Alyeska makes five-year, $500,000 commitment to UAF

Submitted by Carla Browning
Phone: (907) 474-7778
03/30/07

Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. this month pledged $500,000 to education and outreach programs at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Kevin Hostler, Alyeska president and CEO, recently presented $100,000 to UAF Chancellor Steve Jones, the first of five donations from the pipeline company.

"This donation is an investment in Alaska’s future and our company’s future," said Hostler. "We are committed to giving back to those institutions that support our state’s economy and strengthen our workforce with top-quality graduates."

A scholarship program in UAF’s School of Management will receive $25,000 annually to support Alaska Native students pursuing master’s degrees in business administration. This is the first scholarship specifically for MBA students in the business school, the only state program fully accredited through the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

"Today’s sophisticated business world calls more and more for advanced degrees," said Laura Milner, director of the MBA program. "Full-ride scholarships allow students to fully maximize learning opportunities because they’re focused on their course work--a luxury not available for many students."

UAF’s Rural Alaska Honor’s Institute, a 25-year-old program that helps rural and Alaska Native students transition from high school to college, will receive $50,000 annually. The funding will allow 8-10 students to explore petroleum engineering through a new introductory course. The multi-year gift will help build the program, said Denise Wartes, RAHI program director.

Judyth Wier, associate director of development at UAF agrees.

"The university is dedicated to our students, our faculty and our community," said Wier. "The $500,000 gift from Alyeska expands and strengthens educational opportunities that will benefit all of us today and into the future."?

Alyeska also promised $25,000 each year to the Science for Alaska Lecture Series. The series, established by UAF’s Geophysical Institute 15 years ago in Fairbanks, today draws hundreds of Alaskans in Fairbanks, Anchorage, Juneau and Seward. In 2007, more than 5,000 people attended lectures on topics such as the world’s volcanoes and glaciers as well as sled dog science and the International Polar Year.