UAF photo by Eric Engman.
People gather at the UA Museum of the North for the 2026 Nanook Rendezvous alumni awards ceremony on July 16, 2026.

By Lindley Lund

Alumni from across the decades returned to the UAF Troth Yeddha’ Campus in July for Nanook Rendezvous, the annual all-class reunion. The weekend brought together graduates, faculty, staff and friends of UAF for two days of celebration and campus discovery.

The festivities opened Thursday evening with a welcome reception at the UA Museum of the North. Guests honored John Davies ’70, ‘75, who received the UAF Alumni Association’s 2026 Distinguished Alumnus Award, and Bruce Cech, the longtime “Voice of the Alaska Nanooks,” who received the 2026 William R. Cashen Service Award.

Davies and his wife, Linda Schandelmeier ’71, used the spotlight to look toward the future. The couple announced they’ve included UAF in their estate plans, with a bequest that will grow their existing John Davies and Linda Schandelmeier Climate Scholars Scholarship and establish two new endowed funds. The Linda Schandelmeier Writers Endowment supports the English Department, and the John Davies Geohazards Mitigation Endowment supports students, research and community engagement at the Geophysical Institute.

“UAF shaped who we are,” Schandelmeier said. “Though I was a biology major, it was the writing community at UAF that led me to become a poet.”

“These endowments will allow us to support the literary and scientific communities at UAF beyond our lifetimes,” Davies added.

Friday’s schedule kept participants hopping with a continental breakfast in the Murie Building atrium, followed by a panel featuring a discussion about the different aspects of learning and outreach offered by UAF’s newest facility, the Walt and Marita Babula Planetarium. Alumni were also able to learn more about the Creative Continuum exhibit at the UA Museum of the North, a celebration of 60 years of the Native Art Center at UAF.

Lunch was provided by the UAF Community and Technical College Borealis Bistro food truck, followed by a special presentation at the Babula Planetarium. From there, guests headed over for a tour of the Geophysical Institute, getting a firsthand look at the research and facilities that make UAF a hub for earth and space science—including a trip up to the rooftop for a bird’s-eye view of the satellite dishes, a highlight for many in the group. The day wrapped up with UAF Alumni Night at the Ballpark, where Nanooks cheered on the Alaska Goldpanners at Growden Park to another win.

Amid the scheduled events, the weekend also created space for more personal moments of reconnection. Rod Moore ’76 used his time on campus to reconnect with the research and academic life at UAF firsthand. Moore met with both undergraduate and graduate students from the natural resources program and toured an active soils research site. The visit left him thinking about how he might support that work going forward.

For Moore, the visit was a chance to see how the university has evolved since his own time as a student. “It was interesting to see what had changed — and what hadn’t — on campus during the last 50 years,” he said. “I was especially impressed with the growth of the Natural Resources Department and the interest and dedication of both faculty and students.”

Moments like these are at the heart of Nanook Rendezvous — not just a celebration of the past, but a chance to see the university’s future taking shape. That focus on UAF's next era was backed up by another major gift announcement during the weekend.

To celebrate its 100th anniversary, the UAF Alumni Association announced its largest gift to date at this year’s reunion — a $100,000 donation to the Planetarium Excellence Fund. The planetarium has already welcomed over 10,000 guests since opening in April 2026. The gift will support UAF instruction, expand public programming and provide students with immersive, hands-on learning opportunities across multiple disciplines.

“As the UAF Alumni Association celebrates its centennial, the Board of Directors wanted to honor that legacy with a gift that would have a lasting impact,” UAFAA board President Rhonda Widener said. “The planetarium reflects UAF's leadership in space research while providing exceptional opportunities for students, faculty, and our community.”

This landmark investment honors a century of alumni support while strengthening education and research for generations to come.

Lindley Lund is the digital gift officer and relationship manager with the University Advancement team.