Six years strong for Green & Gold Gala

Green & Gold Gala took place on Sept. 26. Click here to see photos of this year's Green & Gold Gala on Facebook.

Green & Gold Gala returned to the Alaska Airlines Center last Saturday for a black-tie evening in support of student scholarships. This year's event-the sixth annual fall fundraiser-welcomed more than 400 attendees to campus for the Alumni of Distinction awards and a record-setting live auction filled with one-of-a-kind packages. Already, the event has raised $72,000 in donations and pledges.

The annual Gala raises funds for the UAA Alumni Association scholarship endowment. The fund started in 1985 with a gift of $25 and has now provided $170,000 in the last six years alone. This past year, in recognition of rising costs and tightening budgets, the fund quadrupled its levels of giving, providing $48,000 in annual support to four students from each of the university's six colleges.

Fundraising aside, Green & Gold Gala-held this year on Sept. 26-is also an opportunity to celebrate the alumni community and recognize three outstanding Alumni of Distinction. This year's awardees-Emerging Leader Mistee Davis A.A.S. '06, B.A. '12, Alumni Humanitarian Georgia DeKeyser M.S. '97, M.S. '99, and Alumni of Achievement Viorica Marian, B.A. '94-traveled from across the street and as far as Chicago to accept their awards.

But they weren't the only guests of honor. Board of Regents member Gloria O'Neill, B.A. '96 and new University of Alaska President Jim Johnsen addressed the audience on behalf of the statewide university system, while Chancellor Tom Case and several Alumni Association board members spoke for UAA at the podium.

This year's auction set a record thanks to nine unique packages. Top auction items included a week in Palm Springs at former Chancellor Fran Ulmer's condo, plus airfare, and a "Take Back the City" package stacked with donations from local restaurants and hotels. Alumni Association Board president Leverette Hoover, B.S. '97, even arranged for a "Black Tie to Black Hawk" experience, including tours of C-17 and Black Hawk helicopters at JBER, as well as a flight to Kodiak and tour of the Pacific region's largest Coast Guard base.

Thanks to the immense support of local alumni, business leaders and corporations, this year's Green & Gold Gala was another successful addition to the support of student scholarships-and the education of the state's future leaders-here at UAA.