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UAF alumni, faculty, students CELEBRATE Blue & Gold
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Nanook Nation celebrated the distinguished faculty and alumnus awards at the 2019 Blue and Gold Celebration on Feb. 16. UAF photo by JR Ancheta.
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Thank you to all who attended the Blue and Gold Celebration at the Carlson Center in February. The sold-out crowd gathered to celebrate Emil Usibelli recipients and our distinguished alumni. The event was not planned as a fundraiser, but the UAF Blue and Gold Scholarship Endowment and other funds received donations of nearly $60,000 during the evening.
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The evening was a chance to present the Emil Usibelli Distinguished Teaching, Research and Service Awards to professors Patty Martinez Meritt, Matthew Wooller and Charles N. Dexter, respectively; the to Neal Fried, an alum of UAF's history and economics program and a state economist for more than 40 years; and the to Denise Wartes, who spent more than 30 years working with students from across the state as a of the Rural Alaska Honors Institute.
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Visit the to look at photos of the event and see videos of the presentations. You can also see images from the on-site (use your email and the password "2019" to log in and the pin "7496" to download your photos).
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Photo above from left:
Charles N. Dexter — 2018 Emil Usibelli Distinguished Service Award
Matthew Wooller — 2018 Emil Usibelli Distinguished Research Award
Neal Fried ’78 — Distinguished Alumnus Award
Denise Wartes ’96, ’01, ’07 — William R. Cashen Service Award
Patty Martinez Meritt — 2018 Emil Usibelli Distinguished Teaching Award
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UA Strong -- Support UA
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After our alumni group visited the legislature in January, where our representatives were overwhelmingly in support of a strong university, the governor released his plan for cutting the budget. His proposal included a more than $130 million reduction in state funding to UA, the largest cut ever. And that comes after the university has absorbed cuts four out of the five last years.
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What can you do?
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Download the Chancellor's UAF advocacy tool kit for resources to help you craft a message. Share your thoughts on the budget with your state legislators. Pick up an advocacy postcard at the alumni office in 201 Constitution Hall. Postcards are available to everyone, not just alumni. Write a message and send it to your state legislators. Or leave it with us and we will send it for you.
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Interested in getting all the latest legislative and advocacy information about UA? to the UA Strong e-newsletter to receive the latest legislative, budget and advocacy news affecting the University of Alaska. And use the hashtags #UAStrong and #SupportUA when you advocate for the university online.
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The UA Strong advocacy effort is a privately funded undertaking to promote the importance of full funding for the University of Alaska’s state-funded [UGF] operating budget.
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Alumni Happenings
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UAFAA set to elect 2019-2020 board members
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The open seats on this year's ballot include Seat 8, At Large; Seat 9, ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø North Star Borough; Seat 10, Outside; and Seat 11, Anchorage. Learn more about the board here, as well as the of being a board member.
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Our board is elected by current members of the organization. When you get your election ballot via e-mail be sure to V-O-T-E! If you prefer to vote in person, stop by the alumni office to fill out a ballot. Or contact us at uaf-alumni@alaska.edu for more information.
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Extra, Extra! Join us for the Nanook Rendezvous
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Don't miss out on our all-class Nanook Rendezvous reunion, set for July 18-20, during Golden Days. Whether you graduated last year, 50 years ago or somewhere in between or beyond, we'd love to have you! .
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We've got a great line-up of events, starting with a welcome picnic at the Georgeson Botanical Gardens on the UAF campus. Share stories about your time at UAF and after the picnic, stay and enjoy music in the garden. Other planned activities:
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- Campus Tour: Join student ambassadors and see how much campus has changed!
- Goldpanners Game: Sponsored by the UAFAA and the ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø Chapter. Alumni get free admission to the game!
- The Golden Days Grande Parade: Ride the UAF float or walk along with us. Wear your blue and gold! No charge to join the UAF contingent.
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Want to stay on campus, maybe even in your old dorm? . Come back to campus and make it your Alaska trip of a lifetime!
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Celebrating #NanookNation on the UAF float at the Golden Days parade.
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Stories from Nanook Nation
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Alumnus leaves a legacy to support UAF students
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A gift of more than $3 million from longtime supporter James Pruitt will benefit both the School of Management and the Alumni Association at the ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø. The largest portion of the gift will establish the James Pruitt Endowed Chair of Management.
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Pruitt received his BBA from SOM in 1973. He started working for Amoco about six months after graduating, retiring after a long career with BP, which acquired Amoco in 1998. He was 68 years old when he died. During his lifetime, Pruitt's passion was supporting hard-working non-traditional students – not necessarily the students with the highest GPA. He started the SOM Green Island Scholarship which awarded two SOM freshmen or sophomores $7,000 a year for four years or until they graduated.
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James Pruitt during his days at UAF.
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Pruitt gave more than $330,000 to support the UAF Alumni Association.
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Thanks to his generosity, the UAF Alumni Association will be looking to fund a variety of projects on campus to directly support students in honor of his interest in giving young people a hand up rather than a hand out.
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Future alum working hard to support #NanookNation
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Meet Cameron Blood, our new student assistant. This position is made possible at the alumni association thanks to generous support from the UAF School of Management.
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Since joining our team in March, Blood has been a huge asset to the alumni association and the admiration goes both ways. "If I had one thing to let our alumni know, it would be that UAF has an amazing bond with graduates that other universities don't," he said.
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UAF Alumni Student Assistant Cameron Blood.
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"Here at UAF, alumni can reach back into the community. They are people and mentors. At UAF, alumni are more than just numbers."
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Although he is finishing up his freshman year, Blood already has a good feeling about #NanookNation. "UAF has an amazing amount of school pride that stands out in the bonds of its students and alumni. Working here feels like doing the right thing, like some sort of office bound superman."
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Blood made the choice to come to UAF for many reasons. Cost was one of them, but he said the campus also had programs that interested him, like UAF's strong justice and homeland security majors. Growing up in Seattle meant that coming to ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø was a welcome change. He calls UAF a "smaller city" where you can recognize most people even if you've never even spoken. He said UAF feels like a true community.
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One we are very happy he has joined.
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Borough mayors recognize Blue and Gold Day
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The mayors of the three municipalities within the ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø North Star Borough have issued a proclamation declaring every Friday Blue and Gold Day.
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The proclamation was made in recognition of UAF’s academic, economic and social impact on the Interior, and mirrors UAF’s tradition of wearing its school colors on Fridays.
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Mayors Brice Ward of the ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø North Star Borough, Jim Matherly of the City of ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø and Michael Welch of the City of North Pole signed the on Wednesday, March 13. Ward formally presented it at the FNSB assembly meeting the following day.
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Upcoming alumni events — save the date
URGENT! Volunteers needed for Grad Bash and Commencement Celebration on April 27 and May 4. Please contact Theresa Bakker at 474-7081.
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- April 25, UAFAA Wine Tasting at the Pub
- April 26-27, UAFAA Board meeting
- April 27, Grad Bash for Class of 2019 at the Pub. Cheer on the new grads!
- May 4, UAF Commencement and Alumni Reception, ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø, Carlson Center.
- July 18-20, Nanook Rendezvous reunion, celebrating all classes.
- August 2-11, UAF Alumni Hamburger Booth at the Tanana Valley State Fair
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Keep up to date with UAF events by checking the .
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STAY CONNECTED WITH UAFAA
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Work with more than 30,000 alumni of the ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø to promote #NanookNation
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We are looking for a positive person who is passionate about the university and wants to help alumni and other advocates stay engaged with UAF. The successful candidate has excellent communication skills, likes to plan and attend events, and wants to help others connect with the university in meaningful ways. Specific duties include managing communications from the alumni office, such as social media and monthly newsletters, organizing events and activities to engage the community and overseeing the UAF Alumni Association membership program.
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Membership helps our students — join today!
Membership in your UAF Alumni Association helps support alumni outreach and events like the annual Nanook Rendezvous reunion, student scholarships, along with campus events, including the Blue and Gold After-party, Grad Bash, New Student Orientation, and many other worthy endeavors.
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One of the best deals going is the discount our UAFAA members get on admission to the UAF Student Rec Center. . You must have a UAFAA Membership Card to be eligible.
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We have several types of memberships available, including our lifetime membership. Check it out and join today!
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could receive a special discount on GEICO auto insurance. If you already have a GEICO policy, contact GEICO to see if you qualify for the UAFAA member discount.
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