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Former names | Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines (1917–1935) University of Alaska (1935–1975) |
|---|---|
| Motto | Ad summum (Latin) |
Motto in English | "To the top" |
| Type | Publicland-grantresearch university |
| Established | 1917; 108 years ago (1917) |
Parent institution | University of Alaska |
| Accreditation | NWCCU |
Academic affiliations | |
| Endowment | $375 million (system-wide) (2021)[1] |
| Chancellor | Daniel M. White |
Academic staff | 546 |
Administrative staff | 2,465 |
| Students | 6,640 (fall 2023)[2] |
| Undergraduates | 5,638 (fall 2023)[3] |
| Postgraduates | 1,002 (fall 2023)[4] |
| Location | ,, United States 64°51′32″N147°50′08″W / 64.85889°N 147.83556°W /64.85889; -147.83556 |
| Campus | Small suburb, 2,250 acres (9.1 km2)[5] |
| Other campuses | |
| Newspaper | The Sun Star |
| Colors | Blue and gold[6][7] |
| Nickname | Nanooks |
Sporting affiliations |
|
| Mascot | Nook |
| Website | www |
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TheUniversity of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF orAlaska) is apublicland-,sea-, andspace-grantresearch university inCollege, Alaska, United States,[9] a suburb ofFairbanks. It is the flagship campus of theUniversity of Alaska system. UAF was established in 1917 and opened for classes in 1922. Originally named theAlaska Agricultural College and School of Mines, it became theUniversity of Alaska in 1935. Fairbanks-based programs became the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 1975.
UAF isclassified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity."[10] In addition to the Fairbanks Troth Yeddha' campus, UAF encompasses six rural and urban campuses: Bristol Bay Campus inDillingham; Chukchi Campus inKotzebue; the Fairbanks-based Interior Alaska Campus, which serves the state's rural Interior; Kuskokwim Campus inBethel; Northwest Campus inNome; and theUAF Community and Technical College, with headquarters in downtown Fairbanks. UAF is also the home of UAF eCampus, which offers fully online programs. In 2024, UAF updated the name for the College of Rural and Community Development to the College of Indigenous Studies, creating the first college for indigenous studies in the U.S.[11]
In fall 2023, UAF enrolled 7,451 students. Of those students, 62% were female and 36% were male; 86% were undergraduates, and 14% were graduate students. As of May 2023, 1,023 students had graduated during the immediately preceding summer, fall, and spring semesters.[12]
The University of Alaska Fairbanks was established in 1917 as theAlaska Agricultural College and School of Mines, but its origins lie in the creation of a federal agricultural experiment station in Fairbanks in 1906.[13] The station set the tone for the strongly research-oriented university that developed later.[14]
In the spring of 1915, theU.S. Congress approved legislation that reserved about 2,250 acres of land for a campus around the research station. It also allowed the federal government to give the college land that had been surveyed and unclaimed in theTanana Valley; the proceeds from the sale and development were supposed to help fund the operation of the college. However, because most of the land in Tanana Valley remained unsurveyed for years, the college only received 12,000 acres. In 1929, Congress attempted to remedy the situation by granting the college an additional 100,000 acres anywhere in Alaska, but those rights were extinguished in 1959 when Alaska became a state.[15]
Four months after Congress approved the legislation for the campus land in 1915, a cornerstone for the college was laid by Territorial DelegateJames Wickersham on a bluff overlooking the lowerChena River valley. The ridge, which the indigenous Athabaskan people calledTroth Yeddha', soon became known as College Hill.Charles E. Bunnell was appointed the university's chief executive and served the university for 28 years. Classes began at the new institution on September 18, 1922. It offered 16 different courses to a student body of six (at a ratio of one faculty member per student) on opening day. In 1923, the first commencement produced one graduate,John Sexton Shanly.[16]
In 1935, theAlaska Legislature passed a bill that officially changed the name of the college to theUniversity of Alaska. WhenWilliam R. Wood became the university's president in 1960, he divided the academic departments of the university into six select colleges: Arts and Letters; Behavioral Sciences and Education; Biological Sciences and Renewable Resources; Business, Economics, and Government; Earth Sciences and Mineral Industry; and Mathematics, Physical Sciences, and Engineering. From that point on, both the university's student population and research mission grew tremendously. With the appointment of ChancellorHoward A. Cutler in 1975, the University of Alaska became theUniversity of Alaska Fairbanks. It was, and still is, the primary research unit of the statewide university system.[17]
| University rankings | |
|---|---|
| Global – Overall | |
| QS World[18] | 901-950 (2026) |
The two other primary UA institutions are theUniversity of Alaska Anchorage and theUniversity of Alaska Southeast in Juneau.
TheAlaska Constitutional Convention was held in the freshly constructed Student Union Building on the Fairbanks campus from November 1955 to February 1956. While the convention progressed, the building became known asConstitution Hall, where the 55 delegates drafted the legal foundation of the 49th state. The campus' old library and gymnasium was renamed Signers' Hall after the Alaska Constitution was signed there in February 1956.[19][dubious –discuss]
| Race and ethnicity | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 53% | ||
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 13% | ||
| Two or more races | 11% | ||
| Hispanic | 10% | ||
| Unknown | 5% | ||
| Asian | 3% | ||
| Black | 3% | ||
| International student | 1% | ||
| Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | 1% | ||
| Economic diversity | |||
| Low-income[a] | 31% | ||
| Affluent[b] | 69% | ||
| Academic rankings | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Forbes[21] | 574 |
| U.S. News & World Report[22] | 388 (tie) |
| Washington Monthly[23] | 269 |
| Global | |
| ARWU[24] | 801-900 |
| THE[25] | 401-500 |
| U.S. News & World Report[26] | 872 (tie) |
UAF has nine academic schools and colleges:
There are 190 different degree and certificate programs available in more than 120 disciplines.
The UAF Honors College was created in 1983 and provides additional opportunities for students to prepare forprofessional school admission.[27] Students complete core curriculum courses for their degrees in the Honors Program, maintain at least a 3.25grade-point average in all courses, and complete a thesis project.[28]
UAF is Alaska's primary research university, conducting more than 90% of UA system research. Research activities are organized into several institutes and centers, some of which are listed:
The university is an active member of theUniversity of the Arctic.[32] UArctic is an international cooperative network based in the Circumpolar Arctic region, consisting of more than 200 universities, colleges, and other organizations with an interest in promoting education and research in the Arctic region.[33]
The university also participates in UArctic's mobility program north2north. The aim of that program is to enable students of member institutions to study in different parts of the North.[34]
UAF has several student residence halls on both lower and middle Fairbanks campus. Housing is offered year-round. All halls are smoke-free, as is the entire campus. Each hall has a kitchen, laundry facility, exterior door hall access system and maintenance services. The halls vary from each other slightly to suit different preferences of the student population. Additional housing locations on campus are available to graduates, families, employees and nontraditional students.[35]
TheAssociated Students of the University of Alaska Fairbanks (ASUAF) is the representative group for students attending UAF.
Fairbanks, CTC, and eCampus student pay $53 per credit in Consolidated Fees, students at rural campuses pay $21 per credit; ASUAF receives 2.2% of Consolidated Fee revenue.
ASUAF holds general elections each semester. As per the ASUAF Constitution, there is a president, a vice president and no more than 16 senators, all of whom must be in good academic standing (2.0+ CGPA). Senators, the president and the vice president have terms of one full academic year.[36]
Thestudent newspaper is titledThe Sun Star,[37] formed after the merger ofThe Polar Star, an independent student paper, andThe Northern Sun, the journalism department's student newspaper.[38] The newspaper has been the recipient of journalism awards from theAlaska Press Club, theColumbia Scholastic Press Association, and other groups.[39]
In addition to news, advertisements for local companies and event listings, theSun Star website gives the public the ability to access financial information regardingUniversity of Alaska (including UAA, UAS and UAF) employees. In April 2018,The Sun Star transitioned from print to digital-only editions.[40]
_%2526_Dion_Knelsen_(Alaska-Fairbanks)_hockey_faceoff.jpg)
University of Alaska Fairbanks sports teams are theAlaska Nanooks, with the wordNanook derived from the Inupiaq word for "polar bear." 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 theNCAA Division I level in hockey as anIndependent. The Nanooks play home games at the 4,500-seatCarlson Center, located in downtown Fairbanks. The Alaska Nanooks also have aDivision II rifle team which has won 11NCAA National Rifle Championships (1994, 1999–2004, 2006–2008, 2023). The rifle team is a member of thePatriot Rifle Conference. The men's and women's basketball, cross country running, and women's volleyball teams areDivision II members of theGreat Northwest Athletic Conference, while the women's swim team is a member of thePacific Collegiate Swimming Conference (PCSC), and the men's and women's Nordic skiing teams are members of theRocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association (RMISA). The men's basketball team, women's basketball team, and women's volleyball team play home games in the 1,622-seat Patty Center. Due to its isolation from theLower 48 and the lack of a dome to protect against the harsh elements, Alaska does not have a football program, as is true for all three branches of the University of Alaska.
Since the UAF athletics program was operating at a financial deficit, a new student fee was initiated in 2008. This fee charges UAF students $10 per credit hour they are enrolled in, up to a maximum of $120 per semester. The fee grants students free admission to select UAF athletic events.
In fiscal year 2010, 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% since 2005, and was recognized byThe Chronicle of Higher Education for Title IX compliance in an article titled "Turnaround Stories."
There are severalbook publishers at UAF, including theUniversity of Alaska Press, theAlaska Native Language Center,Alaska Sea Grant, the University of Alaska Museum of the North, UAFCooperative Extension Service, and the Alaska Native Knowledge Network. TheUniversity of Alaska Foundation also publishes books.
Serial publications include:
The Fine Arts Complex hosts the Charles Davis Concert Hall, the Lee H. Salisbury Theatre and the Eva McGown Music Room. The building is also home to the UAF Art Gallery, which is used for student art shows, thesis shows and faculty shows.
The Reichardt Building was completed in 1994 is a three-story 117,435-square-foot steel-frame structure that features an extensive artwork collection.[45]
Univ of Alaska Fairbanks
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