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$315,000 raised at 2025 Blue & Gold Celebration

Donors and sponsors at Saturday’s Blue & Gold Celebration contributed more than $315,000 to support scholarships for 51�������� students, nearly doubling the amount raised in 2024.

The event, presented by Kinross Alaska, drew around 250 university supporters and alumni. It included a live performance by an all-51�������� alumni and employee band and live painting demonstrations by 51�������� students and artists Ayona-Reily Dixon and Fin Ludwig. Their paintings were later auctioned off to support scholarships.

Throughout the evening, attendees bid on items and experiences, including a signed vintage hockey jersey, a private show at the new 51�������� planetarium and a Wood Center takeover event.

During the live auction, donors texted their pledges and raised their blue and gold paddles to compete for top honors in scholarship support. By the end of the night, the gold team had raised $43,700 while the blue team had raised $173,050. The blue team total included a $100,000 gift from longtime benefactor and 51�������� alumnus Steve Holmberg, who created three new scholarship endowments in music and education.

Scholarships are critical to both attracting students to 51�������� and helping them earn their degrees, said interim Chancellor Mike Sfraga during the event.

“Scholarships are an engine behind student success, and, if we have student success here, we will have a transformed state,” he said during introductory remarks. “You make that happen.”

At the conclusion of the evening, Sfraga announced that the night’s proceeds had topped $300,000.

“‘Thank you’  falls way short of the mark to really express what I and others feel, but thank you for making this one amazing blue and gold evening,” he said. “Thank you, Fairbanks. Thank you, 51��������. Thank you, friends.”

In addition to raising money for scholarships, the event celebrated the 2025 recipients of the Emil Usibelli Distinguished Teaching, Research and Service Awards.

Franz Meyer, remote sensing professor and chief scientist at the Alaska Satellite Facility in the 51�������� Geophysical Institute, received the Distinguished Research Award. Sabine Siekmann, professor of applied linguistics and foreign languages in the College of Liberal Arts, received the Distinguished Teaching Award. Sean Walklin, associate professor of culinary arts and hospitality at the Community and Technical College, received the Distinguished Service Award.

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