UA senior athletes to benefit from Braccia family's $1.5 million gift to school

Andrew and Kristen Braccia donated the money in support of UA president Robert C. Robbins’ fall-semester reentry plan, the school announced.

The Braccias donated $200,000 to Robbins’ COVID-19 testing, research and reentry fund, according to the news release. Robbins plans to implement a test, trace and treat strategy that would enable at least a partial resumption of in-person classes starting in late August.

Another portion of the gift, $300,000, will be used to fund scholarships for spring-sport “super seniors” who were granted an additional season of eligibility after the coronavirus pandemic halted sports in mid-March. The UA softball team features seven such athletes. The baseball team is expected to have two. The school estimates that $600,000 will be needed to cover the scholarships of all the super seniors across all sports.

The remaining portion of the gift, $1 million, is being donated to the College of Nursing, from which Kristen Braccia graduated. Andrew Braccia is an alumnus of the Eller College of Management.

"I am so grateful to Andrew and Kirsten for their generosity and for being outstanding examples of what it means to be a Wildcat for Life," Robbins said, per the school’s website.

“Their partnership will have a huge impact in the lives of our nursing students as they transition to remote learning, which in turn will support the health and well-being of the many communities we serve. And with their incredible gift helping to fuel the expertise of our faculty and staff, and the determination of our students, I know the University of Arizona will come out of this crisis stronger than ever."