ANOTHER FIRST
A HOMERUN FOR
NGPA scholarship eases financial burden for LGBTQ+ students.
Donors with strong connection to Fighting Hawks make on-campus stadium possible.
FOR UND AVIATION
UND SOFTBALL
The UND chapter of the National Gay Pilots Association (NGPA) will award a NGPA Scholarship to one of its members in April 2024. UND’s John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences is the first college to establish a scholarship specifically for NGPA members.
UND Softball will soon play its games – for the first time ever – in an on-campus stadium. The lead donors for the project, Alexa and Dave Albrecht of Barrington, Ill., are not UND alumni, but they have a strong connection to UND Softball: a pitcher, Jackie Albrecht, is their daughter.
UND was also the first college to launch an NGPA chapter. Since 2015, the chapter has grown from six members to more than 40, with a mission to build, support and unite the LGBTQ+ aviation community and its allies.
“Jackie shared her love of softball with Alexa and me,” said Dave. “(We) are so grateful for this special opportunity to give back to the sport of softball. We love this UND Softball family, and we want to see it continue to grow.”
Ted Fosselman, ’19, a captain with PSA Airlines, spearheaded the scholarship effort. “I’ve always had the philosophy that you want to leave a place better than you found it,” he said.
Named to The Summit League’s All-Tournament team last spring, Jackie chose UND for its fit: commercial aviation and softball. “When I told (the coaches) I had an interest in (aeronautics), that really helped me make that connection (to UND),” Jackie said.
Also leading the project is Delta First Officer Jared Herndon, ’08, who knows cost is often “the biggest hurdle” aviation students face. “I want to make sure finances are not the only thing that keeps someone from pursuing this career,” he said. “It’s common for students from an LGBT background to not receive financial support from their parents solely based on the fact that their sexuality is different from what their family would like,” Jared said. The scholarship will help students make career connections by developing a strong network between alumni and students in UND’s chapter, Jared added.
The scholarship effort, stalled because of COVID-19, was restarted last spring. Ted and Jared continue seeking others to donate. “We know it will be a process,” Jared said. “But if you don’t start, it’s not going to happen.”
With an expected grand opening in fall 2024, the pet-friendly Albrecht Field will feature 500 seats, a party deck in left field, an LED videoboard, large dugouts, batting cages, bullpens, and a modern turf playing surface. Located across the street from the Frederick D. Pollard Jr. Athletic Center and the soon-to-be constructed Nodak Insurance Company Sports Performance Center, it will house all essential softball team facilities in a oneblock radius. The stadium will be “a state-of-the-art home for Fighting Hawks Softball” and “a beacon for youth softball in Grand Forks and across this great state,” Dave said. Since its founding in 1977, UND Softball has only played four home games outside in the month of March. While the cold and snow will always be a factor, the full sun shining on the artificial turf at Albrecht Field will expedite snow melt. Thanks to the Albrechts, the new diamond will be a shiny destination for softball players from UND and beyond – a homerun for the University of North Dakota when it opens next fall.
UNDalumni.org/magazine
Chapter advisor Jeff Maliskey, also UND Pride Center director, said, “The scholarship will provide an opportunity for students to focus on their academic study and engage in the LGBTQ+ aviation community without having to solely worry about the financial burden of an aviation student.”
THE CAMPAIGN FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA
Thousands of alumni and friends of the University of North Dakota are joining together to improve lives around the world by advancing UND to new heights. These are a few of their stories.
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