Imagine Bruno Mars belting his hits, Colt Brennan slinging touchdowns or Cirque du Soleil performing its breathtaking acrobatics … in Stan Sheriff Center.

Those are just some of the possibilities that could play out under a plan that gives the University of Hawaii’s athletic booster organization an expanded entrepreneurial mission to include concerts and non-UH athletic events in hopes of producing additional revenue for the struggling athletic department.

Under plans approved by the UH Board of Regents last week, ‘Ahahui Koa Anue­nue, an umbrella organization for all athletic booster clubs, will be asked to generate revenue through what officials term "additional activities."

According to provisions of the agreement, these initially may include "concerts or other entertainment-type events (i.e., Broadway shows, comedy shows, Cirque du Soleil)" and "non-UH athletic events (i.e., arena football, NBA exhibition, international tournaments, professional tennis events, etc.)."

The list of permissable activities may be increased upon approval of the regents.

Athletic director Ben Jay had originally hoped to realize as much as $700,000 from the "additional activities" to help balance the budget for the current fiscal year, which ends June 30, but the memorandum of understanding between the UH Foundation, UH and AKA was only recently concluded.

"I’m very happy that we have come to an agreement expanding the duties of Koa Anue­nue so that they can help us generate additional revenues over and above what they currently do for us in terms of selling tickets, parking and those kinds of things," Jay said. "We have been seeking to expand their role with us to be able to generate revenues that are needed to help us operate the program."

For fiscal year 2012, AKA said it raised $6.5 million, the bulk of it through the sale of preferred seating and parking for athletic events.

AKA — translated as "Society of the Rainbow Warrior" — was founded by Gov. John A. Burns in 1967 to help raise money for scholarships and other needs of the athletic program primarily through the sale of season tickets and donations. Since its inception, Koa Anue­nue has raised about $40 million, primarily for scholarships.

Under the new format, regents Chairman John Holzman said, "there is a list of activities they can undertake, and I think we are all in agreement with that."

In the wake of the 2012 Stevie Wonder concert scam, Holzman said, "everything will have to be approved by Ben (Jay) and the Manoa chancellor (Tom Apple). From our point of view, the Manoa chancellor is responsible. There will be a lot of checks to go through."

A chart in the proposal lists "responsible individual(s)" as well as an "authorizing authority" and an "approving authority" for all fundraising activities.

As part of the shift, five Koa Anue­nue positions that had been under the UH Foundation will now be funded by the booster group. Jay said they include AKA’s new president, Jon Koba­ya­shi. Koba­ya­shi this month succeeded Vince Bal­de­mor, who resigned to become athletic director at Hawaii Pacific University.

The Sheriff Center was restricted from competing with the city-owned and operated Blaisdell Center for commercial activity under an agreement that permitted the Sheriff Center to be built in 1994. But UH has, over the years, worked out several so-called "gentlemen’s agreements" with the city to host some events, including exhibitions by the Los Angeles Lakers and the 1998 Miss Universe Pageant.

More recently, Jay said he has been working with Mayor Kirk Caldwell and City Council Chairman Ernie Martin to do a limited number of Sheriff Center events. "We are considering one-time events for the SSC," Jay said. "Now that we have our MOU finished and approved, we’ll go back to the Mayor’s Office and Martin."