Stories of Impact

Chancellor鈥檚 Report on Philanthropy

Winter 2024-2025

Dear Seawolves,

Happy holidays from the 花季传媒! As 2024 draws to a close, I am pleased to share with you some of the successes our university achieved during this past year. These accomplishments are a testament to the entire UAA community and our university鈥檚 mission for Alaskans. In addition to our great faculty and staff, our university is strengthened through the dedication of our alumni, supporters and friends. Your commitment to UAA moves us forward. It advances our mission in creating transformative opportunities for students and shaping Alaska's future. I invite you to learn more about what your generous support accomplishes at UAA through our Stories of Impact below.

In December, UAA hosted our Fall commencement ceremony at the Alaska Airlines Center on the Anchorage campus. Commencement is a wonderful university tradition, bringing together students, families and community partners. We celebrated the accomplishments of over 630 graduates! They join UAA鈥檚 global network of more than 71,000 Seawolves alumni worldwide. To build on this success, UAA continues to focus on growing student recruitment and retention. We put students first in the work of our university, and we were honored to see another increase in student enrollment this Fall.

This year UAA has celebrated our 70th anniversary. What began humbly in 1954 has grown to become Alaska鈥檚 largest university. UAA is Alaska鈥檚 top workforce provider, the flagship university for health, and a leader in high-demand fields such as aviation, process technology and STEM Education. To further this mission UAA has established new partnerships in research, public service and workforce development. Our university is now home to , a federal center of excellence in partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. UAA undertook a multi-partner project to build cutting-edge health workforce classrooms through renovations to Sally Monserud Hall.

UAA has taken a great step forward in how we prepare future leaders and tell our state鈥檚 story through the Alaska Leaders Archive. In March, our university was honored to receive the congressional papers of Senator Ted Stevens at the UAA/APU Consortium Library. These records, along with the archives of more than 130 other Alaskan leaders, are a catalyst to inspire and teach students through the legacy of those who have served our state. The project positions UAA as the leading center for public service education in Alaska, with multidisciplinary programming across every college, as well as seminars and community events.

The Alaska Leaders Archive will tell the story of the leaders and events that have shaped our state 鈥� allowing Alaskans the chance to see, hear and engage with their history. This exciting project has been made possible through the support of Senator Lisa Murkowski, the Ted Stevens Foundation, ConocoPhillips Alaska, and many others. With their help, UAA has secured funding to begin renovations to the Consortium Library next year.

In this holiday season our university has so much to be thankful for. I am pleased to share my gratitude for all that you do for UAA. Your support empowers us to foster innovation, nurture talent and build a stronger Alaska. Together, we have had an amazing year. Thank you for being a part of our university family and for making a difference at UAA.

Happy Holidays!

Sean Parnell

UAA Chancellor