Residence Assistants will knock on doors to invite and remind residents to participate. Encourage your student to check at their residence hall front desk for information.

Fall 2008 Commencement
If you are planning to attend this fall's graduation, click here to find specifics on college ceremonies, caps and gowns, special accommodations, hotel reservation options, weather forecast, and the university traffic flow during the event.

Graduation details for May 2009 are currently under discussion and will be posted on the commencement website and the BackPack e-newsletter once the plans are finalized. 

Diana Gabaldon coming to NAU
The New York Times best-selling author is coming to campus to help raise funds for Thin Air Magazine.

Hallelujah: It's time for
the holiday sing-along
Get a harmonious start to the holiday season by attending NAU's "Messiah" sing-along at 7:30 p.m. Monday, November 24, in Ardrey Auditorium.

Northern Arizona University Arts and Crafts Fair
Tell your student to grab his/her holiday shopping list and head to the eighth annual Mountain Campus Holiday Arts and Crafts Fair to benefit United Way of Northern Arizona.

NAU's annual tree lighting ceremony
Invite your student to north campus for the annual holiday tree lighting on Friday, November 21 at 6 p.m. Attendees will meet at Prochnow; cookies and hot chocolate will be on hand.

November 27-28: Thanksgiving Day holiday
(university closed)
November 28: Last day to withdraw from the university
December 1: End of term week
December 8-11: Finals week
December 12: Commencement (last day of fall term) December 12: Residence halls close at 10 a.m.
December 25 - January 2: University winter closure
January 10: Residence halls open for spring
January 12: Spring classes begin
January 19: Martin Luther King Day holiday
(university closed)

NAU grad named '09 Arizona Teacher of the Year
Sarah Baird teaches mathematics at two schools in Ahwatukee for students in kindergarten through fifth grade.

Fellowship puts professor
on dental hygiene tenure track
A faculty fellowship is putting an NAU dental hygiene professor at the head of the class.

Student health tip: First semester roller-coaster
For freshmen, the first semester of college is rapidly coming to an end, which can bring many emotions. Some are delighted by their performance, while others are disappointed by grades that don’t live up to their usual standards. Here are some helpful hints to get through this time:

1. Be honest with yourself about your own expectations, hopes, and dreams. Put this semester into perspective. Many students have never been away from home before and there are many adjustments: living arrangements, roommates, climate, food, culture, etc. This one semester isn’t an indication that this is how one will perform for the next four years.

2. Encourage your student to explore his/her college direction. Encourage him/her to take career guidance and vocational interest tests available through NAU's Counseling and Testing Center. Help your student consider the number of credit hours he/she is taking and to adjust them, if need be, to make his/her class load more manageable.

3. Help your student to establish realistic goals and expectations, and discuss how to to reduce pressures.

Remind yourself and your student that college is a time of learning, exploration and hopefully, fun. This health tip presented by the Counseling and Testing Center.

Women's volleyball plays Idaho State at the Rolle Activity Center on Saturday at 7 p.m.

The women’s soccer team will travel to Oregon for a rematch against two-seeded Portland. This marks the Lumberjacks first-ever appearance in the NCAA tournament at the Clive Charles Soccer Complex.

The regular season begins for the women’s basketball team at Memphis today and the road trip will continue for the Lumberjacks at Arkansas State on Sunday.