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THANK YOU FOR RAISING $371K+ ON GIVING DAY 2024

Helena Wisniewski appointed UAA’s first Marion Porter Chair

Premera-UAA partnership promotes behavioral health careers

UAA Theatre and Dance stages a comeback

Ten UAA alumni named Top Forty Under 40 in 2024

$1M initiative eases burdens for students pursuing clinical placements

Landscape close-up photo outdoor view of UAA supporters standing in snow-covered ground at the Alaska Airlines Center south entrance area as they are smiling in their respective UAA attire holding the school's gold color Giving Day small poster signs with different messages in the school's green color that say Support UAA on Giving Day, I am a Grateful Seawolf!, I love UAA!, and Thank you for your generosity!

Thank you for raising $371K+ on Giving Day 2024

In March, UAA supporters from across the country came together to promote and participate in another successful Giving Day event. UA Giving Day — 49 Hours for Alaska is a philanthropic event organized in conjunction with the UA System Office, UAF and UAS. This year was the third annual UA Giving Day and it was the most successful event yet.

UAA received more than $371,000 in donations from over 1,100 donors representing at least 41 states. Seventy-two UAA champions helped spread the word about Giving Day, flooding social media with green and gold for more than two full days as UAA colleges, community campuses, student groups, student-athletes and community members spread the word about Giving Day.

Landscape close-up photo indoor view of the UAA Psychological Services Center entrance sign displayed on the wall with another smaller sign underneath that which reads Please Come In (both of these signs are pictured to the far right) and next to those signs pictured to the far left is a closed entrance door with two placard laminated for your information detail signs on it

Premera-UAA partnership promotes behavioral health careers

Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alaska is supporting a new video campaign with UAA to encourage people to pursue careers in behavioral health, which includes care for mental health conditions and substance use disorders. The videos feature UAA alumni sharing their stories about their behavioral health work and how it benefits the community.

The support from Premera for this campaign builds on the relationship between the two organizations. In 2022, Premera invested in the UAA School of Social Work to bolster the pipeline of social workers by expanding enrollment and post-graduation assistance. Additionally, Premera committed $1.7 million to the UAA College of Health in 2019 toward a grant supporting the expansion of UAA’s nursing programs across rural Alaska. Premera is also a sponsor of the Seawolves hockey team. Through this sponsorship, behavioral health-related content will air during games to help reduce stigma around seeking care.

The first two videos in the campaign, along with information about the UAA College of Health educational programs, can be found here. For behavioral health resources and information on treatment options, visit Premera.com.

2024 Top Forty Under 40 typography logo in dark blue/gold with a little R symbol registered trademark floating above the numeral 40, eight small star shapes spread apart floating near the letter O in the word Forty, and the words Top Forty has a gold underline shape underneath it

Ten UAA alumni named Top Forty Under 40 in 2024

The Alaska Journal of Commerce released its annual list of the top young professionals in the state. Selected from a field of 362 nominations, the 2024 Top Forty Under 40 recipients exemplify excellence in professional and community service.

Congratulations to all awardees, including the following 10 Seawolf alumni who made this year’s list.

Alyssa Bish (32), B.A. History and International Studies ’13, Vice President of Strategy and Impact, Volunteers of America Alaska

Elizabeth “Dawn” Geest (39), B.S. Nursing Science ’07, Clinic Nurse Manager, Walk-In Clinic, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium

Crystal Jackson (37), B.B.A. Marketing ’11, Senior Manager, Customer Experience and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, GCI

Fadil Limani (39), B.B.A. Accounting ’08, Deputy Commissioner, Alaska Department of Revenue

Jennifer McConnel (38), M.B.A. General Management ’20, Program Manager — Human Resources People, Strategies and Solutions, Providence

Tana Skye Nevada (36), B.B.A. Management ’16, Managing Partner, The Bridge Co.

Casey Sifsof (37), B.A. Psychology ’09, Director, Shareholder Development, Bristol Bay Native Corporation

Issa Spatrisano (36), M.Ed. Teaching and Learning ’16, State Refugee Coordinator, Catholic Social Services

Tafilisaunoa Toleafoa (39), B.L.S. Liberal Studies ’07, Executive Director, Pacific Community of Alaska

Stanley Wright (38), B.B.A. Marketing and Management ’22, Representative, Alaska State House

THANK YOU FOR RAISING $371K+ ON GIVING DAY 2024

Helena Wisniewski appointed UAA’s first Marion Porter Chair

Premera-UAA partnership promotes behavioral health careers

UAA Theatre and Dance stages a comeback

Ten UAA alumni named Top Forty Under 40 in 2024

$1M initiative eases burdens for students pursuing clinical placements

Landscape close-up photo indoor view of UAA's inaugural Marion Porter Chair, Dr. Helena Wisniewski smiling in a dark blue business suit blazer coat and black dress underneath with a pearl necklace around her as she holds a microphone in her left hand while seated at a wooden desk as there's other people sitting nearby her as well; There's also an Apple MacBook laptop in front of her and her rectangular shaped name tag display stand that reads Dr. Helena S. Wisniewski

Helena Wisniewski appointed UAA’s first Marion Porter Chair

As UAA’s inaugural Marion Porter Chair, Dr. Helena Wisniewski’s mission is clear: to enhance artificial intelligence and business analytics within the College of Business and Public Policy (CBPP) and across Alaska, fostering faculty and student success while addressing community needs through research, innovation, curriculum development and interdisciplinary collaborations.

Her strategy for achieving this vision focuses on five pillars: enhancing student learning experiences, collaboration across departments, encouraging research and curriculum development, hosting seminars and webinars on topics in AI and exploring federal grant opportunities.

The Marion Porter Chair endowment is an estate gift from Frances B. Mlakar in honor of Marion Jean Barnes Porter, a pioneering accountant and estate planner. It is one of four endowed chairs or professorships in CBPP, along with the Rasmuson Chair of Economics, William H. Seward Chair in International Finance and Weidner Chair in Business Management.

Landscape close-up photo outdoor angle view of the UAA's Fine Arts Building on a fall afternoon
UAA’s Fine Arts Building on a fall afternoon.

UAA Theatre and Dance stages a comeback

Two new study options — a minor in dance and a certificate in event production — plus expanded community engagement and an integrated approach to academics are revitalizing the arts experience at UAA.

Last spring, UAA Dance originally prepared for a final curtain call after program elimination years prior. Now, thanks to support from the Atwood Foundation, the department recently hired a new faculty member to lead the program: Katie O’Loughlin, who earned a B.A. in theater with a minor in dance from UAA in 2017 and an M.F.A. from Ohio State University in 2023. O’Loughlin will build on the dance program’s strong history of community partnerships and recent accomplishments.

No show could go on without the behind-the-scenes work of those coordinating sound and lighting for productions. In Alaska, those positions often outnumber the skilled personnel available. To help meet demand, the department launched a new occupational endorsement certificate (OEC) in event production this year. The OEC leverages the world-class facilities in the Fine Arts Building and the department’s strong community partnerships to prepare students for a technical career in the arts.

Landscape close-up photo outdoor view of Noah Hamm, a student in the Kenai Peninsula College Paramedical Technology Program, is seen grinning in his black professional Kenai Peninsula College Paramedical Technology Program polo top while he is standing behind the back rear of red/black closed paramedic doors of a paramedic vehicle
Noah Hamm, a student in the Kenai Peninsula College paramedical technology program, was among the 281 UA students to receive financial aid to assist with the cost of clinical health placements outside of their home communities. (Photo courtesy of Noah Hamm)

$1M initiative eases burdens for students pursuing clinical placements

Financial challenges are widespread in many health care education programs, not limited to the UA system, but extending nationwide. Recognizing the urgency of addressing this challenge, UA launched the Clinical Health Placement (CHP) financial aid initiative, with $1 million allocated from the Alaska State Legislature, and piloted it in fiscal year 2023. Specifically, the CHP initiative offers a limited number of financial aid awards and travel costs to students whose academic programs require clinical health placements that necessitate leaving their home communities or not working while they participate in their placement.

The CHP initiative offers partial funding support to both full- and part-time students at UAA, UAF and UAS, catering to students enrolled in specific health degree programs that require clinical placements lasting three weeks or more, whether within rural Alaska, out of state or in their home communities. During its pilot year, this financial aid initiative benefited students across 20 programs and supported students completing clinical placements in locations, including rural areas like Haines, Bethel, Nome, Unalaska and Utqiagvik, as well as out-of-state destinations like Hawaii, Texas, Minnesota, Illinois, Nevada and Arizona, with the Alaskan students returning to Alaska for employment.

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