The University of Alaska Fairbanks will celebrate its roots April 16-21 with activities commemorating the 150th anniversary of the landmark Morrill Act.
Events will include geocaching and puzzle contests, more than a dozen free Cooperative Extension Service classes and an April 16 public lecture by UAF historian Terrence Cole about the significance of the land-grant college act.
President Abraham Lincoln signed the Morrill Act on July 2, 1862, establishing the land-grant system of public colleges and universities. The act provided states and territories with land to support institutions to educate people in agriculture, military tactics and engineering so that the working classes could obtain a “liberal and practical education.”
Congress approved the land grant for an Alaska college in 1915 and territorial Gov. John Strong signed the bill on May 3, 1917 to establish Alaska’s land-grant college. The Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines opened its doors in 1922 with six students. The college became known as the University of Alaska in 1935 and eventually the University of Alaska Fairbanks, which remains Alaska’s land-grant institution.
A public celebration from noon to 4 p.m. April 21 in the Wood Center ballroom will include displays and hands-on family activities offered by the Cooperative Extension Service and the School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences. UAF Chancellor Brian Rogers will speak at 3:30 p.m.
Two iPads will be given away during the event; winners will be drawn from entries in the word puzzle, trivia and geocache contests. Contest information will be in Sunday’s Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and linked from Extension’s website at www.uaf.edu/ces. Daily puzzles will be included in the paper through April 18. Entries must be received by 5 p.m. Thursday at the Tanana District office at 724 27th Ave. or the state Extension office at 308 Tanana Loop, on campus.
All of the classes, unless noted, will take place at the Extension district office in the Fairbanks Community Food Bank building. See class descriptions linked at www.uaf.edu/ces. Register online at http://bit.ly/UAF-land-grant or call 474-2420 or 474-2450. Following is a schedule of the week’s events:
Monday, April 16
10 a.m. — Class: “Worm Composting”
2 p.m. — Class: “Making Conflict Work for You”
7 p.m. — Class: “Learn How to Use Your GPS”
7 p.m. — Terrence Cole lecture: “Of the People and For the People: Alaska’s Land Grant College,” 201 Reichardt Building, Boyd Hall
Tuesday, April 17
10 a.m. — Class: “Super Vegetables”
1:15 p.m. — Class: “Healthy Treats,” 201 Reichardt Building, Boyd Hall
2 p.m. — Fruit growers roundtable
7 p.m. — Class: “Biomass Forestry and Boreal Forest Biology”
Wednesday, April 18
10 a.m. — Class: “Crockpot Cooking”
2 p.m. — Class: “Seed Starting and Garden Planning”
Thursday, April 19
9 a.m. - noon —Workshop: “How to Do Business in China”
1:15 p.m. — Class: “Seed Starting and Garden Planning,” 201 Reichardt Building, Boyd Hall
7 p.m. — Class: “Raising Chickens”
Friday, April 20
10 a.m. — Class: “Estate Planning”
2 p.m. — Class: “Septic Systems”
Saturday, April 21
9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. — Workshop: “Introduction to Specialty Food Businesses,”
Workshop fee is $30. Register at http://bit.ly/foodsworkshop.
Noon – 4 p.m. — Public celebration at the Wood Center Ballroom
3:30 p.m. — Address by Chancellor Brian Rogers, Wood Center Ballroom
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