Alumni FAQs  

I need a copy of my transcript. Can you send me one?

For official transcripts, please contact the Office of the Registrar at 928-523-2108 (press 3), or visit the Registrar's website and click on "Forms" to download the Transcript Request form. The cost of a transcript is $10, and there are options for rush shipping and other special delivery.

For unofficial transcripts, you have three options:

  • visit any one of Northern Arizona University's Extended Campuses and present a photo ID.
  • e-mail the Office of the Registrar and submit your request, including your name, student ID number or Social Security number, telephone number, and signature. They can then fax or mail your unofficial transcripts.  
  • visit the ITS Unofficial Transcript page and view the instructions for logging on to the Louie Student Center to view unofficial transcripts from your computer (If you don't know your login or password, contact the ITS help desk for assistance).

How do I become a member of the Alumni Association?

All Northern Arizona University graduates are automatically members of the Northern Arizona University Alumni Association. That’s right, you get all the benefits of membership.

I never got my diploma. Would you send it to me?

Contact the Diploma Department of the Registrar's Office at 928-523-5363, or visit the Registrar and click on "Forms" to download the Diploma Replacement Request form. The cost of a diploma replacement is $35.

Does the Alumni Office do verification of enrollment?

No, the Registrar's Office is the place to go. Call 928-523-2108 (press 4), or visit the Registrar and click on "Forms" to download the Verification of Enrollment Request form.

I want to get in touch with a classmate. Can you give me his address?

Some alumni data is protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and the Northern Arizona University Alumni Office prefers to honor the privacy of its constituency; therefore we do not give out any personal information. However, if we have a current address for your friend, we can either forward your mail or write a brief contact letter on your behalf.

We also suggest hosting your own event to reconnect with other alumni. If we don't have an event planned in your area at this time, we're happy to help get the word out about an alumni gathering you plan.

How do I get course descriptions from courses that I took at Northern Arizona University?

Students can request course descriptions from the Office of the Registrar, 928-523-2108. There is no fee for up to 10 descriptions, and a $1.00 fee for more. You can also e-mail the office at registrar@nau.edu.

I'm an alum, and my son/daughter is applying for Northern Arizona University. Is there a special financial break for children of alumni?

Although there isn't an alumni discount as such, the Alumni Association has a $600,000 scholarship endowment that allows Northern Arizona University to present 33 annual $1,000 Alumni Board scholarships, as selected by the university scholarship committee.

These scholarships are only given to children or grandchildren of alumni, and are more often awarded to students not receiving significant scholarship help from other sources. The average GPA of a continuing university scholarship recipient is 3.72. Also, some other alumni have created their own private scholarship funds for students.

To apply for these scholarships, contact the Office of Financial Aid at 928-523-4951, or visit Financial Aid and submit a Scholarship Interest form.

I've been asked for my immunization records. Can I still get those from Northern Arizona University?

Please contact the Fronske Health Center's Immunization Desk at 928-523-6359. They will have whatever information on immunization you gave them when you enrolled.

The university has had a lot of different names throughout the years. What are they, and when did they take effect?

The university's various identities mirror its growth from a tiny teacher's college to today's world-class university:

  • Northern Arizona Normal School - March 11, 1899
  • Northern Arizona State Teachers College - July 1, 1925
  • Arizona State Teachers College at Flagstaff - July 1, 1929
  • Arizona State College at Flagstaff - July 1, 1945
  • Northern Arizona University - May 1, 1966

As a university alumnus/alumna, how do I access library resources over the web?

At this time Cline Library does not provide remote access to library databases or paid electronic resources to alumni. "Alums are welcome to come into the Library and use these resources, but because of license agreements for the paid resources, remote access is only provided to currently enrolled/employed students, staff and faculty affiliated with Northern Arizona University," said Bruce Palmer, head of library tech services. He added, "the cost of providing access to these resources is generally based on FTE enrollment, or the number of potential users; the higher the number of potential users, the higher the cost. The current library acquisitions budget is not able to support the additional costs that would result from adding the number of Northern Arizona University alumni to the FTE enrollment figure. The library continues to explore various options for providing access to alumni, but we have not, as of yet, found a feasible solution. Should anything change around this issue in the future we will work with the Office of Alumni Relations to communicate these changes to all alumni."

Do you have statistics on the total number of Northern Arizona University alumni?

Here are some alumni statistics as of February 2011:

  • total alumni - 127,937
  • deceased - 4,260
  • living - 123,677
  • total addressable alumni - 117,735
  • addressable alumni in Arizona - 73,930
  • multicultural alumni (self-identified) - 18,532
  • Asian-American - 2,304
  • African-American - 1,783
  • Hispanic - 9,654
  • Native American - 4,382
  • other - 344
  • multi-ethnic - 65 

I've been receiving junk mail and phone calls from insurance companies, credit cards, etc., who say that they represent the Alumni Association. Are you guys selling my name? How do I get off these lists?

The Alumni Association does not "sell" its list, but like many other universities we have contracted a number of relationships with various service providers—so-called "affinity partners"—that we think might be of interest to our alums, and these companies are authorized to send mailings to our alums on our behalf. These are, of course, exclusive arrangements; it is illegal for any of these partners to sell our list or "mine" them for any purpose.

To opt out from receiving these offers, please contact the Alumni Office toll-free at 888-628-2586 or e-mail susan.obrzut@nau.edu. Be sure to specify that you wish to be removed from the affinity partner mail and/or phone lists.

I'm a bit confused on the usage of the word alumni. What's the correct way to address a male, female, group, etc.?"

The Latin word "alumni" is actually "alumnus, -a,-um," meaning the masculine, feminine, and neuter singular forms. The plural is alumni (masculine) and alumnae (feminine).

According to the American Heritage Dictionary, "most commonly, alumni is used for graduates of both sexes." Here at the Alumni Office, you'll usually find us endeavoring a modicum of correctness, calling a male graduate "alumnus" and his two female buddies "alumnae." The exception is when we follow the dictionary paradigm and refer to the general group as "alumni" rather than "alumni/ae." And yes, sometimes we'll cop out and designate everyone "alums."

How do I find articles, photos, etc. from your old site?

Feel free to contact us. Under the subject select "Page Request," and then describe the article you wish to find. We will do our best to locate it and send it to you ASAP.

I'm curious about the Lumberjack statues at the Skydome, and I think I've seen them in other places. Where do they come from?

According to one of our alums, Jud Ruhl, 1973, "The Lumberjack figures in the Dome were the first of their kind, and were built for the Paul Bunyan Cafe, later the Lumberjack, and now Granny's Closet. The statues were created by a Bob Prewitt, who later sold the forms to Steve Dashew. He went on to use that basic form in various costumes for several oil company promotions and other commercial uses." View the full story.  

Are there any celebrities or well-known people who attended Northern Arizona University?

R.C. Gorman, artist and sculptor
R. Carlos Nakai, Grammy-nominated musician
Diana Gabaldon, bestselling novelist
Andy Devine, Hollywood character actor
Steve Altman, president, Qualcomm Incorporated
Jim Bolin, retired president, Rural Metro Corporation; senior investment banker, Cornelius, Gay & Korte, LLC
The Honorable Raul Castro, former Governor of Arizona and U.S. ambassador
Dr. Lattie Coor, former president, Arizona State University
Phillip Hildebrand, co-head, Life and Annuity, New York Life Insurance
Mark Layton, CEO PFSWeb and chairman of the board, Daisytek International
Joella Jean Mahoney, artist
Donald Murray, retired group vice president, Clorox Corporation
Dwight W. Patterson, founder, Arizona Cactus League (deceased)
The Honorable Wilson C. Riles, former California superintendent of public instruction and first African-American to serve in an executive position in California Government (deceased)
The Honorable Jose de Jesus Rivera, U.S. attorney for Arizona
Claudio Sanchez, education correspondent, National Public Radio
Thomas P. Smith, president and director, Taser International
The Honorable John T. Sprott, former U.S. ambassador
Mark Thatcher, CEO and founder, Teva Sport Sandals
Lopez Lomong, US Olympian