University of Alaska Fairbanks
Encyclopedia
The University of Alaska Fairbanks, located in Fairbanks
, Alaska
, USA, is the flagship campus of the University of Alaska System
, and is abbreviated as Alaska or UAF.
UAF is a land-grant
, sea-grant, and space-grant
institution, as well as participating in the sun-grant
program through Oregon State University. It is also the site where the Alaska Constitution
was drafted and signed in 1955 and 1956. UAF was established in 1917 as the Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines, first opening for classes in 1922.
UAF is home to seven major research units: the Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station
; the Geophysical Institute
, which operates the Poker Flat Research Range
; the International Arctic Research Center
; the Arctic Region Supercomputing Center
; the Institute of Arctic Biology
; the Institute of Marine Science; and the Institute of Northern Engineering. Located just 200 miles south of the Arctic Circle
, the Fairbanks
campus's unique location is situated favorably for Arctic and northern research. The campus's several lines of research are renowned worldwide, most notably in Arctic biology
, Arctic engineering
, geophysics
, supercomputing, and aboriginal studies. The University of Alaska Museum of the North
is also on the Fairbanks campus.
In addition to the Fairbanks campus, UAF encompasses seven rural and urban campuses: Bristol Bay Campus
in Dillingham
; Chukchi Campus in Kotzebue
; Interior-Aleutians Campus, which covers both the Aleutian Islands and the Interior; Kuskokwim Campus in Bethel
; Northwest Campus in Nome
; and the UAF Community and Technical College in Fairbanks, UAF's community college arm. Fairbanks is also the home of the UAF Center for Distance Education
, an independent learning and distance delivery program.
In fall 2010, UAF enrolled 11,034 students, of which 59 percent were female and 41 percent male; 89 percent were undergraduates and 11 percent graduate students.
On May 15, 2011 1,141 degree certificates were awarded to graduates of the various schools and colleges.
The University of Alaska was established in 1917 as a college, but its origins lie in the creation in 1906 of a federal agricultural experiment station
in Fairbanks, the sixth in Alaska. The station set the tone for the university that developed later, which is strongly research-oriented. In 1915, the U.S. Congress approved funds to establish a school of higher education and transferred land from the station for the purpose. The federal land grant was accepted by Territorial Governor John Strong
in 1917. That year, on a bluff above the Chena River, a cornerstone for the college was laid by Territorial Delegate James Wickersham
. The site became known as College Hill. Charles E. Bunnell
was appointed the university's first president, serving for 27 years. The new institution was established as the Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines in 1922, offering 16 classes to a student body of six (at a ratio of one faculty member per student). In 1923 the first commencement
produced one graduate, John Sexton Shanly.
In 1931, the rest of the Alaska Agricultural Experiment Station
was transferred to the college, and the Alaska Territorial Legislature changed the name in 1935 to the University of Alaska. As the university began to expand throughout the state, the Fairbanks campus became known as the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 1975; the two other primary UA institutions are the University of Alaska Anchorage
and the University of Alaska Southeast
in Juneau.
al Convention was held on the university campus from November 1955 to February 1956. The student union building, which was completed the same day the convention opened, was used for the convention's sessions. The University's Board of Regents named the building Constitution Hall the same month as the convention's opening. The campus library and gymnasium building, where the constitution was signed, was named Signers' Hall in the 1980s. Today, Signers' Hall houses the Office of Admissions and the Registrar, the Business Office, the Provost's Office and the Office of the Chancellor.
Students can choose from more than 165 degrees and 30 certificates in more than 125 disciplines.
, starting a recycling
program, and starting sustainability academic programs. The Office of Sustainability was created in 2010 and recently hired a sustainability coordinator. In 2011, the Sustainable Endowments Institute gave UAF a College Sustainability Report Card grade of "C+."
"nanuq." Though often known as UAF within the state, the university prefers to be called simply "Alaska" for athletics purposes. The school colors are blue and gold. The Alaska Nanooks compete at the NCAA
Division I level for hockey as a member of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association
. The Nanooks play their home games at the 4,500 seat Carlson Center
located in downtown Fairbanks. The Alaska Nanooks also have a Division I rifle team which has won ten NCAA National Rifle Championships (1994, 1999-2004, 2006-2008). The men's and women's basketball, cross country running, and women's volleyball teams are Division II members of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference
, while the women's swim team is a member of the Pacific Collegiate Swimming Conference (PCSC) and the men's and women's Nordic skiing teams are members of the Central Collegiate Ski Association (CCSA). Partly due to its isolation from the lower 48 and lack of a dome to protect against the harsh elements, Alaska does not currently have a football program, as is true for all three branches of the University of Alaska.
Recently, the Nanook hockey team has gained fame with the increased popularity of their introduction videos, which feature a mascot known nationally as "Hockeybear," who engages in over-the-top antics such as destroying planets, moons, galaxies and even rival cities such as Anchorage or Columbus, OH. Hockeybear then ends his destruction when he arrives at the Carlson Center, usually entering through the roof after tearing off a large section. Kenny Loggins
' "Danger Zone" is featured prominently.
Since the UAF athletics program was operating at a financial deficit for several years prior, a new student fee was initiated in 2008 to keep the program alive. This fee charges UAF students $8 per credit hour they are enrolled in, up to a maximum of $96 per semester. The fee grants students free admission to select UAF athletic events.
In fiscal year 2009-10, the department was able to meet financial obligations without additional year-end funding for the first time.
The department has increased scholarships for women by 95 percent since 2005, and was even recognized by the Chronicle of Higher Education for Title IX compliance in an article titled "Turnaround Stories."
, the Alaska Native Language Center
, Alaska Sea Grant, the University of Alaska Museum of the North, Cooperative Extension Service, and the Alaska Native Knowledge Network. The University of Alaska Foundation also publishes book
s.
Magazines include Aurora, a twice-annual produced by Marketing and Communications;Frontiers
, a twice-annual produced by the Center for Research Services;Agroborealis, a twice-annual produced by the School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences; Challenges in Science and Engineering, an annual produced by the Arctic Region Supercomputing Center
; Ice Box, the UAF student literary magazine
; and Permafrost, the UAF English department's literary magazine. The alumni newsletter, a twice-annual publication, is the Alumnus.
The student newspaper
is the Sun Star
, formed after a merger of the Polar Star, an independent student paper, and the Northern Sun, the journalism department's student newspaper.
. The art department has a gallery, the UAF Art Gallery, which is used for student art shows, BFA and MFA thesis shows, and (occasionally) combined faculty shows. The complex includes two theatres, the Charles W. Davis Concert Hall and the Lee Salisbury Theatre. UAF offers an extensive Native Arts program, directed by Da-ka-xeen Mehner.
As well as art, UAF offers MFA degrees in music and creative writing. The creative writing program is run by the English Department, and offers courses in fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and dramatic writing. Currently, faculty include Gerri Brightwell (fiction), Derick Burleson (poetry), David Crouse (fiction), Daryl Farmer (creative nonfiction), Len Kamerling(film/dramatic writing), and Amber Flora Thomas (poetry).
During the fall and spring semesters, each student enrolled in three or more credit-hours pays a $35 fee to ASUAF, which lobbies the university administration and occasionally the state Legislature. During the summer semester the fee is $10.
Students elect a president, vice-president, and up to 20 senators to the student government. The president and vice-president are elected in the spring for one-year terms. They oversee five directors. The organizing director holds major ASUAF events. The government relations director is responsible for relations between ASUAF and local, state, and federal governments. The director of UAF Community and Technical College relations coordinates ASUAF actions at CTC, while the recycling director coordinates the association's recycling program. An information services director manages ASUAF's computer-related services.
The senate has 20 senate seats, not always filled. Ten are elected the fall semester, and 10 more in the spring. They serve one-year terms. The senate appoints a senate chair at the beginning of the academic year.
An electronic system was set up for the fall 2002 elections, which officials at the time said would cut down on election problems. At the time, officials said that since students could vote in the privacy of their rooms, it would be impossible to enforce electioneering claims. Consequently, rules regarding electioneering were done away with.
But in April 2004, incumbent President Thom Walker brought forward electioneering claims after his opponent, Brandon Maitlen, won the election by 43 votes. Walker claimed Maitlen had bribed voters with hamburgers during an election day barbecue
and had blared music and occasionally his voice too close to polls. An oversight board dismissed the bribery charge, but agreed the sound system unduly influenced voters. The board called for a new election, but Maitlen contested, charging the board with impropriety. A new board was formed, but it did no good—the board disqualified Maitlen, making Walker the winner.
Recent elections have been quieter affairs. In the spring 2005 presidential elections, turnout increased 1.2 percent to 379 voters, or about 6 percent of the eligible student population.
newspaper and the KSUA
radio station, are funneled through ASUAF. Both of these organizations are funded by a percentage of the $35 and $10 student fees collected by the association, and are managed wholly by students at UAF. Funding aside, they are operated independently of the student government.
:Category:University of Alaska Fairbanks faculty
Fairbanks
Fairbanks may refer to:Places in the United States*Fairbanks, Alaska, city*Fairbanks, California, unincorporated community in El Dorado County*Fairbanks, Mendocino County, California, former settlement*Fairbanks, Indiana, unincorporated community...
, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, USA, is the flagship campus of the University of Alaska System
University of Alaska System
The University of Alaska is a land-grant university founded in 1917 in Fairbanks in the State of Alaska. However, its largest campus by number of students was established in the much-more populous Anchorage area....
, and is abbreviated as Alaska or UAF.
UAF is a land-grant
Land-grant university
Land-grant universities are institutions of higher education in the United States designated by each state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890....
, sea-grant, and space-grant
Space grant colleges
The space-grant colleges compose a network of 52 consortia, based at universities across the United States, for outer space-related research. Each consortium is based in one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia or Puerto Rico and consists of multiple independent institutions, with one of the...
institution, as well as participating in the sun-grant
Sun grant colleges
The Sun Grant Association is a group of five U.S. universities that serve as regional centers of the Sun Grant Initiative, established by the U.S. Congress in the Sun Grant Research Initiative Act of 2003. They research and develop sustainable and environmentally friendly bio-based energy...
program through Oregon State University. It is also the site where the Alaska Constitution
Alaska Constitution
The Constitution of the State of Alaska is the constitution of the U.S. state of Alaska. It was ratified in 1956 and took effect with Alaska's admission as a state on January 3, 1959.-The statehood movement:...
was drafted and signed in 1955 and 1956. UAF was established in 1917 as the Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines, first opening for classes in 1922.
UAF is home to seven major research units: the Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station
Alaska Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station
The Alaska Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station was established in 1898 in Sitka, Alaska, also the site of the first agricultural experiment farm in what was then Alaska Territory. Today the station is administered by the University of Alaska Fairbanks through the School of Natural...
; the Geophysical Institute
Geophysical Institute
The Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska Fairbanks conducts research into space physics and aeronomy; atmospheric sciences; snow, ice, and permafrost; seismology; volcanology; and tectonics and sedimentation. It was founded in 1946 by the United States Congress...
, which operates the Poker Flat Research Range
Poker Flat Research Range
The Poker Flat Research Range is a launch facility and rocket range for sounding rockets in the U.S. state of Alaska, owned and operated by the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute since 1968...
; the International Arctic Research Center
International Arctic Research Center
The International Arctic Research Center, or IARC, established in 1999, is a research institution focused on integrating and coordinating study of climate change in the Arctic. The primary partners in IARC are Japan and the United States...
; the Arctic Region Supercomputing Center
Arctic Region Supercomputing Center
The Arctic Region Supercomputing Center is a research facility organized under the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Located on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus, the Arctic Region Supercomputing Center offers high-performance computing and mass storage to the UAF and State of Alaska...
; the Institute of Arctic Biology
Institute of Arctic Biology
The Institute of Arctic Biology or IAB of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, is located in Fairbanks, Alaska, USA. The institute was established in 1963 by the Board of Regents of the University of Alaska, with Laurence Irving serving as its founding director...
; the Institute of Marine Science; and the Institute of Northern Engineering. Located just 200 miles south of the Arctic Circle
Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. For Epoch 2011, it is the parallel of latitude that runs north of the Equator....
, the Fairbanks
Fairbanks
Fairbanks may refer to:Places in the United States*Fairbanks, Alaska, city*Fairbanks, California, unincorporated community in El Dorado County*Fairbanks, Mendocino County, California, former settlement*Fairbanks, Indiana, unincorporated community...
campus's unique location is situated favorably for Arctic and northern research. The campus's several lines of research are renowned worldwide, most notably in Arctic biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, Arctic engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
, geophysics
Geophysics
Geophysics is the physics of the Earth and its environment in space; also the study of the Earth using quantitative physical methods. The term geophysics sometimes refers only to the geological applications: Earth's shape; its gravitational and magnetic fields; its internal structure and...
, supercomputing, and aboriginal studies. The University of Alaska Museum of the North
University of Alaska Museum of the North
The University of Alaska Museum of the North is housed on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus.-Mission:The museum's mission is to acquire, conserve, investigate, and interpret specimens and collections relating to the natural, artistic, and cultural heritage of Alaska and the Circumpolar North...
is also on the Fairbanks campus.
In addition to the Fairbanks campus, UAF encompasses seven rural and urban campuses: Bristol Bay Campus
Bristol Bay Campus
The Bristol Bay Campus is one of several rural campuses within the University of Alaska system. The campus is located in Dillingham, located in the heart of the Bristol Bay region, in Southwest Alaska.-External links:****...
in Dillingham
Dillingham, Alaska
- Natural resources :Dillingham was once known as the Pacific salmon capital of the world and commercial fishing remains an important part of the local economy...
; Chukchi Campus in Kotzebue
Kotzebue, Alaska
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,082 people, 889 households, and 656 families residing in the city. The population density was 114.1 people per square mile . There were 1,007 housing units at an average density of 37.3 per square mile...
; Interior-Aleutians Campus, which covers both the Aleutian Islands and the Interior; Kuskokwim Campus in Bethel
Bethel, Alaska
Bethel is a city located near the west coast of the U.S. state of Alaska, west of Anchorage. Accessible only by air and river, Bethel is the main port on the Kuskokwim River and is an administrative and transportation hub for the 56 villages in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.Bethel is the largest...
; Northwest Campus in Nome
Nome, Alaska
Nome is a city in the Nome Census Area in the Unorganized Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska, located on the southern Seward Peninsula coast on Norton Sound of the Bering Sea. According to the 2010 Census, the city population was 3,598. Nome was incorporated on April 9, 1901, and was once the...
; and the UAF Community and Technical College in Fairbanks, UAF's community college arm. Fairbanks is also the home of the UAF Center for Distance Education
Center for Distance Education
The Center for Distance Education at University of Alaska Fairbanks was created in 1987, pulling various distance education initiatives together under one roof, including a correspondence program that has been going strong since the early 1950s....
, an independent learning and distance delivery program.
In fall 2010, UAF enrolled 11,034 students, of which 59 percent were female and 41 percent male; 89 percent were undergraduates and 11 percent graduate students.
On May 15, 2011 1,141 degree certificates were awarded to graduates of the various schools and colleges.
Founding
Agricultural experiment station
An agricultural experiment station is a research center that conducts scientific investigations to solve problems and suggest improvements in the food and agriculture industry...
in Fairbanks, the sixth in Alaska. The station set the tone for the university that developed later, which is strongly research-oriented. In 1915, the U.S. Congress approved funds to establish a school of higher education and transferred land from the station for the purpose. The federal land grant was accepted by Territorial Governor John Strong
John Franklin Alexander Strong
John Franklin Alexander Strong was a Canadian-born journalist who was the 2nd Governor of Alaska Territory from 1913 to 1918.-Background:...
in 1917. That year, on a bluff above the Chena River, a cornerstone for the college was laid by Territorial Delegate James Wickersham
James Wickersham
James Wickersham was a district judge for Alaska, appointed by U.S. President William McKinley to the Third Judicial District in 1900. He resigned his post in 1908 and was subsequently elected as Alaska's delegate to Congress, serving until 1917 and then being re-elected in 1930...
. The site became known as College Hill. Charles E. Bunnell
Charles E. Bunnell
Charles Ernest Bunnell was a district judge for the United States Fourth Judicial Division and the University of Alaska's first president, from 1921 to 1949. He ran for Alaska Territorial Delegate to Congress on the Democratic Party ticket in 1914, but was defeated...
was appointed the university's first president, serving for 27 years. The new institution was established as the Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines in 1922, offering 16 classes to a student body of six (at a ratio of one faculty member per student). In 1923 the first commencement
Graduation
Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the ceremony that is sometimes associated, where students become Graduates. Before the graduation, candidates are referred to as Graduands. The date of graduation is often called degree day. The graduation itself is also...
produced one graduate, John Sexton Shanly.
In 1931, the rest of the Alaska Agricultural Experiment Station
Alaska Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station
The Alaska Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station was established in 1898 in Sitka, Alaska, also the site of the first agricultural experiment farm in what was then Alaska Territory. Today the station is administered by the University of Alaska Fairbanks through the School of Natural...
was transferred to the college, and the Alaska Territorial Legislature changed the name in 1935 to the University of Alaska. As the university began to expand throughout the state, the Fairbanks campus became known as the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 1975; the two other primary UA institutions are the University of Alaska Anchorage
University of Alaska Anchorage
The University of Alaska Anchorage is the largest school of the University of Alaska System, with about 16,500 students, about 14,000 of whom attend classes at Goose Lake, its main campus in Anchorage....
and the University of Alaska Southeast
University of Alaska Southeast
The University of Alaska Southeast is a regional university in the University of Alaska System. Its main campus is located in Juneau and it has extended campuses in Sitka and Ketchikan....
in Juneau.
Significant events
The Alaska ConstitutionAlaska Constitution
The Constitution of the State of Alaska is the constitution of the U.S. state of Alaska. It was ratified in 1956 and took effect with Alaska's admission as a state on January 3, 1959.-The statehood movement:...
al Convention was held on the university campus from November 1955 to February 1956. The student union building, which was completed the same day the convention opened, was used for the convention's sessions. The University's Board of Regents named the building Constitution Hall the same month as the convention's opening. The campus library and gymnasium building, where the constitution was signed, was named Signers' Hall in the 1980s. Today, Signers' Hall houses the Office of Admissions and the Registrar, the Business Office, the Provost's Office and the Office of the Chancellor.
Schools and colleges
UAF has nine academic schools and colleges:- the College of Engineering and Mines
- the College of Liberal Arts
- the College of Natural Science and Mathematics
- the College of Rural and Community Development
- the School of Education
- the School of Fisheries and Ocean SciencesSchool of Fisheries and Ocean SciencesSchool of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences,or SFOS, is part of the University of Alaska Fairbanks. SFOS offers a bachelor of arts and a bachelor of science in fisheries, and master’s and doctoral degrees in oceanography, fisheries and marine biology....
- the School of Management
- the School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences
- Graduate School
Students can choose from more than 165 degrees and 30 certificates in more than 125 disciplines.
Libraries
- Elmer E. Rasmuson LibraryElmer E. Rasmuson LibraryThe Elmer E. Rasmuson Library is the largest library in the U.S. state of Alaska, housing just under a million volumes. It is located on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus. It is named in honor of Elmer E...
- The Alaska Film ArchivesAlaska Film ArchivesThe Alaska Film Archives, located at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, holds the largest collection of film related material about Alaska. The archive was established in 1968, and consists almost entirely of 16mm film dating from the years 1920 to 1959. Since 1993, the archive has been...
, housed in the Alaska and Polar Regions section of the Rasmuson Library, hold the largest collection of film-related material about Alaska. - BioSciences Library (physically housed in the Institute of Arctic Biology, but administratively part of the Rasmuson Library)
- The Alaska Film Archives
- Keith B. Mather Library (housed in the International Arctic Research Center)
Research units
UAF is Alaska's primary research university, conducting over 90% of all the research done throughout the UA system. Research activities are organized into several institutes and centers:- the Geophysical InstituteGeophysical InstituteThe Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska Fairbanks conducts research into space physics and aeronomy; atmospheric sciences; snow, ice, and permafrost; seismology; volcanology; and tectonics and sedimentation. It was founded in 1946 by the United States Congress...
, established in 1946 by an Act of Congress, which specializes in seismologicalSeismologySeismology is the scientific study of earthquakes and the propagation of elastic waves through the Earth or through other planet-like bodies. The field also includes studies of earthquake effects, such as tsunamis as well as diverse seismic sources such as volcanic, tectonic, oceanic,...
, volcanologicVolcanologyVolcanology is the study of volcanoes, lava, magma, and related geological, geophysical and geochemical phenomena. The term volcanology is derived from the Latin word vulcan. Vulcan was the ancient Roman god of fire....
and aeronomyAeronomyAeronomy is the science of the upper region of the atmosphere, where dissociation and ionization are important. The term aeronomy was introduced by Sydney Chapman, and the above definition stems from 1960. Today the term also includes the science of the corresponding regions of the atmospheres of...
research, among other fields - the International Arctic Research CenterInternational Arctic Research CenterThe International Arctic Research Center, or IARC, established in 1999, is a research institution focused on integrating and coordinating study of climate change in the Arctic. The primary partners in IARC are Japan and the United States...
, a joint venture of the United States and Japan, charged with researching the circumpolar North and the causes and effects of climate changeClimate changeClimate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average... - the Institute of Northern Engineering
- the Arctic Region Supercomputing CenterArctic Region Supercomputing CenterThe Arctic Region Supercomputing Center is a research facility organized under the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Located on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus, the Arctic Region Supercomputing Center offers high-performance computing and mass storage to the UAF and State of Alaska...
- the Alaska Agricultural and Forestry Experiment StationAlaska Agricultural and Forestry Experiment StationThe Alaska Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station was established in 1898 in Sitka, Alaska, also the site of the first agricultural experiment farm in what was then Alaska Territory. Today the station is administered by the University of Alaska Fairbanks through the School of Natural...
- the Institute of Arctic Biology
Sustainability
The Chancellor's Sustainability Task Force has a variety of initiatives, including reducing food wasteFood waste
Food waste or food loss is food that is discarded or lost uneaten. As of 2011, 1.3 billion tons of food, about one third of the global food production, are lost or wasted annually. Loss and wastage occurs on all steps in the food supply chain...
, starting a recycling
Recycling
Recycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...
program, and starting sustainability academic programs. The Office of Sustainability was created in 2010 and recently hired a sustainability coordinator. In 2011, the Sustainable Endowments Institute gave UAF a College Sustainability Report Card grade of "C+."
Athletics
University of Alaska Fairbanks sports teams are the Alaska Nanooks, derived from the InupiaqInupiaq language
The Inupiat language, also known as Inupiatun, Inupiaq, Iñupiaq, Inyupiaq, Inyupiat, Inyupeat, Inyupik, and Inupik, is a group of dialects of the Inuit language, spoken in northern and northwestern Alaska. The Iñupiaq language is a member of the Eskimo languages group. There are roughly 2,100...
"nanuq." Though often known as UAF within the state, the university prefers to be called simply "Alaska" for athletics purposes. The school colors are blue and gold. The Alaska Nanooks compete at the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Division I level for hockey as a member of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association
Central Collegiate Hockey Association
The Central Collegiate Hockey Association is a NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey college athletic conference that operates mostly in Michigan and Ohio, although it also has members in Alaska and Indiana. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. It holds its championship...
. The Nanooks play their home games at the 4,500 seat Carlson Center
Carlson Center
The John A. Carlson Community Activity Center is a 6,443-seat multi-purpose arena in Fairbanks, Alaska. It is home to the University of Alaska Fairbanks Nanooks ice hockey team of the CCHA, the Fairbanks Grizzlies of the Indoor Football League, and is also the site used for the university's...
located in downtown Fairbanks. The Alaska Nanooks also have a Division I rifle team which has won ten NCAA National Rifle Championships (1994, 1999-2004, 2006-2008). The men's and women's basketball, cross country running, and women's volleyball teams are Division II members of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference
Great Northwest Athletic Conference
The Great Northwest Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference which has historically operated in the Northwestern United States, but also currently includes four schools in areas not usually considered part of that region—two in Alaska , one in eastern Montana The Great Northwest...
, while the women's swim team is a member of the Pacific Collegiate Swimming Conference (PCSC) and the men's and women's Nordic skiing teams are members of the Central Collegiate Ski Association (CCSA). Partly due to its isolation from the lower 48 and lack of a dome to protect against the harsh elements, Alaska does not currently have a football program, as is true for all three branches of the University of Alaska.
Kenny Loggins
During the next decade, Loggins recorded so many successful songs for film soundtracks that he was referred to as, King of the Movie Soundtrack.He began with "I'm Alright" , "Mr. Night", and "Lead the Way" from Caddyshack...
' "Danger Zone" is featured prominently.
Since the UAF athletics program was operating at a financial deficit for several years prior, a new student fee was initiated in 2008 to keep the program alive. This fee charges UAF students $8 per credit hour they are enrolled in, up to a maximum of $96 per semester. The fee grants students free admission to select UAF athletic events.
In fiscal year 2009-10, the department was able to meet financial obligations without additional year-end funding for the first time.
The department has increased scholarships for women by 95 percent since 2005, and was even recognized by the Chronicle of Higher Education for Title IX compliance in an article titled "Turnaround Stories."
Publishing
There are several book publishers at UAF, including the University of Alaska PressUniversity of Alaska Press
The University of Alaska Press is a nonprofit scholarly publisher and distributor of works concerning Alaska, the northern Pacific Rim, and the circumpolar regions. It is associated with the University of Alaska. The press was formally founded in 1989 but had existed somewhat informally for...
, the Alaska Native Language Center
Alaska Native Language Center
The Alaska Native Language Center, established in 1972 in Fairbanks, Alaska, is a research center focusing on the research and documentation of the Alaska's Native languages. It publishes grammars, dictionaries, folklore collections and research materials, as well as hosting an extensive archive of...
, Alaska Sea Grant, the University of Alaska Museum of the North, Cooperative Extension Service, and the Alaska Native Knowledge Network. The University of Alaska Foundation also publishes book
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
s.
Magazines include Aurora, a twice-annual produced by Marketing and Communications;Frontiers
Frontiers
Frontiers is southern California's oldest and largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender magazine. It is distributed freely at gay bars, clubs and businesses throughout Southern California...
, a twice-annual produced by the Center for Research Services;Agroborealis, a twice-annual produced by the School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences; Challenges in Science and Engineering, an annual produced by the Arctic Region Supercomputing Center
Arctic Region Supercomputing Center
The Arctic Region Supercomputing Center is a research facility organized under the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Located on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus, the Arctic Region Supercomputing Center offers high-performance computing and mass storage to the UAF and State of Alaska...
; Ice Box, the UAF student literary magazine
Literary magazine
A literary magazine is a periodical devoted to literature in a broad sense. Literary magazines usually publish short stories, poetry and essays along with literary criticism, book reviews, biographical profiles of authors, interviews and letters...
; and Permafrost, the UAF English department's literary magazine. The alumni newsletter, a twice-annual publication, is the Alumnus.
The student newspaper
Student newspaper
A student newspaper is a newspaper run by students of a university, high school, middle school, or other school. These papers traditionally cover local and, primarily, school or university news....
is the Sun Star
Sun Star
The Sun Star is the student newspaper of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, formed in a merger of the Northern Sun and the Polar Star...
, formed after a merger of the Polar Star, an independent student paper, and the Northern Sun, the journalism department's student newspaper.
Arts
The university hosts a Fine Arts complex, one room of which is named after long-time local chorister Eva McGownEva McGown
Eva McGown née Montgomery , the "hostess of Fairbanks," was best known for her three decades helping newcomers, military wives, construction workers, students, and visitors to find shelter in Fairbanks, Alaska during periods of time — particularly World War II — when the demand for housing far...
. The art department has a gallery, the UAF Art Gallery, which is used for student art shows, BFA and MFA thesis shows, and (occasionally) combined faculty shows. The complex includes two theatres, the Charles W. Davis Concert Hall and the Lee Salisbury Theatre. UAF offers an extensive Native Arts program, directed by Da-ka-xeen Mehner.
As well as art, UAF offers MFA degrees in music and creative writing. The creative writing program is run by the English Department, and offers courses in fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and dramatic writing. Currently, faculty include Gerri Brightwell (fiction), Derick Burleson (poetry), David Crouse (fiction), Daryl Farmer (creative nonfiction), Len Kamerling(film/dramatic writing), and Amber Flora Thomas (poetry).
Notable faculty and alumni
- Tom AlbaneseTom AlbaneseTom Albanese is the chief executive officer and board member of the Rio Tinto Group.-Biography:Albanese was born in New Jersey and earned both a bachelor's degree in mineral economics and a master's in mining engineering from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.-Career:According to Forbes magazine,...
, CEO Rio Tinto - Mark MyersMark MyersMark D. Myers is an American geologist who served as the fourteenth Director of the U.S. Geological Survey . He was nominated by President George W. Bush on May 3, 2006, confirmed by the U.S. Senate, and sworn in September 26, 2006. Dr. Myers replaced prior director Charles G. Groat, who had...
, former director of US Geological Survey - Syun-Ichi AkasofuSyun-Ichi Akasofuis the Founding Director of the International Arctic Research Center of the University of Alaska Fairbanks , serving in that position from the center's establishment in 1998 until January 2007. Previously he had been director of the university's Geophysical Institute from 1986.-Background:Akasofu...
, geophysicist and founding director of the International Arctic Research Center - Bob BartlettBob BartlettEdward Lewis "Bob" Bartlett was an American politician and a member of the Democratic Party.Bartlett was born in Seattle, Washington. After graduating from the University of Alaska in 1925, Bartlett began his career in politics...
(1925), territorial delegate and first Alaska senator - Sydney Chapman, professor of geophysicsGeophysicsGeophysics is the physics of the Earth and its environment in space; also the study of the Earth using quantitative physical methods. The term geophysics sometimes refers only to the geological applications: Earth's shape; its gravitational and magnetic fields; its internal structure and...
and advisory director of the university's Geophysical Institute - T. Neil DavisT. Neil DavisT. Neil Davis is a professor emeritus of geophysics from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the author of several books. Born in Greeley, Colorado, Davis received his B.S in geophysics from University of Alaska Fairbanks in 1955, an M.S. in geophysics from California Institute of Technology in...
(BS 1955, PhD 1961), geophysicist and author - Curtis FraserCurtis FraserCurtis Fraser is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who currently plays for SG Cortina of the Italian Serie A.-Playing career:...
(2004), hockey player - Otto W. GeistOtto W. GeistOtto William Geist , aka Aghvook, was an archaeologist, explorer, and naturalist who worked in the circumpolar north and for the University of Alaska for much of his adult life....
, explorer and naturalist - Jay S. Hammond (1949), former Governor of Alaska
- Jordan HendryJordan HendryJordan Hendry is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is currently a free agent invited to the Minnesota Wild's 2011 training camp.-Playing career:...
(2006), hockey player - Margaret MurieMargaret MurieMargaret Thomas "Mardy" Murie was a naturalist, author, adventurer, and conservationist. Dubbed the "Grandmother of the Conservation Movement" by both the Sierra Club and the Wilderness Society, she helped in the passage of the Wilderness Act, and was instrumental in creating the Arctic...
, naturalist and author - J. Jill RobinsonJ. Jill RobinsonJacqueline Jill Robinson is a western Canadian writer, editor and teacher. She is the author of four collections of short stories. Her fiction and creative nonfiction have appeared in a wide variety of magazines and literary journals including Geist, the Antigonish Review, Event, Prairie Fire and...
, (MFA 1990), award-winning Canadian writer of fiction and creative nonfictionCreative nonfictionCreative nonfiction is a genre of writing that uses literary styles and techniques to create factually accurate narratives. Creative nonfiction contrasts with other nonfiction, such as technical writing or journalism, which is also rooted in accurate fact, but is not primarily written in service...
Associated Students of the University of Alaska Fairbanks
The Associated Students of the University of Alaska Fairbanks or ASUAF is the representative group for the students attending the University of Alaska Fairbanks.During the fall and spring semesters, each student enrolled in three or more credit-hours pays a $35 fee to ASUAF, which lobbies the university administration and occasionally the state Legislature. During the summer semester the fee is $10.
Students elect a president, vice-president, and up to 20 senators to the student government. The president and vice-president are elected in the spring for one-year terms. They oversee five directors. The organizing director holds major ASUAF events. The government relations director is responsible for relations between ASUAF and local, state, and federal governments. The director of UAF Community and Technical College relations coordinates ASUAF actions at CTC, while the recycling director coordinates the association's recycling program. An information services director manages ASUAF's computer-related services.
The senate has 20 senate seats, not always filled. Ten are elected the fall semester, and 10 more in the spring. They serve one-year terms. The senate appoints a senate chair at the beginning of the academic year.
Elections
Although recognized as the official student governing body at UAF, ASUAF elections typically draw about 5 percent voter turnout, low when compared to local and state elections. The elections also draw their share of controversy. In 1995, a ballot box turned up a month after the election, uncounted, in police custody; a recount resulted in new senators being inducted, and then-President Joe Hayes nearly was impeached.An electronic system was set up for the fall 2002 elections, which officials at the time said would cut down on election problems. At the time, officials said that since students could vote in the privacy of their rooms, it would be impossible to enforce electioneering claims. Consequently, rules regarding electioneering were done away with.
But in April 2004, incumbent President Thom Walker brought forward electioneering claims after his opponent, Brandon Maitlen, won the election by 43 votes. Walker claimed Maitlen had bribed voters with hamburgers during an election day barbecue
Barbecue
Barbecue or barbeque , used chiefly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of...
and had blared music and occasionally his voice too close to polls. An oversight board dismissed the bribery charge, but agreed the sound system unduly influenced voters. The board called for a new election, but Maitlen contested, charging the board with impropriety. A new board was formed, but it did no good—the board disqualified Maitlen, making Walker the winner.
Recent elections have been quieter affairs. In the spring 2005 presidential elections, turnout increased 1.2 percent to 379 voters, or about 6 percent of the eligible student population.
Student media
Student fee funds for UAF's student-run media, the Sun StarSun Star
The Sun Star is the student newspaper of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, formed in a merger of the Northern Sun and the Polar Star...
newspaper and the KSUA
KSUA
KSUA is a College radio station broadcasting a Non-commercial educational format. Licensed to Fairbanks, Alaska, USA, , the station serves the Alaska Interior area...
radio station, are funneled through ASUAF. Both of these organizations are funded by a percentage of the $35 and $10 student fees collected by the association, and are managed wholly by students at UAF. Funding aside, they are operated independently of the student government.
See also
- Alaskan Coalition of Student LeadersAlaskan Coalition of Student LeadersThe Alaskan Coalition of Student Leaders, known at Alaskan universities simply as the Coalition of Student Leaders or CSL, is a collection of student leaders from across Alaska that discuss and implement the actions necessary to ensure fair treatment of students in a variety of different...
:Category:University of Alaska Fairbanks faculty