CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - Last February, the Panther Scholarship Club and the UNI athletic department set a lofty goal. They were hoping Panther fans across Iowa and the entire nation would come together to help raise a million dollars in cash donations toward athletic scholarships. With the football team coming off a national runner-up season and the men's basketball team on its way to a third straight NCAA appearance, Panther fans made a push like never before and now the goal of a seven-digit cash total has been reached.

The Panther Scholarship Club's purpose is to alleviate the financial burden of athletic scholarships to the UNI athletic department. Cash and gift-in-kind donations from individuals and businesses alike help the PSC in this effort. The one million dollar cash mark is an all-time high for the scholarship fund drive. As the price of college and scholarships continue to rise in the state of Iowa, the PSC stresses the need to sustain and continue improving on this cash total.

For Panther fans to continue to enjoy the successes of UNI's student-athletes, they must counter these rising scholarship costs. As big of an accomplishment as one million dollars is, the work is never done. The total price paid to the university from the athletic department for athletic scholarships is more than three million dollars annually. As the PSC continues to grow and expand, they will be able to reduce the amount that must be paid to UNI directly by the Athletic Department. This will free up more cash to be allocated to the needs of the Panthers such as facility improvements, coaches' salaries and team budgets including travel, jerseys, etc.

The Panther Scholarship Club wishes to thank all of the many individuals who helped in reaching this impressive goal. It could not have been possible without the generosity of approximately 2,100 proud PSC members. Additionally, the time and effort of the many fund drive volunteers has been essential to the growth of the PSC and the operation of the fund drive. For more information on joining the Panther Scholarship Club or becoming more involved with the fund drive please contact Kelly Destival at (319) 273-2471 or Megan Witt at (319) 273-3819.

###