February 20, 2023

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 20, 2023 

Supporters Champion UA in Third Annual Giving Day

(Statewide, AK) - The stakes are high, and so is the enthusiasm and excitement as supporters of Alaska’s three public universities put more than $900,000 on the line during the University of Alaska’s third annual UA Giving Day - 49 Hours for Alaska, which takes place online February 22 and 23.

This year more than 75 supporters, representing alumni, community members and businesses, are offering a record amount in challenges and rewards to encourage broad community participation in giving to University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA), University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), and University of Alaska Southeast (UAS).

A few examples from the nearly 100 challenges include: 

  • When 149 people make a gift to the UAF Troth Yeddha’ Indigenous Studies Center, it will unlock a collective gift of $30,000 from Heather Kendall-Miller and Lloyd Miller and the Legacy Committee.

  • When ten donors support UAA’s ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building Planetarium Support Fund, one anonymous donor will chip in $5,000.

  • UAS employees and alumni Michael Ciri and Jeri Cary will match up to $10,000 in donations to the new UAS GED Achiever Scholarship. Ciri and Cary are both GED recipients and want to build a welcoming path to higher education for those with a GED. 

  • Helga and Bill Watterson and Watterson Construction are challenging Alaska’s construction industry to match their $50,000 for the Construction Management Workforce Development Support fund that benefits construction training programs at all three universities.

The full list of challenges is available at the UA Giving Day website http://givingday.alaska.edu/. 

“We are incredibly thankful to the individuals and companies who are pushing our universities to new heights with their support,” said Dr. Tod Burnett, president of the University of Alaska Foundation. 

“On UA Giving Day, we highlight the myriad ways private donors can advance the education and training of Alaska's workforce, support critical state and global research, and bolster academic and vocational programs. 

“UA Giving Day is about participation, and these gifts, no matter what the size, help students succeed and attain their dreams while helping build Alaska's future,” Burnett said.

The 49-hour UA Giving Day event spotlights the impact of the university system and encourages philanthropic support of students, academic and training programs, and research for Alaska.

The UA Giving Day website, givingday.alaska.edu, has tools to help supporters share messages about their favorite programs on social media, unlock matching gifts, and track dollars raised in real time.

To promote social media sharing, UA President Pat Pitney is awarding $500 per university and a round-trip travel voucher on Alaska Airlines, courtesy of Alaska Airlines, in a random drawing from among those who share the #49HoursforAlaska hashtag on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter or TikTok in a public post tagging UAA, UAF or UAS. 

Participation in the 2021 UA Giving Day was worldwide, raising more than $1.06 million from more than 1,600 donors from 42 states and 12 countries. The global outpouring of support demonstrates the UA system’s reach through its alumni, faculty, staff, donors and friends.

The University of Alaska Foundation is an independent, nonprofit corporation established in 1974 to work in partnership with Alaska’s three universities to seek, secure and steward philanthropic support. For more information on the foundation and how to contribute, please visit alaska.edu/foundation.  

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For more information about UA Giving Day efforts by university, please contact:

Social Media

  • Facebook: @UAAnchorage, @UAFairbanks, @UASAlaska, @UAKFoundation, @uasystem 
  • Twitter: @UAAnchorage, @UAFairbanks, @UASoutheast, @UAKFoundation, @UA_System
  • Instagram: @uaaphotos, @uafairbanks,@uasoutheast, @uforalaska; @ua.system
  • Tiktok: @uafairbanks, @uasoutheast
  • Campaign hashtag: #49HoursforAlaska 

Websites