UAA Alumni Spirit Spring 2021
INDEX
UAA Alumni Spirit • Fall 2021 • ISSUE 16
INDEX
FEATURES
ON THE COVER
From The Editor
What comes next are stories about just that: what’s next — for UAA, for Seawolves and for the community. In this issue of Spirit, you’ll hear from accounting alumnus Gary Klopfer, whose $1 million gift to the College of Business and Public Policy will establish a fund to provide investment portfolio experience to students. And from geology alumna Charlie Detelich, whose position on a support team for the 2024 NASA Europa Clipper mission will contribute to what we know about life in the universe itself.
New Semester, New Chancellor and A Chance For Fresh Starts
Parnell’s family moved to Anchorage in 1973 when he was 10, and after graduating from East High School in 1980, Parnell attended Pacific Lutheran University. He earned his B.B.A. before attending law school and earning his J.D. from the University of Puget Sound (now known as Seattle University School of Law).
In his early twenties, when Parnell was at a crossroads in his life and considering law school, his father handed him some of the simplest but perhaps most profound life advice he’s ever received — advice that he’s now passed onto his two daughters and to anyone, regardless of their age.
Seawolves Offer Support
Looking at the numbers, university students who have mentors are 14% more likely to graduate. In the workforce, mentees are promoted five times more often than those without mentors. The benefits swing both ways, as mentors themselves are promoted six times as often. All in all, of both mentors and mentees, 87% feel empowered by their relationships.
In May 2020, UAA launched Seawolf Mentor, a program hosted through Mentor Collective, a nonprofit that runs peer mentorship programs for colleges and universities nationwide. Originally focused on pairing freshmen and first-time students with experienced undergrad mentors, the success of the pilot program allowed it to expand to include graduate student mentees and alumni mentors.
Beyond Alaska and beyond Earth
(Photo courtesy of Charlie Detelich)
“I was wallowing around my house and all of a sudden I got this magical email that said the best opportunity of your life has just been offered to you. Do you want it?” said Detelich. “My entire life I’ve wanted to work on NASA missions. It felt like a dream come true. All this hard work finally paid off. It was so surreal and exciting.”
As part of the laboratory’s space exploration team until August 2022, Detelich will primarily work on predevelopment for the imaging system attached to the orbital spacecraft. Put another way, she’ll be calibrating the settings on the cameras that are programmed to take high-resolution photographs of the moon Europa from low orbit.
Seriously Funny
Legacy of Generosity
Part of a UAA legacy, generations of students have already benefited from the longstanding support and contributions of Jane’s family to many areas of the university, particularly UAA’s culinary arts and hospitality programs housed in Lucy Cuddy Hall, which is named in honor of Jane’s grandmother.
The gift provides UAA students the opportunity to manage an investment portfolio and encounter real-life scenarios they can expect to find in the workforce, explained CBPP dean John Nofsinger, Ph.D. This valuable training will benefit Alaska’s financial sector long term. In addition, proceeds from the portfolio will be awarded to accounting and finance students as scholarships each year. As the portfolio grows, so will the number of scholarships awarded.
For Alaska The Campaign for the University of Alaska
Aptly named For Alaska, the campaign is surpassing expectations. The quiet phase of the campaign, which began five years ago, has been integral to the effort. To date, 16,500 generous donors have given more than $160 million to strategic priorities across the UA system since 2016. All funds raised benefit the area of support chosen by each contributor.
Throughout the campaign, UAA has raised $62 million thanks to 6,600 #SeawolfStrong donors and partners. Our collective impact For Alaska will help write the next chapter in the state’s history.
Our vision is a vibrant, bold tomorrow for all Alaskans. Our path must be built upon our shared Alaska spirit of determination and resilience that encourages us to achieve new heights. To forge ahead with an unwavering persistence for a better and brighter tomorrow.
LET’S DO LUNCH
Alumni
News
Briefs
a difference
Space Grant awarded to study corrosion
UAA hockey team reinstated
Class Notes
1984
1994
lens on campus
lens on campus
UAA anthropology students Morgan B. Yockey, Cammryn Reagan and Ariana Mayer excavate a bear skeleton that has been buried in the forest near UAA since 2019. Each fall semester, UAA anthropology undergraduate students learn to excavate and perform artifact mapping on deceased bears that have been donated by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and buried several years prior.
See You Soon, Seawolves!
We are looking forward to seeing you safely in person. But until then, we will meet you where you are with hybrid engagement opportunities to fit your busy schedule. Whether it’s a longstanding tradition or brand new one, we will always be here to honor Seawolf Nation.
What’s next on the calendar?
Nominate amazing UAA alumni for the annual Alumni of Distinction awards before Dec. 17, 2021, and then join us in April 2022 as we celebrate the winners at a brand new event. Learn more: uaa.alaska.edu/AlumniOfDistinction
Join us toward the end of February 2022 to reconnect with classmates and friends for the annual Nine in the Spine at Winterfest, all while supporting current students at UAA. Learn more: uaa.alaska.edu/NineInTheSpine
magazine staff
EDITOR
Matt Jardin, B.B.A. ’10
WRITERS
Matt Jardin, B.B.A. ’10
Catalina Myers
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Brett Rawalt
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
James Evans, B.A. ’16
UAA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Katie Bender, M.P.A. ’10
Crystal Enkvist, B.A. ’93, M.P.A. ’13
Tim Gravel, B.B.A. ’89
Virginia Groeschel, B.S. ’06, M.S. ’20
Daniel Hart, B.S. 10
Jessica Horwatt, B.B.A. ’97
Jessica Jacobsen, B.S. ’13
Leila Kimbrell, B.A. ’02, C.T.2. ’02
Lessie Kincaid, B.S. ’13
Tana Skye Nevada, B.B.A. ’16
Pearl-Grace Pantaleone, B.A. ’14
Lonnie Ridgeway, B.A. ’18.
Stephanie Schuman, A.A. ’14, B.B.A. ’15
Tanya Pont, Ex-Officio,
Director of Alumni Engagement
2020–2022 ALUMNI EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD
Kate Consenstein, B.A. ’11
Josh Edge, B.A. ’10
Jason Herr, B.A. ’20
Karen Lewis, A.A. ’01,
B.A. ’04, A.A.S. ’13
UAA OFFICE OF ALUMNI RELATIONS
907-786-1942
seawolf.forever@alaska.edu
uaa.alaska.edu/alumni
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