UNI's Panther Scholarship Club sets $1.5 million goal

CEDAR FALLS — On a competitive and academic level, University of Northern Iowa student-athletes deliver like few others anywhere in the country.

Whether it's conference championships, NCAA tournaments or in-state rivalries in everything from basketball, football and wrestling to volleyball, softball and swimming, the Panthers have proven they can and will compete with anyone. In the classroom, seldom does a season go by without a UNI team or a group of student-athletes earning conference, regional and even national academic honors.

However, as the cost of doing business in Division I athletics continues to rise, so does the challenge of providing the resources that help give UNI's 400 or so student-athletes the opportunity to excel and represent their university and the Cedar Valley on a national level.

The Panther Scholarship Club helps make that happen through its annual fundraising campaign. Last year, the PSC's 1,952 members contributed approximately $1.34 million in cash pledges. In an attempt to keep up with increases in tuition, room and board and the new cost of attendance benefit for student-athletes, the goal for the PSC's 2016 "Invest in Our Success" campaign is $1.5 million.

"Our job on an annual basis is to provide those necessary resources for our student-athletes and our coaches and try to really close that gap in what we allocate (UNI's total athletic scholarship bill approaches $4 million) and what we raise," noted Kerry Dickerson, UNI's assistant athletics director for development. "We provide the resources we can to allow our student-athletes to be productive and competitive."

A team of approximately 80 volunteers is already busy reconnecting with existing PSC members and trying to grow the club's membership. One of the goals for 2016 is to have PSC members in each of Iowa's 99 counties.

"If you have a passion or desire for UNI athletics, it's a great opportunity to get involved with our programs — not just football and basketball, but all our programs," Dickerson added. "It's a way to help quality, hard-working student-athletes get the opportunity to compete at the collegiate level, in the classroom and on the fields of play here in the Cedar Valley and on a national level, and then to see those student-athletes go on and grow and hopefully become productive citizens.

"What you get is quality student-athletes, competitive programs with great coaches and a product you can be very proud to support here at UNI and represents UNI in the most positive way."

Giving levels have been restructured and increased for the 2016 campaign, and the goal has been set. Renewal forms for current and past PSC members will be delivered in the coming weeks.

"We want to thank all of our PSC members for the support they've provided this year, in the past and hopefully going forward," said Dickerson. "We are grateful for their support and the difference and the impact they make in the lives of our student-athletes."

For more information about the PSC, call (319) 273-6443 or go online at www.unipanthers.com.

Source: UNI's Panther Scholarship Club sets $1.5 million goal