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Hockey alumni and NHL team show support

Former hockey teammates Brian Kraft, B.B.A. Marketing ’91, and Steve “Bogie” Bogoyevac each made a $25,000 contribution toward Seawolf hockey’s reinstatement after seeing the momentum from the community and the vocal support from the Seattle Kraken NHL team. Kraft and Bogoyevac have also agreed to match donations from any UAA alumni dollar-for-dollar up to another $50,000.

Fundraising deadlines extended for gymnastics and hockey, Alpine skiing reinstated

At its meeting on Feb. 25, the University of Alaska Board of Regents passed two motions focused on UAA hockey and gymnastics. The motions extended the fundraising deadlines for the two sports, allowing for automatic reinstatement if fundraising targets are met — June 30 for gymnastics and Aug. 30 for hockey.

The board voted in September 2020 to discontinue hockey, gymnastics and Alpine skiing unless the teams could raise two years of funding to cover operating expenses by Feb. 15. Estimated savings to restructure UAA Athletics by eliminating these sports is more than $2 million and is part of an effort to close the gap on UAA’s $7.2 million budget reduction for fiscal year ‘22.

The regents reinstated Alpine skiing at their January meeting in response to supporters successfully raising two years of operating expenses. UAA leadership, working in concert with Interim President Pat Pitney, requested the extensions for hockey and gymnastics in response to the tireless fundraising efforts of student-athletes, coaches and alumni, all bolstered by boosters and community supporters, both state- and nationwide.

Donate to Save UAA Gymnastics

Donate to Save Seawolf Hockey

UAA alumni sign on to the legislative Fly-In

Between Feb. 9-12, alumni signed on to attend the Legislative Fly-In, meeting with more than 40 senators, legislators and staffers to advocate on behalf of UAA. True to its name, the annual Fly-In typically involves alumni from all three University of Alaska campuses traveling to Juneau to meet with government officials in person. Of all the alumni who shared their personal stories of impact in support of the statewide UA system, UAA alumni represented nearly three-quarters.

University of Alaska launches largest fundraising campaign in state history

The University of Alaska system has launched the public phase of For Alaska, a multi-year fundraising campaign with the goal of raising $200 million by 2024. To date, more than $135 million has been raised from more than 16,000 donors since the quiet phase of the campaign began in 2016.

Four themes — education, workforce, research and economy — are common to the overarching statewide campaign. UAA is also prioritizing support for its student-athletes by adding a fifth campaign priority.

UA showcased the university system’s priorities and campaign progress with a virtual launch celebration on March 25, hosted by Diane Kaplan, president and CEO of the Anchorage-based Rasmuson Foundation. The event featured an anthem video illustrating the pivotal role of higher education in shaping Alaska’s future, narrated by Willie Hensley, visiting distinguished professor of public policy at UAA.

Researchers and facilities are key in fight against COVID-19

The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services announced on Dec. 9 that the Alaska Airlines Center (AAC) had been established as the state-run infusion center for two new monoclonal antibody therapies that can reduce the severity of COVID-19 infections. Since then, the AAC has also served as a point-of-dispensing for the COVID-19 vaccine.

A UAA research team found that Anchorage’s mask mandate led to an 18.6% drop in the COVID-19 transmission rate, and the emergency orders that first limited and then closed public venues were even more effective (32% decrease), which ultimately resulted in a sustained decline in the number of active cases.

UAF donates to Save Seawolf Hockey

On Jan. 30, the Alumni Association at UAF — UAA’s closest partner (and friendliest rival) — announced their $4,900 donation to the Save Seawolf Hockey campaign, as well as a $1,500 donation from the Nanook Hockey Alumni Association.

Listen to the third episode of Seawolf Voices

In the latest episode of the Seawolf Voices podcast, Alaska Black Caucus president and CEO Celeste Hodge Growden, B.S.W. Social Work ’96, talks about making strides with community partners to address racial equity, the necessary work that still needs to be done and how her organization has partnered with her alma mater to help train the next generation of social workers.

Listen to the podcast episode

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