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UAF distinguished alumnus announced
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Caroline Tritt-Frank, center left, poses with her family, from left, Tisheena, Kenneth and Crystal Frank. Caroline and her husband Kenneth are known throughout Alaska for their tireless work to revitalize the Gwich’in language. Darryl Deacon photo
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Caroline Tritt-Frank '90, '01 will receive the 2020 Distinguished Alumnus Award from the UAF Alumni Association. Originally from Arctic Village, Alaska, Tritt-Frank has spent her entire career in rural Alaska.
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After earning a Bachelor of Arts in elementary education, she was promoted to teacher at the Arctic Village School, where she had worked since 1972 as an aide. As a Gwich’in immersion teacher, she taught all classes in science, reading and social studies in her Alaska Native language. While it was impossible to translate all of the curriculum into Gwich’in, she used the language to make academics more meaningful and relevant to her students.
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“I became a teacher because I don’t want to lose my language,” said Tritt-Frank, who was a member of the Gwich'in panel formed by the state Division of Elections that translated voting and election materials from English into Alaska Native languages like Gwich’in.
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Tritt-Frank's example inspired those around her to realize that they could make their dreams of a college education a reality. Her husband, daughters and best friend, as well as more than a dozen of her former students, followed in her footsteps by earning degrees from UAF.
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In nominating her mother, Crystal Frank said, “Education has given my family opportunities to be successful, to achieve and a chance to grow. I never thought in my wildest dreams I would get a master's degree, but seeing my mother achieve that made me think I can, too. She paved the road for other women in my community to become educated.”
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UAFAA honors faculty, administrator and volunteer
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Paul McCarthy has been selected by the UAF Alumni Association to receive the 2020 William R. Cashen Service Award. In 1964, McCarthy arrived in Alaska to join the library faculty and quickly established what has become the Alaska and Polar Regions Collections and Archives.
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He served as director of libraries for more than 12 years and briefly as interim vice provost. McCarthy also worked as a consultant on economic development and is the namesake of the Paul H. McCarthy Research Room in the Rasmuson Library.
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| McCarthy has spent the last 18 years as the primary photographer for the Alaska Nanooks as a volunteer. |
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| Paul McCarthy, the 2020 UAFAA William R. Cashen Service Award recipient |
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In nominating him for the award, Nona Letuligasenoa, associate director of athletic corporate sponsorships, said, "At the age of 80, Paul still heads into the rafters of the Carlson Center to test strobes prior to the game and makes the climb up three sets of stairs to the press box to help the Athletics Department with their branding and imaging."
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Get ready to celebrate with us
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Join us for the Blue and Gold Celebration on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020, at the Carlson Center, featuring our alumni duo, Bill Bailey ’06 and Meadow Bailey ’00, as masters of ceremonies. Enjoy fine dining and live music while honoring the best of UAF and raising funds for the critical needs of our students.
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| We'll celebrate our students with two featured speakers. We'll celebrate our faculty, including recipients of the 2019 and 2020 Emil Usibelli Distinguished Teaching, Research and Service Awards. And we'll honor our alumni with our UAFAA awards presentations. |
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Net proceeds from the Blue and Gold Celebration will support critical needs of our students via the UAF Student Support Fund. You can also make a donation at the event to support a fund of your choice.
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Other UAFAA news
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Seeking nominations for UAFAA elections
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The ÌÀÄ·ÊÓƵ Alumni Association is accepting nominations for three open seats on its 11-member board of directors.
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- Seat 1-A, rural (outside Fairbanks North Star Borough, Southeast Alaska, Municipality of Anchorage and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough)
- Seat 2-A, Southcentral Alaska
- Seat 3-A, Fairbanks North Star Borough
| Nominations will be accepted through Feb. 29, 2020. Nominees must be UAF graduates and members in good standing with the UAF Alumni Association, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting UAF and connecting its alumni. |
| Candidates must be interested in a leadership and advocacy role in support of UAF, its alumni and the mission of higher education in Alaska. |
| UAFAA members in good standing will elect the directors in March, with new board members beginning their three-year terms at the spring meeting on April 24-25. |
| If you know outstanding UAF alumni with vision, community involvement, energy and a commitment to excellence and collaboration, please share this opportunity. Contact the UAF alumni office at 907-474-7081 or email uaf-alumni@alaska.edu. |
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UAF class notes
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Let us know what you are up to! We are currently gathering photos, snippets and stories for the winter edition of the online Aurora magazine.
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We invite you to share positive stories from your time at UAF, updates about your current achievements and other news.
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| Here is the in the latest edition of Aurora. |
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UAF alumni profile
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Paskvan gives back to UAF decades after graduation
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Frank Paskvan could have applied to any college, but the high school honors student chose to attend his hometown school, the ÌÀÄ·ÊÓƵ. His father attended the University of Alaska, and he was familiar with the university after taking computer programming courses on campus in middle school.
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| Paskvan remembers ÌÀÄ·ÊÓƵ petroleum professors visiting his Lathrop High School advanced chemistry class. “They asked ‘Do you like math? Physics? Chemistry? Solving problems? Would you like to travel the world, and get paid to do it?’ |
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| Frank Paskvan receives a pressure gauge “gift” from Brian Ellingson at the ÌÀÄ·ÊÓƵ Community and Technical College Process Technology Facility. Photo by Elizabeth Talbot |
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"It all sounded good to me,” said Paskvan.
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This solidified his ambition to become a petroleum engineer. In the 30 years since he graduated to a career in the oil industry, Paskvan has been an avid supporter and promoter of the university and its students. “UA does an outstanding job,” he said. “Their engineering, finance and science graduates are on par with the best universities on planet Earth.”
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Recently, Paskvan has been working behind the scenes to support the specialized process technology program at the Fairbanks Pipeline Training Center run by ÌÀÄ·ÊÓƵ Community and Technical College. His collaboration with Associate Professor Brian Ellingson has facilitated donations through Paskvan’s employer, BP, of more than $5 million in training equipment and scholarships in support of the program.
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“We had spare or out-of-service equipment, and much of it was perfect for students to learn from: true industrial processes and hardware and at a small enough scale to fit into the classrooms and workshops,” Paskvan said.
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Membership supports UAF students and more
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Membership in your UAF Alumni Association helps support alumni outreach and events like the annual Nanook Rendezvous reunion and student scholarships, along with campus projects such as the Blue and Gold Celebration, Grad Bash, the upcoming One Health, One Future conference and many other worthy endeavors.
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| UAF alumni membership rates: |
| One-year membership = $50 |
| Three-year membership = $140 |
| Lifetime membership = $1,000 |
Special rate for friends of UAF alumni = $60
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Summer Sessions offers discount to UAFAA members
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UAF Summer Sessions and Lifelong Learning has awesome travel opportunities available for fall and summer 2020, including trips to Finland and Norway, Ireland, Israel and a bird-watching excursion to Nome, Alaska. Get an educational experience with tours tailored for mature travelers.
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Learn more here about how to register and what to expect. Or join the Summer Sessions newsletter list for information about new programs by emailing summer@alaska.edu. Be sure to ask them how UAF Alumni Association members can get a $100 discount.
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Member benefits give back to UAF alumni
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One of the best deals offered to UAFAA members is the 50% off discount on admission to the UAF Student Recreation Center. Check out the rates for members at the Student Recreation Center website.
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By being a UAFAA member you are also eligible for discounts on your Geico insurance policy. Visit them at to find out how much you can save.
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Members also have access to Polar Perks which provides discounts and deals all over the country and in your local area on dining, movies, travel and more. Check it out at .
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Once you have your membership card, you also have access to campus libraries, career servers and all the fun the Wood Center has to offer. There are many other discounts and incentives honored by local businesses.
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Upcoming alumni events — save the dates
- Jan. 29-31, UA Impact, legislative fly-in to Juneau
- Feb. 1, UAFAA winter meeting in Juneau
- Feb. 1, UAFAA alumni event in Juneau
- Feb. 8, Blue and Gold Celebration at the Carlson Center
- Feb. 28-29, Alaska Nanooks Governor's Cup Series at the Carlson Center
- March 11-14, One Health, One Future conference
- April 24-25, UAFAA board meeting in the Alumni Lounge
- April 25, UAFAA Grad Bash at the Pub
- May 2, ÌÀÄ·ÊÓƵ Commencement
- July 16-18, Nanook Rendezvous alumni reunion
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Questions or comments? Please contact us at:
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UAF Alumni Association
201 Constitution Hall
P.O. Box 750126
Fairbanks, AK 99775-0126 |
Phone: (907) 474-7081
Fax: (907) 474-6712 |
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