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Northern Arizona University (NAU) is a
public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...
research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are "the key sites of Knowledge production modes, knowledge production", along with "intergenerational ...
based in
Flagstaff, Arizona Flagstaff ( ), known locally as Flag, is the county seat of Coconino County, Arizona, in the southwestern United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 76,831. Flagstaff is the principal city of the Coconino Cou ...
, United States. Founded in 1899, it was the third and final university established in the
Arizona Territory The Territory of Arizona, commonly known as the Arizona Territory, was a territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863, until February 14, 1912, when the remaining extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the ...
. It is one of the three universities governed by the
Arizona Board of Regents The Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) is the governing body of Arizona's public university system. It provides policy guidance to Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, and the University of Arizona. History In 1885, the territori ...
and is accredited by the
Higher Learning Commission The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an institutional accreditor in the United States. It has historically accredited post-secondary education institutions in the central United States: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa ...
. The university is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity". The university is divided into seven academic colleges offering about 130 undergraduate and graduate programs, and various academic certificates. Students can take classes and conduct research in Flagstaff, online, and at more than 20 statewide locations, including the Phoenix Biomedical Core research campus. As of fall 2023, 28,194 students were enrolled with 21,550 at the Flagstaff campus. NAU is ranked No. 192 in the
National Science Foundation The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is an Independent agencies of the United States government#Examples of independent agencies, independent agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that su ...
(NSF) national research rankings for fiscal year 2023. NAU's astronomy faculty led the observations of the NASA DART planetary defense mission, co-discovered several astronomical bodies such as Eris and Sedna, and are major participants in the search for the hypothetical
Planet Nine Planet Nine is a List of hypothetical Solar System objects, hypothetical ninth planet in the outer region of the Solar System. Its gravitational effects could explain the peculiar clustering of orbits for a group of extreme trans-Neptunian obj ...
. The university is a primary institution of the local Lowell Observatory. Alumni include 4 Truman Scholars, 11 Goldwater Scholars, and 3 Udall Scholars. The NAU Lumberjacks compete in the
NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...
primarily as part of the
Big Sky Conference The Big Sky Conference is a List of NCAA conferences, collegiate athletic conference, affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I with college football, football competing in the Football Cha ...
, and have won several national championships in cross country running. At an elevation of above
sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...
, the school's athletic facilities are used by Olympic and professional athletes worldwide for prestige high altitude training.


History


Creation and early history

Initially named the Northern Arizona Normal School, the institution opened on September 11, 1899, with 23 students, two faculty members – one, Almon Nicholas Taylor, who was also the school president – and "two copies of'' Webster's International Dictionary'' bound in sheepskin" as teaching resources. It was one of about 180 " normal schools" founded by state governments in the 19th century to train teachers for the rapidly growing public common schools. Some closed but most steadily expanded their role and became state colleges in the early 20th century and state universities in the late 20th century. The first graduating class, in 1901, consisted of four women who received credentials to teach in the Arizona Territory. In 1925, the Arizona State Legislature allowed the school, which was then called the Northern Arizona State Teachers College (ASTC), to grant bachelor of education degrees. In 1929, the school became Arizona State Teachers College at Flagstaff. Also in 1929, the
Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
struck the nation, and the ASTC found new meaning in community outreach. Rather than collapsing, the school endured through the depression. In fact, Grady Gammage, the school president at the time, described higher education as "a 'depression industry' that fared well in hard times." Despite financial difficulties, enrollment increased from 321 students to 535 students between 1930 and 1940, and graduate work was introduced in 1937. ASTC provided an education during economically trying times, often creating jobs to help students afford their education; they worked in the school-owned dairy farm, in the campus kitchen and dining hall, and as newspaper deliverers. The self-sufficiency of the college helped conserve monetary resources, and it was a major contributor to the local economy of the surrounding Flagstaff community, injecting almost a half-million dollars in 1938.NAU – History. Arizona Board of Regents, May 16, 2016. ASTC was known for its diverse student body and ethnic tolerance. In fact, the first Hopi to receive a college degree was Ida Mae Fredericks in 1939. Students came from rural farms, mining families, the East Coast, and points between. During the depression, fraternities and clubs sprang up, reflecting the diversity of backgrounds and interests.


World War II impacts

During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, NAU was one of 131 colleges and universities nationally that took part in the V-12 Navy College Training Program which offered students a path to a Navy commission. Enrollment at the university dropped sharply at the beginning of World War II, dropping to 161 in 1945. However, the end of World War II brought increased enrollment as returning veterans continued their education. The end of the war also expanded programs beyond teaching degrees, especially in the fields of art and science. To reflect this growth, the school changed its name to Arizona State College at Flagstaff in 1945 and, in 1958, became Arizona State College. Also in 1958, the world-renowned forestry program was started.


Transition to Northern Arizona University

With further growth over the next two decades, the Arizona Board of Regents granted Arizona State College university status as Northern Arizona University in 1966. The university received authorization to offer Doctors of Philosophy and
Education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...
in 1968, with the first doctoral candidates graduating in 1973. In 2007, the business college was renamed The W. A. Franke College of Business, with entrepreneur Bill Franke as the namesake of the new business complex.


2015 shooting

On October 9, 2015, Steven Edward Jones, an 18-year-old freshman at Northern Arizona University, shot four people, killing Colin Charles Brough and severely injuring three others, in a parking lot outside of Mountain View Hall on the Flagstaff Mountain campus. Jones was charged with one count of first-degree murder and three counts of
aggravated assault In the terminology of law, an assault is the act of causing physical harm or unwanted physical contact to another person, or, in some legal definitions, the threat or attempt to do so. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may result ...
. He pleaded not guilty, taking responsibility for the shooting but saying that he acted in self-defense.


2020s to present

In 2022, José Luis Cruz Rivera became the university's 17th president. In 2023, the university announced the establishment of NAU Health initiative, which will include the creation of a
medical school A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, professional school, or forms a part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, ...
through the College of Medicine.


Campuses


Flagstaff campus

Set across 829 forested acres, the Flagstaff campus houses academic, administrative and residential buildings. At
above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...
, NAU is the fourth highest-elevation four-year college campus in the country. The main campus is surrounded by the largest contiguous ponderosa pine forest in the world and enjoys a four-season climate, with the host city of Flagstaff averaging 90.1 inches of snow per year. Winter skiing is accessible at Arizona Snowbowl, which is an alpine ski resort located on the San Francisco Peaks, northwest of town, and the Grand Canyon and Sedona are short drives away. Flagstaff is regularly ranked among the best college towns in the United States. For many years, the university has prioritized sustainability initiatives, and campus-wide programs and resources encourage the entire university community to get involved with sustainability efforts. There are more than a dozen LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)-certified buildings on campus and all new construction must meet strict LEED standards. Dining services and facilities contribute to a composting initiative, collecting more than 300,000 pounds of material each year, which prevents 250 metric tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere. Much of the campus uses renewable wind and solar technologies and the university is investigating opportunities to utilize the vast ponderosa pine forests around campus for biomass electricity or heat production. NAU President José Luis Cruz Rivera pledged
carbon neutrality Global net-zero emissions is reached when greenhouse gas emissions and removals due to human activities are in balance. It is often called simply net zero. ''Emissions'' can refer to all greenhouse gases or only carbon dioxide (). Reaching net ze ...
at NAU by 2030.


Statewide campuses and NAU Online

In addition to the more than 21,000 students who study on the Flagstaff campus, NAU currently serves another 8,000 students online and statewide. In order to provide access and affordability to all Arizona residents, NAU offers more than 130 accredited degree programs at more than 20 statewide locations. NAU also has partnerships with community colleges and NAU–Yavapai, a collaboration with Yavapai College in Prescott Valley, Arizona. The university's oldest branch campus, and the largest, is NAU– Yuma. NAU Online offers more than 140 fully-online options at all degree levels, including undergraduate and graduate degrees, certificates, and minors.


Academics


Colleges and programs

Across eight colleges (with a ninth, the College of Medicine in development), NAU offers more than 130 undergraduate degree programs, more than 80 master's degree programs, and about 20 doctoral programs, along with 50 undergraduate and 40 graduate certificates. The top undergraduate academic degree plans by enrollment for the 2023 fall semester were: * Psychological Sciences * Nursing * Biomedical Science * Criminology and Criminal Justice * Biology * Elementary Education


College of Arts and Letters

The College of Arts and Letters houses numerous departments, including: * School of Art * Comparative Cultural Studies * English * Global Languages and Cultures * History * Philosophy * Kitt School of Music * Theatre The college also oversees the Clara M. Lovett Art Museum, Martin-Springer Institute (promoting lessons of the Holocaust), Northern Arizona Writing Project, Ardrey Memorial Auditorium, and Kitt Recital Hall. The College of Arts and Letters Film Series has provided quality classic films to the NAU and Flagstaff community for a decade, and has recently established the NAU International Film Series. CAL is also home to NAU's doctoral program in Applied Linguistics. Department faculty and students share their scholarly work and artistic achievement through more than 300 performances, lectures, films, and exhibitions annually.


College of Education

The College of Education is a cornerstone of NAU academics, with bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programs available. Programs focus on early childhood, elementary, secondary, and higher education. Fields of study include: * Educational Leadership * Educational Psychology * Educational Specialties (e.g., bilingual and multicultural education, career and technical education, educational technology, and special education) * STEM Education * Teaching and Learning The college also houses the Diné Dual Language Teachers Professional Development Project that works with teachers with proficiency in the Diné (Navajo) language and high academic achievement to meet licensing requirements for teachers who work in language instruction education programs.


Steve Sanghi College of Engineering

The Steve Sanghi College of Engineering was named for Steve Sanghi after his $10 million donation to the college in 2024. Within Sanghi are 19 undergraduate majors, 5 minors, 13 master's, and 5 doctoral programs. The college includes schools and departments for: * Applied Physics and Materials Science * Civil and Environmental Engineering * Construction Management * Mechanical Engineering * School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems Students have access to numerous research labs including: * Center for Ecosystem Science and Society * Center for Health Equity Research * Center for Materials Interfaces in Research and Applications * Merriam Powell Center for Environmental Research * Pathogen and Microbiome Institute


College of the Environment, Forestry, and Natural Sciences

The College of the Environment, Forestry, and Natural Sciences has undergraduate and graduate programs that integrate science and mathematics through the creative application of knowledge. Departments include: * Astronomy and Planetary Science – This program has direct access to the Lowell Observatory, with Flagstaff being designated as one of only 22 Dark-Sky cities worldwide. NAU's astronomy faculty is notable for its contributions to astronomy, such as Cristina Thomas who led the investigations of the NASA DART planetary defense mission, and Professor Chad Trujillo who discovered several trans-Neptunian object (TNO) astronomical bodies including Eris and Sedna. The university is a major participant in research regarding the hypothetical
Planet Nine Planet Nine is a List of hypothetical Solar System objects, hypothetical ninth planet in the outer region of the Solar System. Its gravitational effects could explain the peculiar clustering of orbits for a group of extreme trans-Neptunian obj ...
. * Biological Sciences * Chemistry and Biochemistry * School of Earth and Sustainability * School of Forestry * STEM Education * Mathematics and Statistics More than 30 university-funded research institutes and centers are available to faculty and students, including: * Centennial Forest * Center for Ecosystem Science and Society * Colorado Plateau Biodiversity Center * Ecological Restoration Institute * National Institute for Climate Change Research


College of Health and Human Services

The College of Health and Human Services prepares students to become excellent health professionals and to provide service to improve the health and well-being of the communities served, particularly Arizona residents, Native Americans, and individuals considered disadvantaged. The college's departments – offering bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees – include: * Athletic Training * Communication Sciences and Disorders * Dental Hygiene * Health Sciences * Nursing * Occupational Therapy * Physical Therapy * Physician Assistant Studies The College of Health and Human Services offers several programs at the Phoenix Bioscience Core, a state-of-the-art facility on 30 acres in downtown
Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...
that includes more than six million square feet of research, academic, and clinical facilities for students earning advanced degrees in medical professions.


College of Medicine

In 2023, the university announced the creation of the College of Medicine.


College of Nursing

In 2023, alongside the creation of the College of Medicine, the university announced the promotion of the School of Nursing to its own freestanding College.


College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

The College of Social and Behavioral Sciences offers a wide array of social science and related professional degree programs, including: * Anthropology * Applied Indigenous Studies * Communication * Criminology and Criminal Justice * Ethnic Studies * Geography, Planning, and Recreation * Politics and International Affairs * Psychological Sciences * Social Work * Sociology * Sustainable Communities * University Studies * Women's and Gender Studies The college also houses the Civic Service Institute that connects students, older adults, and other community members to national service volunteer opportunities within their communities. The Institute for Human Development fosters the development of attitudes that promote the public's appreciation and value of individuals with disabilities.


W.A. Franke College of Business

The W. A. Franke College of Business (FCB) offers degrees at the undergraduate and master's levels. Airline entrepreneur Bill Franke commitment of $25 million resulted in the renaming of the college in his honor in 2007. It is accredited by the
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) is an American professional and accreditation organization. It was founded as the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business in 1916 to provide accreditation to busines ...
– AACSB International. The FCB offers 7 undergraduate BSBA degrees for
Accounting Accounting, also known as accountancy, is the process of recording and processing information about economic entity, economic entities, such as businesses and corporations. Accounting measures the results of an organization's economic activit ...
,
Economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...
,
Finance Finance refers to monetary resources and to the study and Academic discipline, discipline of money, currency, assets and Liability (financial accounting), liabilities. As a subject of study, is a field of Business administration, Business Admin ...
,
Hospitality Hospitality is the relationship of a host towards a guest, wherein the host receives the guest with some amount of goodwill and welcome. This includes the reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers. Louis de Jaucourt, Louis, ...
(HRM),
Information Systems An information system (IS) is a formal, sociotechnical, organizational system designed to collect, process, store, and distribute information. From a sociotechnical perspective, information systems comprise four components: task, people, structu ...
,
Management Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a Government agency, government bodies through business administration, Nonprofit studies, nonprofit management, or the political s ...
, and
Marketing Marketing is the act of acquiring, satisfying and retaining customers. It is one of the primary components of Business administration, business management and commerce. Marketing is usually conducted by the seller, typically a retailer or ma ...
, which students complete through the Business Professional Program (BPP). The college also offers 13 business certification programs and
Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular ...
(MBA) program for graduate students. The Franke building an open-floor 4-level complex with a grand central staircase, auditoriums, 14 classrooms, 5 computer labs, 11 student conference rooms, several lounges, 56 administrative offices, exterior porches, and a café. The Career Development Office and Business Communication Center is located in the building. The building architecturally received LEED-Gold certifications for its environmentally friendly design.


= School of Hotel and Restaurant Management (HRM)

= The W.A. Franke College of Business operates the School of Hotel and Restaurant Management (HRM), which offers two Bachelor of Science degrees in Hotel and Restaurant Management and
Interdisciplinary Studies Interdisciplinarity or interdisciplinary studies involves the combination of multiple academic disciplines into one activity (e.g., a research project). It draws knowledge from several fields such as sociology, anthropology, psychology, economi ...
in Hospitality Management, along with 6 hospitality certifications. The school is located at the Eugene M. Hughes Complex at the northern part of the NAU campus, named after former university president Eugene Hughes. The building features a high-tech demonstration kitchen, mock lobbies, conference rooms, and cafés. The Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research ranked the school as the #1 hospitality program in Arizona and 22nd in the United States, having consistently been ranked among the best in the nation.


Honors College

NAU is home to the first Honors program offered in Arizona. The academic enrichment program is open to students of all majors and offers coursework, research opportunities, and programs designed to enhance the undergraduate experience. Honors College students have unique opportunities for study abroad and can participate in out-of-classroom programs like the Grand Canyon Semester. First-year Honors students can live in the Honors Hall, which offers living, learning, and study spaces under the same roof.


Graduate College

The Graduate College offers more than 80 master's degrees, about 20 doctoral degrees, and 40 graduate certificates, both in-person and online. NAU offers graduate students hands-on mentoring, and numerous research, scholarship, and creative activities. The NAU Graduate College supports all aspects of graduate education and provides professional development opportunities for students. Top graduate programs for fall 2023 were: * Computer Information Technology * Computer Science * Physical Therapy – Entry Level * Organizational Leadership * Business Administration * Clinical Psychology


Research

Northern Arizona University is ranked No. 178 in the most recent National Science Foundation (NSF) national research rankings for fiscal year 2021 performance of $69.1 million. The research division's core facilities are the Environmental Genetics and Genomics Resource Center, Imaging and Histology Core Facility, and the Research Greenhouse Complex. Other research laboratories include the Centennial Forest, Child Speech and Language Lab, Colorado Plateau Analytical Lab, Geospatial Research and Information Laboratory, Laboratory for Applied Social Research, Merriam-Powell Research Station, RAPIDLab, Southwest Experimental Garden Array, and Walnut Creek Center for Education and Research. The Pathogen and Microbiome Institute conducts research to track and fight a host of rapidly evolving and potentially deadly diseases including COVID-19. More than 100 faculty, full-time staff, graduate and undergraduate students work in the institute. Collections, archives and museums include The Arboretum at Flagstaff, Art Museum, Cline Library Special Collections and Archives, Colorado Plateau Biodiversity Center, and the Museum of Northern Arizona. Northern Arizona University joined the Lowell Discovery Telescope partner group in 2014. NAU scientists use the LDT for deep imaging of small objects in the
Solar System The Solar SystemCapitalization of the name varies. The International Astronomical Union, the authoritative body regarding astronomical nomenclature, specifies capitalizing the names of all individual astronomical objects but uses mixed "Sola ...
. Additionally, NAU partners with Lowell at its Anderson Mesa site, both in the National Undergraduate Research Laboratory and in a new Near-Earth Object follow-up program. NAU also manages the National Undergraduate Research Observatory, which provides access to Lowell's 0.79-meter telescope for a consortium of four-year colleges around the country.


Rankings

The
Times Higher Education World University Rankings The ''Times Higher Education World University Rankings'', often referred to as the THE Rankings, is the annual publication of university rankings by the ''Times Higher Education'' magazine. The publisher had collaborated with Quacquarelli Symon ...
for 2021–2022 ranked NAU 501st–600th both internationally and nationally. In 2024, ''
Washington Monthly ''Washington Monthly'' is a bimonthly, nonprofit magazine primarily covering United States politics and government that is based in Washington, D.C. The magazine also publishes an annual ranking of American colleges and universities, which ser ...
'' ranked NAU 155th among 438 national universities in the U.S. based on NAU's contribution to the public good, as measured by social mobility, research, and promoting public service. ''
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
'' ranked NAU 297th out of the top 500 rated private and public colleges and universities in America for the 2024–25 report. NAU was also ranked 198th among public colleges and 72nd in the west.


Admissions

In February 2022, NAU announced the Access2Excellence admissions pilot program. The goal is to increase Arizona high school students' access to college. Previously, NAU, like Arizona State University and the University of Arizona, required 16 core courses for assured admissions. However, not all Arizona high schools offer the 16 core courses, especially in second languages and math. NAU's pilot program removed the second language course availability barrier and will accept more fourth-year math courses, allowing more students the opportunity to pursue a postsecondary education. Fall first-year student statistics


Tuition and fees

The average cost of tuition and fees for a full-time, Arizona resident undergraduate student for the 2023–24 school year is $12,652 and $28,900 for out-of-state undergraduates. NAU also participates in the Western Undergraduate Exchange Program, which offers lower tuition rates for students from the Western United States. For 2023–24, WUE tuition and fees are $18,328. NAU is also part of two programs, the Western Regional Graduate program and the Professional Student Exchange Program, that allow approved graduate students from other Western states to pay in-state tuition. NAU's Access2Excellence (A2E) initiative, announced in April 2022 by President José Luis Cruz Rivera, will provide a tuition-free undergraduate college education for every Arizona resident with a household income of $65,000 or below, assuring tuition will be fully covered by scholarships and financial aid. A2E also covers the cost of tuition for members of 22 federally recognized Arizona tribes, regardless of income or residency. Approximately 50 percent of Arizona households currently meet this financial threshold.


Native American initiatives

Part of the NAU 2025 Elevating Excellence strategic roadmap is to be "the nation's leading university serving Indigenous Peoples." Many programs on and off campus have been established in support of this goal. The Native American Cultural Center is a 12,000-square-foot facility that houses many programs built to support Indigenous students and functions as a social and cultural hub. The Office of Native American Initiatives supports students and Indigenous communities with programs including the Institute for Native-serving Educators, the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals, the Tribal Leadership Initiative, and the Office of Indigenous Student Success.


Martin-Springer Institute

The Martin-Springer Institute was founded at NAU in 2000 to "raise awareness of human rights through Holocaust remembrance and education." The institute was founded by Holocaust survivor Doris Martin and her husband Ralph Martin. The institute, headed by Director Björn Krondorfer, hosts speakers, academic workshops, and symposia; mounts public exhibitions; funds research; and provides educational workshops and study tours for Arizona teachers.


Residence halls

NAU houses nearly 10,500 students on campus.


First-year residence halls

Available freshman halls include Allen Hall, Campbell Hall, Cowden Hall, Honors College, McConnell Hall, Morton Hall, Reilly Hall, Sechrist Hall (a nine-story residence hall, the tallest building in northern Arizona), Taylor Hall, Tinsley Hall, and Wilson Hall.


Upper-division housing

Upper-division suite-style and apartment housing is available to sophomores, juniors, and seniors. On-campus housing for upper-division students includes: Calderón, Campus Heights, Gabaldon, Gillenwater, McDonald, McKay Village, Mountain View, Pine Ridge Village, Raymond, Roseberry, and South Village. Residents of family units are within the Flagstaff Unified School District. Residents are zoned to Kinsey Elementary School, Mount Elden Middle School, and Flagstaff High School.


NAU partner housing by American Campus Communities

Rising juniors and seniors currently living on campus have priority leasing status for university-partnered housing located on campus. These halls are located on the NAU campus, but are operated by American Campus Communities: The Suites, Hilltop Townhomes, and Skyview.


Athletics

Student-athletes compete at the intervarsity level in football (men); volleyball, soccer, golf, and swimming and diving (women); and basketball, cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field, and tennis (men and women). The university participates in 15 intercollegiate sports programs. Several of NAU's teams compete at the Walkup Skydome, a multipurpose stadium providing facilities for football, basketball, indoor track and field, soccer, weight lifting, lacrosse, student recreation, major concert events, commencements, intramurals, and a variety of other university and community activities. The $47 million, 77,000 square-foot Student-Athlete High Performance Center opened in February 2022. The facility includes a 10,000-square-foot weight room, an academic center, basketball courts, an adjacent practice field, locker rooms, team meeting rooms, an auditorium, and sports-medicine spaces. The Rolle Activity Center provides physical education classrooms and contains courts for recreational and varsity sports, including NAU's volleyball team, with seating for almost 1,100. The building was named after Joseph C. Rolle, "Mr. Lumberjack", in 1989. Rolle played basketball from 1937 to 1941, served as student body president, and received a BA in 1941 and MA in education in 1950 from Arizona State College of Flagstaff. He later earned an EdS from Columbia University and then worked at NAU for 36 years in positions ranging from bookstore manager to dean of students and dean of university services. The Wall Aquatic Center in the Aquatic and Tennis Complex is one of the finest high-altitude swimming facilities in the world. The Lumberjacks compete at the
NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...
level in all sports. In football, the Lumberjacks compete at the
Football Championship Subdivision The NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA, is the second-highest level of college football in the United States, after the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Bowl Subdivision (F ...
level (formerly known as Division I-AA). NAU competes in the
Big Sky Conference The Big Sky Conference is a List of NCAA conferences, collegiate athletic conference, affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I with college football, football competing in the Football Cha ...
in all sports except swimming and diving, which are part of the
Western Athletic Conference The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the Western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, Texas, Utah and Washington (state), Washington. Due to ...
. The Lumberjacks won the NCAA Men's Division I Cross Country Championship in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, and 2022. The 2017 repeat title closed out a perfect season with a 53-point victory, placing five athletes in the top 40. The victory was the lowest score (74) at the NCAA Championships since 2014, and the Lumberjacks became the first repeat champions since 2013–14. Director of Cross Country and Track and Field Michael Smith earned the Bill Dellinger Award as National Men's Coach of the Year and also picked up both the Big Sky's Men's and Women's Coach of the Year awards. In track and field, Smith was named the US Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Mountain Region Women's Indoor Coach of the Year in 2017 and 2018. Maya Calé-Benzoor of Israel set the school outdoor
long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...
record at , NAU records in both the women's indoor and outdoor long (20' 6".00) and
triple jump The triple jump, sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump, is a track and field event, similar to long jump. As a group, the two events are referred to as the "horizontal jumps". The competitor runs down the tr ...
s (41' 3".75), and 40' 5".00 in the indoor triple jump. She was an
NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...
All American in 1984. In 1989 she was inducted into the NAU Athletic Hall of Fame. Because of its high elevation, NAU's facilities are sometimes used for altitude training by endurance athletes.


Student body and on-campus activities


Organizations

NAU has more than 400 recognized professional, academic, service, and social organizations; an intramural sports program; ''The Lumberjack'' student newspaper; and active residence hall organizations.


Advanced Media Lab

The 2,000-square-foot lab offers undergraduate and graduate students opportunities to collaborate with scholars and researchers on grant-funded projects including mobile development, augmented and virtual reality, filmmaking, aerial drone cinematography, motion capture, and eSports.


Student-run media

In the Social and Behavioral Sciences' School of Communication, the Media Innovation Center (MIC) hosts several immersive learning programs where students practice journalism and filmmaking in real-world settings.


''The Lumberjack''

Students can work at ''The Lumberjack,'' covering news of NAU and the region for Jackcentral.com and social media, and a print edition circulated throughout Flagstaff. The student-run newspaper is more than a century old and has numerous journalism awards to its credit. The MIC sports team is a multimedia organization allowing students to cover sports across Arizona for TV, online, social media, and print.


NAZ Today, KJACK Radio, UTV Studios

Through UTV Studios, students produce short films and two student film festivals during each academic year. UTV 62, a student-run cable channel, operates 24 hours daily, seven days a week on campus channel 62. Students also produce ''NAZ Today,'' which is broadcast on cable television throughout northern Arizona. It is the only local newscast in the region. In 2018, ''NAZ Today'' received national recognition from the Broadcast Education Association for
best student television newscast
produced more than four days weekly." Students in NAU's Strategic Communication program publish ''NAZ Today'' stories on Facebook and Twitter, and maintain the show's website. KJACK (KLJXLP, 107.1 FM) is an FCC-licensed radio station that gives students hands-on learning of the basics of radio and broadcasting. In addition to popular and alternative music, KJACK students provide live sports broadcasts, talk shows, and news. NAU's televised news program, ''NAZ Today,'' airs Monday through Thursday in Flagstaff on NPG cable channel 4; formerly, it also aired on UniversityHouse (Dish Network channel 9411) until it folded. Since the shutdown of Channel 2 news in August 2008, ''NAZ Today'' is now the only TV news source for the Flagstaff area. Members of the MIC sports team cover sports across Northern Arizona for various media platforms in the MIC. Students also cover Baseball Spring Training and other major sporting events in Phoenix.


Recreation services

The John Haeger Health and Learning Center features include an indoor jogging track, a 38-foot climbing wall, a large weight room, a multipurpose gym, a cardio theatre, and 123,000 square feet of recreation opportunities. The center also includes all of the on-campus medical services and the offices for Disability Resources on campus.


Intramural and club sports

More than 30 competitive and recreational intramural opportunities in individual and team sports are available. Also, more than 40 sports clubs are classified as either competitive or recreational/instructional, including baseball, rugby, soccer, ice hockey, lacrosse, Quidditch, disc golf, kendo, mixed martial arts, and water polo. The club tennis team competes in the national
USTA Tennis on Campus Tennis on Campus (TOC) is the national College club sports in the United States, collegiate club tennis league operated by the United States Tennis Association (USTA). The league is played on Hardcourt, hard courts in World TeamTennis format. 370 ...
league and won the national Spring Invitational in 2017.


Lumberjack Marching Band

Supported by the Kitt School of Music, the Northern Arizona University's Lumberjack
Marching Band A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who play while marching. Historically they were used in armed forces and many marching bands remain military bands. Others are still associated with military units or emulate a military sty ...
performs at all home football games and select away games amongst other athletic events. The Lumberjack Band was invited to perform in the 2025
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual parade in New York City presented by the American-based department store chain Macy's. The Parade first took place in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States ...
.


Movies and other events

Unions and Student Activities offers many services and events for the campus community, such as movies and the popular Friday night AfterHours program produced b
Sun Entertainment
SUN also presents concerts, comedians, free movies, trivia nights, dodgeball, and many other special events each year. Th
College of Arts and Letters
presents classic films every Tuesday night during the school year and more than 400 music and theatrical performances, lectures, films, and art exhibitions annually.


Alumni

The NAU Alumni Association represents more than 160,000 alumni, notably including two Governors of Arizona, one U.S. Senator, one U.S. Representative, two U.S. Ambassadors, one
Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...
recipient, and 16 Olympians, as well as four Truman Scholars, 11 Goldwater Scholars, and three Udall Scholars.


Professional sports

The
Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...
of the NFL conducted their summer training camp at Northern Arizona University's Flagstaff campus for many years until 2013. The Cardinals left Flagstaff to conduct their camp in Glendale in 2013. Beginning in 2014, NAU entered into partnerships with the Phoenix Suns and the
Phoenix Mercury The Phoenix Mercury are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Mercury compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference. One of eight original franchises, it wa ...
of the NBA and WNBA respectively.


See also

*
List of forestry universities and colleges This is a list of tertiary educational institutions around the world offering Bachelor's degree, bachelor's, Master's degree, master's or Doctor of philosophy, doctoral degrees in forestry, agronomy, animal sciences, or related fields. Where note ...


Notes


References


External links

*
Northern Arizona University athletics website
{{Authority control Public universities and colleges in Arizona Universities and colleges established in 1899 Education in Coconino County, Arizona Buildings and structures in Flagstaff, Arizona 1899 establishments in Arizona Territory BSL3 laboratories in the United States Universities and colleges accredited by the Higher Learning Commission