UAA's Beth Rose honored by the Association of Fundraising Professionals

Beth Rose, the assistant vice chancellor for Development at UAA, was named this year's Outstanding Professional in Philanthropy by the Alaska Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). The award honors a fundraising professional who has demonstrated commitment to philanthropic leadership and whose career achievements have benefitted an Alaska nonprofit.

From her background working in communications and nonprofit management, Beth joined UAA in 2006, and in 2007 was appointed to lead a team of development officers. (She is also a proud alum of UAA's Journalism and Public Communications program, returning to Alaska and completing a second B.A. in 1994.) Together, the Development team raises millions of dollars annually to fund scholarships, to help create state-of-the-art facilities and to further the mission of UAA.

"I get to work with a wonderful team," Beth says. "I believe we have some of the best development officers in the state here at UAA and a fantastic stewardship team. I'm pleased that we're able to work with the integrated Advancement team."

Recently, Beth was able to work with a private donor who wanted to honor her husband who had just passed away; they created an endowed scholarship. The donor was delighted that her husband's legacy will continue to be felt year after year as scholarships are awarded to UAA students.

Beth also worked with The Eyak Corporation in the development of a pilot program to assist students from rural Alaska in making the sometimes-difficult transition to Anchorage. Eyak's multi-year commitment to the project enabled UAA to hire Patience Merculief as a rural student transition coordinator. Patience reaches out to high school students around the state and is a friendly face on campus to help new and/or struggling students to overcome those day-to-day barriers that can leave them feeling overwhelmed. By working with private donors and corporations like Eyak, Beth is helping the community maximize their gifts in support of higher education in Alaska.

"I want to emphasize that all gifts matter," Beth says. She enjoys hearing the success stories of alumni pledging their support over the phone to UAA's student callers--"It shows a broad base of support"--as much as she enjoys the conversations with major donors about how they might best meet identified needs with the resources they have available.

In addition to her dedication to the university as a professional, Beth also demonstrates her commitment to philanthropy as a leadership-level donor and member of the UAA College of Fellows.

Congratulations, Beth! And thank you for all you do in support of UAA.