Academic Tuesdays: Jan. 17, 2023

— By Anupma Prakash, provost and executive vice chancellor

Sometimes less is more. As you may have seen in the past several semesters, I have been releasing a newsletter each semester. However, moving forward, I would like to announce that I will be switching to a weekly column in the Cornerstone which will be called “Academic Tuesdays.”

Through this column, I will be sharing some of the academic initiatives and noteworthy achievements with all of you. Academic Tuesdays will also provide an opportunity for you to hear from several of the units that report to me (see Provost Org Chart).

Spring semester enrollments:

I am happy to report that the spring semester has started well at UAF. Our early semester enrollment reports show that we have 20 more first-time freshmen in spring 2023 compared to last spring. We have a 58 percent increase in non-degree seeking students where headcounts have climbed from 110 to 174 from this time in spring 22 to spring 23. CTC has gained 29 students. Overall, student credit hours are up by 6.8 percent and tuition revenue is up by 11.5 percent. As of last week, fall to spring baccalaureate retention is 85.8 percent, which is a 4.5 percent increase and associate retention is seeing about a 16 percent increase compared to the same time last year. Though these numbers will fluctuate over the next few weeks, the early semester data is a good indicator of UAF moving in the right direction. I am very grateful to the staff and faculty who have worked so hard to admit, advise, and enroll students and ensure they are on their path to their degrees.

Academic calendar:

Please bookmark the site for important deadlines. Late registration begins today (Jan. 17). Jan. 27 is a particularly important deadline: 

  • Jan. 27 – deadline for adding classes is 5 p.m. in person, midnight at
  • Jan. 27 – last day for student- and faculty-initiated drops (with refund; course does not appear on academic record)
  • Jan. 27 – fee payment deadline; 5 p.m. in person, midnight at

Some students will be registering late and some will be making changes to their schedules. Please feel free to point students to these resources if you see students struggling to make last minute changes to their schedules, or need assistance with late registration for classes.

I ask that instructors complete Nanook Navigator early progress reports for their courses this semester. Early progress reports to inform student success teams about concerns and barriers are open Jan. 20-Feb. 3. The goal of progress reports is to identify students who are experiencing barriers in their courses, are at risk of not succeeding, or provide encouragement for good work.

I look forward to the next Academic Tuesday where we will talk more about academic vision and student success at UAF. Wishing you a great spring semester.