On Nov. 12 University of Alaska Fairbanks announced the reorganization of the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL). It came as a shock to both CTL staff and the faculty who use them for a wide range of support services.

Over 120 faculty and teaching staff signed a letter to leadership expressing “significant concern, frustration, and outrage regarding the recent restructuring.”

When Mike Sfraga was appointed interim chancellor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks in July, he knew he had to manage and navigate a dynamic budget landscape. At the chancellor’s budget forum on Nov. 20, his goal was to have the public understand where UAF’s money comes from and how it flows out though the whole community.

The meeting kicked off with Sfraga’s opening remarks and then transitioned to talks from other UA leaders discussing the difficult budget ahead. After Sfraga, Julie Queen, the vice chancellor for administrative services at UAF, spoke to the crowd. 

The former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, William “Bill” Taylor, who served under President George W. Bush and as a chargé d'affaires to Ukraine during President Trump’s first term, spoke at a town hall on the Ukraine-Russia conflict at UAF in the Davis Concert Hall. In addition to explaining the historical context and background that led to the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Taylor gave insights into the current geopolitical situation, the progress of the war, and the recent Trump-Putin summit in Anchorage. 

Fairbanks is home to the state’s only forensic anthropologist, Petra Banks. Banks works as a researcher and professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and is currently in the beginning stages of research that will help to bring more forensic anthropology to Alaska. Recently, The Sun Star had the opportunity to interview Banks about her research and how she became involved in the unique field. 

The Arctic Leadership Lecture Series brought in guest speaker veteran diplomat and Arctic policy leader Ambassador David Balton to discuss the changing North and ways the community and the nation can help. 

An early morning bomb threat sent to the University of Alaska Fairbanks police department, forced UAF to cancel classes until noon on the Troth Yeddha’ Campus and led to the closure of several offices west of the Museum of the North.

Eight days after Charlie Kirk’s assassination during his visit to Utah Valley University, Kirk’s conservative non-profit advocacy group Turning Point USA, or TPUSA, held a meeting in the Wood Center.

Every year in Fairbanks summer goes out in a blaze at Starvation Gulch. In a long-standing tradition, giant structures made of pallets and plywood are constructed by various departments and student organizations across campus and set alight to kick off the school year and herald the coming winter. 

University of Alaska Fairbanks Interim Chancellor Mike Sfraga delivered a message of progress and purpose Tuesday, Sept. 9 during the 2025 convocation, praising the university community for its resilience and outlining ambitious goals for UAF’s future.

From May to August in the University of Alaska Fairbanks Georgeson Botanical Gardens, local music artists gather to celebrate music and family fun.