UAA Alumni Association

17June2011

Homecoming 2011

Posted by admin under: Support the Association.

Looking forward to the many events for UAA Homecoming 2011!!

September 30 – October 1

Visit the website for more details on planned events. http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/homecoming/

21February2011

Letter of Support for UAA Community Arena and Athletic Facility

Posted by admin under: Support the Association.

February 17, 2011

UA Board of Regents
Suite 202 Butrovich Building
Fairbanks, Alaska 99775

RE: Letter of Support for UAA Community Arena and Athletic Facility

Dear Sir/ Madam,

The UAA Alumni Association Board of Directors serves a constituency over 40,000 strong with 80% who live and work in Alaska following graduation.   We are writing to encourage the Board of Regents to seek the rest of the State funding to  build the UAA Community Arena and Athletic Facility (Arena) to the needed capacity of 5,600 seats.

The State Legislators and the Alaska voters have put their full faith behind this arena in voting by over 60% to approve Prop B.  The UAA Community Arena and Athletic Facility has been fully vetted and has gained the support of the Anchorage community, UAA Administration, Mayor Sullivan, Alaska Voters, Governor Parnell, State Legislators, and UAA students and Alumni.  We look forward to the UA Board of Regents showing the same enthusiasm.    The Arena requires an additional $35 million to build to its needed size.  At an estimated growth rate of 6% per year, the 2010 McDowell Report found that the needed size for this arena is 5600 seats with a current demand for 4,500 – 5,000 people per week.

The McDowell consulting group prepared an Economic Impact Study of the Arena in September 2010.  Among the Key Findings in the McDowell Report:

• “The new UAA Community Arena and Athletic Facility will fill a gap in Anchorage’s current inventory of event centers.”
• “Construction of the UAA Community Arena and Athletic Facility will be critical for UAA remaining competitive with other schools that have invested millions into athletic and recreational programs in recent years.”
• “The new facility will support a broad range of non-profit community user groups”.

The UAA Alumni Association Board supports all these reasons and more:

• Building the full 5,600 seat size arena will bring the Anchorage community to the UAA campus regularly. The engagement within the community will help build the affinity and gain committed donors who are alumni and UAA supporters.
• Athletics provide the best ways to build a campus spirit.  UAA has suffered with out-dated athletic facilities built for a community college in the 1970’s.
• Supporters and students have to leave campus to the Sullivan Arena or stand in the balcony to watch sports at the Wells Fargo facility.  This discourages supporters from coming to games and costs the students the full university experience and recreational opportunities.
• These are all important factors when students and parents choose a university to attend.  UAA has to compete for Alaska students as well the Lower 48.

The very first day this facility is open it will operate at full capacity and engage a whole new level of Seawolf spirit.  The UAA Alumni Association Board looks forward to seeing the final funding in the Board of Regents “Blue Book” before the end of the current Legislative Session.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey Roe, President

15May2010

We did it! Proposition B passed!

Posted by admin under: Support the Association.

We did it!

Thanks to your support, Proposition B was successfully passed by Alaska voters! This is a very exciting time of growth and development in education across Alaska. The Alumni Association is really looking forward to seeing the opportunities and benefits the new sports arena at UAA will bring to the students and the community.