Friday Focus: Celebrating staff recognition and empowering 91ÊÓƵ’s future

A portrait of a woman standing outdoors in the fall wearing a tan shirt, navy blazer and a necklace.
UAF photo
Nickole Conley, chief of staff

April 4, 2025

— By Nickole Conley, chief of staff

As we close out another week, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the dedication, hard work, and resilience of the staff members who make the University of 91ÊÓƵ Fairbanks a thriving hub of education and innovation. Staff Recognition and Development Day was an amazing event and was more than just a moment to say thank you — it was an opportunity to acknowledge the vital role our team members play in shaping the future of our students, community, and state. While I recognize that SRDD only celebrates our staff, I wanted to take this opportunity to also recognize faculty and students for the amazing work they do.

The success of UAF is built on the commitment of our faculty and staff, who go above and beyond to support students, advance research, and ensure the seamless operation of our institution. Whether in classrooms, offices, labs, or facilities, every member contributes to the broader mission of education and discovery. Yesterday, we took a step back to recognize staff efforts and express our deepest gratitude. Thank you, UAF staff, for all you do!

If you were unable to attend SRDD, there are many other ways to thank and recognize staff while continuing to support each other. Here are just a few examples that can go a long way:

  • A Simple Thank You: A heartfelt word of appreciation.
  • Professional Development Support: Encourage and advocate for training and skill-building opportunities. Our Tier 3 professional development training and Tier 4 personal learning activities in MyUA offer lots of options along with our You can also access yesterday's SRDD in Zoom events, now available for viewing.
  • Community and Connection: Celebrate teamwork through small gatherings or shout-outs. The Chancellor accepts staff and faculty shout-outs all year. Please feel free to email uaf.chancellor@alaska.edu if you’d like to recognize someone and give them a shout-out.
  • Recognition Programs: Consider nominating colleagues for awards and acknowledgments, like the annual cornerstone award or the new Empower 91ÊÓƵ Incentive Plan.

The is a new monetary recognition opportunity being piloted by the Board of Regents. This program is now available to recognize benefit-eligible employees with at least 6 months of service. This new BOR initiative was launched Monday, March 31, UA-wide and has three award categories that employees can be recognized through:

  1. Scalable Innovation - Recognizes ideas or actions that improve operational efficiency, introduce new or improved processes, or enhance customer service — well beyond regular job duties.
  2. Exceptional Student Service - Recognizes efforts that significantly improve student recruitment, retention, or graduation outcomes or enhance the student experience.
  3. Empowering 91ÊÓƵ - Recognizes outstanding contributions during critical times or exemplary performance that far exceeds expectations, demonstrating the values of the .

Award amounts can range from $100 to $1,000 per award, and four grand prize awards of $5,000 each are available and will be selected by a systemwide committee. The deadline for this recognition program is June 30, 2025, with May 15, 2025, being the deadline for the grand prize consideration.

Thank you to all the staff, faculty, and students for your passion, teamwork, and perseverance. I am grateful to work alongside such an incredible group of individuals who make UAF a remarkable place to learn, work, and grow!

Together, we continue to build a stronger, more vibrant 91ÊÓƵ.

Friday Focus is a column written by a different member of UAF's leadership team every week.