Dear Trustees,

Here at the university, we’re working together to steer through a time of transition—finding innovative ways to adapt to the reality of reduced state support while continuing to keep the needs of students uppermost in our minds and decisions.

Our rudder in these times of turbulence is the university’s commitment to focus on five core themes: student success, teaching and learning, community engagement, UAA community and research, scholarship and creative activity.

Student success and teaching and learning are the themes motivating UAA alumni and friends who made possible the UAA Annual Fund for Excellence, which is supporting propos-als in a way that heightens the meaning and impact of giving.

Proposals are chosen that will best advance student achieve-ment, increase racial and ethnic diversity of UAA’s student body, improve retention of first-time freshmen, increase graduation rates or increase graduates’ employment rates.

Five programs received help from the Fund this year. These efforts will help UAA provide students with the academic help they need to succeed in their most rigorous classes and offer a hand up to high-school students from diverse social, cultural, ethnic and economic backgrounds who aspire to improve their lives through education.

We’re excited about the student-focused initiatives the Fund is making possible, and look forward to possibilities these will open not only for adults already on their educational paths but for children hoping to cross bridges we’re building from their middle and high schools to our university.

Thank you for all you do to help spark and support these efforts.

Best regards,

UAA Chancellor

Good times and good food at UAA

Celebrity Chef Invitational raised a total of $90,000; event proceeds go to scholarships and to benefit UAA’s Culinary Arts & Hospitality.

ATACS supports surgical technologists Alaska Trauma & Acute Care Surgery gave to support UAA’s burgeoning surgical technologist program. The surgical tech-nologist program will add to an ever more effective College of Health, and ultimately, more lives saved in our healthcare sector.

American Marine donates weather station American Marine Corp. donated the Reindeer Island Weather Station, which has high-end meteorological equipment that will support a number of research programs in the College of Engineering. The meteorological station consists of a 20-foot Conex, which contains the electronics, meteorological equip-ment, and data logger, and supports a 10-meter Rohn Tower. It is battery-operated with wind-turbine recharging capability.

Elaine Atwood ScholarshipsMary Simton and Christopher Lawrence, both of Anchorage, won Elaine Atwood Scholarship awards this year. A minimum of two of the $5,000-per-academic-year scholarships are awarded annually to qualifying UAA students enrolled in the Journalism and Public Communications degree program.

Chancellor’sWinter 2016

Selected gifts to UAA (of $10,000 or more given since June 2016)

APEX helps small business center

Alaska Performance Excellence Foundation generously gave to support the Small Business Development Center’s commitment to the Baldrige Excellence framework. Over the years, the APEX program has laid a stong foundation for Alaska’s organizations to improve efficiency and effectiveness. With APEX’s support, SBDC will continue to pursue performance excellence.

ConocoPhillips supports geologyConocoPhillips made a generous gift to es-tablish the UAA Geo-logical Sciences Field Experiences fund, which will provide support for students’ costs of field studies. ConocoPhillips has shown steadfast support for the University of Alaska for more than three decades.

AFOC helps build futuresAnchorage Fracture & Orthopedic Clinic con-tributed toward its pledge to the Building Fu-tures fund for capital and operating expenses associated with existing and future athletics facilities on the UAA campus.

Rasmuson Foundation supports Seawolf DebateThe Rasmuson Foundation’s mission to promote a better life for Alaskans is evident with its recent gift to the De-bating Alaska’s Fiscal Future scholarship competition. Seawolf Debate’s competition engages high school and college students about Alaska’s fiscal future.

CORPORATE AND FOUNDATION GIFTSAlaska Cardiovascular Research Foundation and Alaska Heart Institute Research Foundation donated to the Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates in Health and Wellness fund.

Alyeska SERVS made a pledge to the Maritime Workforce Development Scholarship at Kodiak College.

Arctic Slope Regional Corporation donated to the Excellence in Alaska Native Community Advancement in Psychology fund.

AT&T supported the ANSEP Acceleration Academy with a gift to the Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program General Support fund.

Bartlett Regional Hospital continued its dedication to UAA nursing students with a gift to the School of Nursing Expansion fund.

Coeur Alaska, Hecla Greens Creek Mining Company, Kinross Fort Knox, Sumitomo Metal Mining Pogo and Teck Resources Alaska joined the Council of Alaska Producers to renew their commitment to the Visiting Professor of Public Policy fund in support of Bob Loeffler.

An anonymous corporate donor continued its decade-long tradition of giving to the Recruiting and Retention of Alaskan Natives into Nursing Program Scholarship.

Northrim Bank donated to the College of Business and Public Policy Excellence fund and the Eagle River Campus General Support fund.

Evergreen Business Capital donated to the CBPP Excellence in Leadership fund. It also contributed to the Small Business Development Center for the Building Energy Management Competition.

ExxonMobil Corporation supported ANSEP’s annual banquet with a gift to the Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program General Support fund.

First National Bank Alaska donated to the Kachemak Bay Writers’ Conference, the Last Frontier Theatre Conference at Prince William Sound College and the ISER Economic and Fiscal Policy fund.

Providence Alaska Foundation donated to the Parrish Healthcare Scholarship.

Providence Health & Services Alaska donated to the PWSC Health and Fitness Center, to support special-interest courses and the Ski for Free program.

The Ruth A. M. Schmidt Administrative Trust contributed to the Dr. Ruth A. M. Schmidt Memorial Scholarship.

Wells Fargo continued its support for Lemonade Day Alaska, which teaches students how to start, own and operate their own lemonade stands.

INDIVIDUAL DONORSNancy Andes, former director of Center for Community Engagement and Learning, donated to the CCEL Excellence fund.

Leo and Jeanne Bustad donated to the Excellence in Gymnastics fund and the UAA General Support fund in memory of Michael J. Burns.

Bruce and Janna Chandler continued their support for the School of Nursing, the Della Keats Summer Enrichment Program and the Dr. Robert Fortuine Endowed WWAMI Scholarship.

The Randich Family Foundation and Greg Romack made annual gifts to the R and R Completion Scholarship, to support engineering students.

LEGACY DONORSThe Legacy Society recognizes donors who have made provisions to include UAA in their estate plans. The most recent members include Ruth McReavy and Ted and Gloria Trueblood.