas she implemented, including two large screens framing the stage. Advancement even had its own graduate this year. In addition to earning his art degree, graphic designer Kyle Agustines created the traditional commencement t-shirt.
Creating a commencement ceremony also involves many people from across the university. I want to offer a special “thank you” to UAF Registrar Holly McDonald and Degree Services Manager Sandy Ocampos. They worked closely with Kara to balance the traditions of commencement with innovative elements to modernize the event.
As the interim executive director, I’ve been thinking lately about the purpose of advancement. My team focuses on moving the University of Alaska Fairbanks forward via student recruitment, alumni engagement, fundraising and communications.
We aspire to inspire others to connect to UAF.
Celebrations are important to that work. The return is obvious. When this year’s graduates think of UAF, we want them to remember how they felt in that moment of celebration and pride at commencement. We want them to know that they matter. We want them to know that being a part of Nanook Nation doesn’t stop when they cross that stage. These concepts are at the core of our work in advancement.
Even though the campus will be quieter over the next few months, the advancement team is already planning our next celebrations. Mark your calendars for July 18-20 and the Nanook Rendezvous alumni reunion. We’re expecting more than 100 alumni from a dozen different states to participate in reunion events. Everyone in Nanook Nation is also welcome to participate.
After that, we’ll be focused on another tradition at UAF, the Blue and Gold Celebration on Sept. 14. This event brings our community and donors together to hear highlights about the university and honor this year’s recipients of the Emil Usibelli Distinguished Teaching, Research and Service Awards.
The event will be part of a busy week on the Troth Yeddha' Campus, from the Chancellor's Convocation to the Denali State Bank Ice Block Classic volleyball tournament. We’re looking forward to another opportunity to host a big celebration, just in time to welcome our newest students.
Friday Focus is a column written by a different member of UAF's leadership team every week.