Mark R. Hamilton became the 12th president of the University of Alaska system on August 10, 1998. He previously served 31 years of active duty in the U.S. Army, retiring as Major General in July, 1998. Just prior to accepting UA’s chief leadership position, Hamilton was in charge of national recruiting during the well-known "Be All That You Can Be" era.

The UA president oversees the operations of the University of Alaska system, which encompasses an area one-fifth the size of the contiguous United States. The university's 16 campuses include three “urban” campuses in Anchorage, Juneau and Fairbanks. The system also includes a dozen community campuses in locations as remote as Nome, Kotzebue, Kodiak, Bethel, Sitka and Dillingham. Outreach centers in rural communities include Unalaska, Fort Yukon, Tok and McGrath. The president reports to an 11-member Board of Regents per the Alaska state constitution. The governor appoints the regents, who must be confirmed by the legislature.

Each semester, approximately 30,000 full- and part-time students attend a UA campus or take classes via distance delivered education. The system employs 7,900 faculty, staff and student workers, has an overall operating budget of $823 million for FY10, and has an estimated $1 billion economic impact in the state of Alaska.  

President Hamilton received a Bachelor of Science degree from the U. S. Military Academy at West Point and a master's degree in English Literature from Florida State University in Tallahassee. He is a graduate of the Armed Forces Staff College in Norfolk, Virginia, and the U.S. Army War College at Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Early in his career he taught English Literature at West Point.

As commander for the U. S. military group in El Salvador, Hamilton was responsible for negotiating an end to the 12-year civil war in El Salvador. In Somalia, his negotiations with warlords resulted in a period of calm that enabled the removal of the U. S. 10th Division. In Brussels, he advised the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe on NATO planning concerning the former republic of Yugoslavia. He was twice assigned to Alaska during his military career.

Hamilton is the recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal - the Army's highest peacetime award. He also has received the Armed Forces’ highest peacetime award – the Joint Distinguished Service Medal. The late ABC news anchor Peter Jennings featured Hamilton as a “Person of the Week” in 1993, highlighting his negotiations with the Somali warlords. He was also the recipient of the national Award for Academic Statesmanship and Academic Freedom, presented by the National Association of Scholars, for his outspoken defense of the right of University of Alaska professors to speak, teach and conduct research independently.

President Hamilton serves on the Board of Directors of  Alaska Air Group, Inc. and the Alaska Aerospace Development Corp.

Hamilton and his wife of 42 years, Patty, have four grown children and eight grandchildren.