The University of Alaska announced the selection of five final candidates in the running to fill its chancellor position beginning no later than July 1.<\/p>\n
The announcement comes just under six months ahead of the expected retirement of current Chancellor Karen Carey. The search to fill the post started in early September after Carey announced her plans to retire in May 2022<\/p>\n
The final five candidates have a wide range of backgrounds and locations of work spanning across Alaska and into the Lower 48. Many of the final five have already held positions at UAS or within the University of Alaska system.<\/p>\n
“We had a strong pool of applicants, and the finalists bring a diversity of backgrounds and experiences that would all do well for UAS. I’m looking forward to meeting with the finalists to find the best fit for UAS,” said UA President Pat Pitney in an email to the Empire.<\/p>\n
Here are the five candidates, and their backgrounds, according to UAS. <\/p>\n
Meet the candidates<\/strong><\/p>\n Candidate Cathy LeCompte<\/a> currently serves as the division director of the Alaska Vocational Technical Center a part of the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development in Seward, a position she has held since 2016. Before then, she worked at the University of Alaska Anchorage as the associate dean of Academic Affairs and was the campus director of the UAS Ketchikan campus from 2005-2010, among other positions at the campus.<\/p>\n Candidate Joe Nelson<\/a> currently serves as chairman of the Sealaska Corp. Board of Directors in Juneau, a position he has held since 2014 having been on the board since 2003. Nelson also serves on the Board of Trustees at Sealaska Heritage Institute and is a member of the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian tribes of Alaska and the Yakutat Tlingit Tribe. Nelson grew up in Yakutat. He also has a background working in multiple positions at UAS, notably serving as vice chancellor of enrollment management and student affairs.<\/p>\n Candidate Aparna Palmer<\/a> currently serves as vice president of Front Range Community College in Longmont, Colorado, a position she has held since May 2021. Before that she worked at Mesa University and Western Colorado Community College as the assistant vice president of academic affairs. She also worked as a professor of biology for more than a decade at Mesa University and was the interim department head of the Physical and Environmental Sciences Department from 2018-2019.<\/p>\n