Seawolf hockey meets $3 million Aug. 30 fundraising goal

Dear UAA Community,

Today, I’m writing to share exciting news. Thanks to the passionate and determined fundraising efforts of coaches, student-athletes, alumni, boosters, community leaders and corporate donors from across our city, state and nation, UAA Seawolf hockey earned reinstatement. As of yesterday, the goal of $3 million has been successfully reached and exceeded. More than $3.1 million is accounted for, assuring hockey’s future in Seawolf Nation.

This demonstrates the possibilities for our athletics programs when bolstered by the support and unwavering commitment of community partners. You may recall, the University of Alaska Board of Regents voted in February to reinstate Seawolf hockey if it met its fundraising goal by Aug. 30, 2021. In light of this, the team plans to resume play for the 2022-23 season.

This is a day to celebrate and express gratitude to our community for the support. Across hockey, ski and gymnastics, the three programs that were initially facing elimination, more than 1,200 donors have contributed since last September, and nearly 800 of those have been new donors to UAA.

We still have plenty of work to do to build a sustainable future for our athletics programs, but we move forward with confidence. Our future work will be underpinned by revenue generation and fundraising plans, characterized by annual team and department fundraising goals, and developed in consultation with the leadership of community supporters.

I want to thank the regents and Interim President Pitney, as well as former Chancellor Cathy Sandeen and former Interim Chancellor Bruce Schultz, for providing a pathway to realize this outcome — one that epitomizes the passion and determination of our UAA community.

Today is an especially great day to be a Seawolf!

Sincerely,
Sean Parnell,
UAA Chancellor

August Archive