UAF names 2026 honorary degree, service award recipients

The University of Alaska Fairbanks has selected six people to honor during its 2026 commencement weekend in May.

Honorary doctorates will be presented to Aġnik Polly Schaeffer and Vera Kingeekuk Metcalf. Bruce Cech, Maurice “Morris” McGinty, Lisa Putnam and Jack Wilbur will receive Meritorious Service Awards.

Honorary doctorates

Honorary doctorates recognize recipients’ lasting contributions to the state and nation, and significant achievements in recipients’ respective disciplines.

Aġnik, whose English name is Polly Schaeffer, will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. Born at Aksik, she grew up in Noorvik speaking Iñupiaq as her first language.

Aġnik began teaching Iñupiaq in the Northwest Arctic Borough School District in 1984. In 1998, she and her husband co-founded Nikaitchuat Ilisagviat, the state’s first tribally run Iñupiaq immersion school. Rooted in Iñupiaq values and ways of learning, the school’s groundbreaking curricula and teaching methods remain a model for language revitalization efforts statewide.

Now retired, Aġnik continues to serve as a culture bearer, elder advisor and advocate, guiding regional efforts to strengthen Iñupiaq language and culture. She serves on the Kotzebue Elders Council and the Iñupiaq Language Commission and has received numerous honors, including the Eileen Panigeo MacLean Education Award from the Alaska Federation of Natives.

Vera Kingeekuk Metcalf will receive an honorary Doctor of Science degree. A Yupik leader born and raised in Savoonga on St. Lawrence Island, she has devoted her life to advancing Indigenous knowledge, subsistence traditions and Arctic policy. She has built partnerships across communities, research institutions and government agencies to elevate Arctic Indigenous voices.

Since 2002, Metcalf has served as director of the Eskimo Walrus Commission at Kawerak Inc., promoting community-based research and co-management of the Pacific walrus. Her national leadership includes service on the U.S. Arctic Research Commission, on the executive committee of the Inuit Circumpolar Council, and as special advisor on Native affairs to the Marine Mammal Commission.

Metcalf earned a bachelor’s degree in rural development at UAF, where she serves on the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences Advisory Council.

Meritorious Service Awards

Meritorious Service Awards recognize significant public, academic, volunteer or philanthropic service to the university or an Alaska community.

For generations, Bruce Cech has been the enduring “Voice of the Nanooks.” Born in Saginaw, Michigan, he began his broadcasting career in his home state before moving to Fairbanks and forming a lifelong commitment to Nanook athletics and the community.

Now in his 37th season calling Nanook hockey — including three seasons broadcasting remotely from Michigan — Cech’s volunteer service spans nine head coaches and 18 athletic directors. He is an active member of the Face-Off Club and a steady presence at fundraising events and major initiatives, including the Hockey Alumni Association and UAF’s 100 Years of Hockey celebration. Inducted into the Fairbanks Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012, Cech has built a lasting connection between the university and generations of fans, alumni and families across Alaska and beyond.

Maurice “Morris” McGinty is a respected Koyukon Athabascan educator, tribal leader and public servant whose life’s work reflects a deep commitment to youth, community and cultural preservation. A UAF alumnus, he earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education in 1977 and a master’s in educational leadership in 1987.

McGinty devoted decades to the Yukon-Koyukuk School District as a teacher, guidance counselor, basketball coach and principal. He has served on the district’s school board since 2006, including 10 years as board chair. He has also volunteered on councils and committees dedicated to advancing community health, socioeconomic well-being and tribal self-determination. Emphasizing community involvement and Athabascan traditions, he has shaped generations of students with a strong sense of identity and purpose.

Lisa Putnam has dedicated more than two decades of service to the University of Alaska Fairbanks through leadership and philanthropy. As vice president of public relations for Usibelli Coal Mine and executive director of the Usibelli Foundation, she has helped direct hundreds of thousands of dollars to support student success, workforce development, research and athletics.

A member of the Chancellor’s Board of Advisors and the College of Business and Security Management Advisory Council, Putnam brings industry perspective to strengthen academic programs and student opportunities. She helped establish endowed scholarships in applied management and homeland security and emergency management and is a longtime supporter of the UAF Arctic Innovation Competition. She is also a passionate advocate for the Nanooks, recognizing athletics' vital role in enrollment, retention and community pride.

As chief financial officer and former president of Design Alaska, lifelong Fairbanksan Jack Wilbur has built a legacy of service to UAF and the Interior. Under his leadership, the firm prioritized hiring UAF engineering students and graduates and provided tuition support for employees. Wilbur also launched philanthropic initiatives including the Design Alaska Holiday Concert with the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra, Alaska Live with KUAC and the Design Alaska Wild Arts Walk with Friends of Creamer's Field.

Wilbur has further supported UAF through service on university advisory boards and committees spanning engineering, economic development and commencement. In 2007, he was named Business Leader of the Year by UAF’s College of Business and Security Management and received the UAF Alumni Association’s William R. Cashen Service Award in 2009.

UAF will celebrate all the honorees at this year’s Gold Ceremony at 5:30 p.m. Friday, May 1, at the Davis Concert Hall on the Troth Yeddha’ Campus in Fairbanks.

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