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Friday Focus: Reflections and looking ahead

Dec. 20, 2024

— By Dan White, chancellor

Fall classes are completed, grades are submitted, earth system researchers and grad ����ӰƬ have returned from AGU, staff are finalizing year-end projects, and campus is feeling a lot like the holidays. In this period of transition before the end of the year, I am reflecting on everything that has happened at UAF in the past 12 months. It’s been a busy year! Thank you to everyone who spent another year dedicated to UAF’s mission. It takes a million little things to go right every day to keep UAF running, and it takes all of you to keep it running well. Thank you.

In 2024, we celebrated some major accomplishments. In February, the Festival of Native Arts marked its 50th anniversary with another incredible, multi-day event. I am looking forward to celebrating 51 years in a couple of months! In May, we celebrated our 102nd commencement and filled the Carlson Center with chants of “U-A-F!” A few weeks later, the Board of Regents approved the renaming of the College of Rural and Community Development, making UAF home to the first College of Indigenous Studies in the nation. On July 1, we received generous funding from the state to support UAF Ph.D. ����ӰƬ and faculty toward our R1 goal. Since then, we have provided funding to 85+ Ph.D. ����ӰƬ and made some positive strides in improving our internal processes to best serve them. This August, we celebrated the re-opening of the Moore and Bartlett residence halls, and a few weeks later, we opened the new Student Success Center on the 6th floor of the Rasmuson Library. And that was all before the fall semester! Great work everyone.

Looking ahead, I am thinking about what is on the horizon for UAF in 2025 and beyond. Starting next year, the new Board of Regents Committee on Innovation, chaired by Regent Joey Crum, will begin exploring options to raise admissions standards for the Troth Yeddha’ research campus and to support ����ӰƬ who are not yet prepared for baccalaureate programs at the UAF Community and Technical College. This idea has been floating around UAF for some time, but the transformation of college education across the country makes now the time to pursue this goal in earnest. I am optimistic that a change of this nature could lower ����ӰƬ’ overall costs, improve access to resources, and ensure ����ӰƬ receive critical credentials throughout their academic journey. I believe it could lower UAF’s overall cost structure at the same time. Additionally, implementing this system could enhance graduation rates at the research campus and strengthen and clarify CTC’s role within UAF.

I am excited about these conversations and the opportunity presented by innovative thinking, and look forward to hearing more from faculty, staff and ����ӰƬ on this proposal in the coming months. I am also excited to work with and learn from the BOR Committee on Innovation. While their current focus is on admissions and matriculation at UAF, I look forward to exploring opportunities for innovation across the system. This is a great opportunity for us to work together with the BOR on laying out bright ideas for UAF’s bright future.

In addition to all of the transformative thinking, next year we will make progress on the UAF planetarium, get closer to breaking ground on the Troth Yeddha’ Indigenous Studies Center, and implement the great work of the R1 working groups. As we explore the UAF Main Street vision, we will make progress on a privately built and run campus hotel, new high-density housing, and graduate student apartments. That’s on top of enrolling ����ӰƬ and helping them succeed, teaching classes, conducting research, managing grants, grooming trails, competing in athletics, and all of the other things it takes to keep UAF running. Thank you.

Thanks for all you have done this year, and for your continued commitment into the new year. Thanks for choosing UAF.

Friday Focus is written by a different member of UAF’s leadership team every week.