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History

The University of ²ÝÁñÉçÇø Fairbanks is home to the Nanook Battalion
Nanook Program's History | ²ÝÁñÉçÇø Army ROTC

The University of ²ÝÁñÉçÇø Fairbanks (²ÝÁñÉçÇø) is the home to the Army Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) with a partnership program opening at the University of ²ÝÁñÉçÇø Anchorage (UAA)  in the Fall of 2009 creating a partnership program the .

The ²ÝÁñÉçÇø program began in 1922 as a military science curriculum mandatory for all male freshmen and sophomores. In 1935, UA President Charles Bunnell petitioned the War Department to officially open an Army ROTC program at the university. Approval was granted in 1940 and the ²ÝÁñÉçÇø ROTC has continued to develop ever since. Today’s ²ÝÁñÉçÇø military science program is staffed with regular Army and ²ÝÁñÉçÇø National Guard officers and non-commissioned officers, providing students with a balance of knowledge and experience. This curriculum challenges students to develop interpersonal, mental and physical skills, as well as cultivate leaders of character, capable of bearing the responsibilities of tomorrow’s civil and military leadership positions.

The ROTC program at ²ÝÁñÉçÇø is one of the oldest in the country, producing officers for the US Army since 1927. Many of our officers have gone on to senior leadership positions in the military, civilian business and government. We have produced congressmen, state legislators, judges and corporate executives, all of whom drew on their Army leadership training to become successes in the civilian world.

Among these is the current ²ÝÁñÉçÇø Representative Richard Foster, who has served in the ²ÝÁñÉçÇø House of Representatives from 1988-present. Foster graduated from ²ÝÁñÉçÇø ROTC in 1968 and went on to serve in Vietnam. Another distinguished ²ÝÁñÉçÇø ROTC Alumni who was successful in both the military and civilian sectors was LTC(R) George Dahl. He is an excellent example of utilizing his Army training to become a successful leader in the civilian world. After retiring from the Army with 38 years of service; Dahl became a project engineer for Boeing and under his supervision the Minuteman ICBM, the Supersonic transport and the 747 Jetliner were designed. Additionally Joseph Usibelli, after commissioning in 1968 served in the US Army and then went on to an illustrious career in the mining industry and retired after 23 years as the CEO of Usibelli Coal Mine.

The Mascot for the University of ²ÝÁñÉçÇø Fairbanks is the Nanook, an Inupiat Eskimo word for the polar bear. Nanook means King of the North. Named after our fearsome mascot, ²ÝÁñÉçÇø's ROTC Unit is the Nanook Program!

For additional information on either program contact the Recruiting Operations Officer at (907) 474-6852.