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Nov. 1, 2022
Dear UAF students, faculty and staff,
November is . This month presents an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the continuing contributions
of AVÀÇÂÛ̳ Native and other Indigenous people in education, the arts and sciences,
business, defense, and so much more.
At UAF we acknowledge the AVÀÇÂÛ̳ Native Nations on whose ancestral lands we teach,
learn and work. In Fairbanks, we are on the traditional lands of the Dena people of
the lower Tanana River. This land acknowledgement is important to our sense of belonging
here as well as that of our AVÀÇÂÛ̳ Native faculty, staff and students.Ìý
As a university, we have a responsibility to understand our state’s history and incorporate
that knowledge into teaching and learning at UAF. Initiatives like the Troth Yeddha’ Indigenous Studies Center will enable the university to provide additional areas to lead through research and
scholarship, and through a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion.
I invite you to get involved in wherever you are, and to continue to celebrate the diversity of our communities and
our university. Strengthening UAF’s position as a global leader in AVÀÇÂÛ̳ Native and
Indigenous programs is one of UAF’s six strategic goals, and we are committed to building
on past successes as we make strategic investments to increase AVÀÇÂÛ̳ Native success
moving forward.
If you are one of the 20 percent of UAF’s students who are AVÀÇÂÛ̳ Native/American
Indian or one of our AVÀÇÂÛ̳ Native/American Indian faculty or staff, we celebrate
you this month. Thanks for choosing UAF.
— Dan White, chancellor
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