May 20, 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 20, 2025

University of Alaska Regents to Review Budget, Celebrate Excellence, and Recognize Key Milestones at May Board Meeting

Regents will focus on student success, institutional resilience, and honoring achievements across the system 

(FAIRBANKS) - Following graduation and commencement ceremonies across the state, the University of Alaska (UA) Board of Regents will meet in Fairbanks May 21-22 to continue driving progress on student success, adopt the FY26 budget, and discuss strategies for navigating future fiscal and policy headwinds. The Board will also recognize key staff and leadership transitions, honor outstanding employees, and receive updates on the federal landscape, academic outcomes, and capital planning. 

“Commencement is always a time of celebration and pride, and I congratulate our graduating class of 2025!” UA President Pat Pitney said. “As we honor thousands of new graduates who will help empower Alaska’s future, UA remains committed to our critical role as an economic and workforce driver for the state. I look forward to seeing us build further progress at this upcoming meeting.”

Nearly 3,200 students graduated from UA universities statewide, with more than 3,300 degrees and certificates expected to be awarded, including outgoing Student Regent Albiona Selimi, who addressed her peers as the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) spring commencement speaker earlier this month. Data show UA graduates are far more likely to stay in Alaska and contribute to the state’s workforce and economy than those who study elsewhere.

Advancing Student Success, Budgets, and Planning for the Future

During the full board meeting, Regents will receive updates on institutional progress guided by the Board’s recruitment, retention, and graduation priorities. UA leadership will also highlight strategies and investments already underway to jumpstart intentional improvements in enrollment and retention outcomes.

The Board is also expected to adopt the FY26 operating and capital budgets, which have passed the Alaska Legislature and now await approval by the governor. 

  • The operating budget contains an Unrestricted General Fund (UGF) appropriation of $357.5 million, a 6% increase from the prior year. That includes approximately 75% of the Board’s November budget request for compensation and fixed costs.
    • When combined with internal reallocation and cost mitigation efforts, it will allow UA to maintain essentially status quo operations in FY26. 
    • Budget requests for athletics, UA’s drive for R1 research status, and efforts to improve recruitment, retention, and graduation were not funded in the operating budget. They remain important priorities, and UA leadership will reassess how to support those efforts as a part of the budgetary process with the Board this week.
    • All employees will receive the across-the-board 2.75% compensation increase. While the operating budget does not include the Board’s request for salary increases for non-union employees, funding distribution for UA is at the discretion of the Board, and the commitment to pay increases for staff will be honored. Internal re-allocations and savings from vacant positions will be used to fund those increases. 
  • The capital budget includes $13.3 million in state funding and $87.5 million in receipt authority for a total of $100.8 million. The Board of Regents requested a $306.4 million ($127.6 million in state funding and $178.8 million in receipt authority) FY26 capital budget in November.

“Our strategy of pairing fiscal restraint with targeted investments has delivered results, stabilizing our institutions and attracting more students across Alaska as well as from out-of-state,” President Pitney said. “Given ongoing state budget challenges and an evolving federal landscape, we continue to refine how we deploy our resources to sustain momentum on student enrollment and success. Our focus on success for each and every student ensures our universities remain strong and accessible for future generations of Alaskans.”

Regents will also receive an overview of the federal landscape from Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) Vice President for Research, Policy, and Advocacy Debbie Altenburg.

Recognizing Excellence & Decades of Service

During the full board meeting on Wednesday, President Pitney will recognize the 2025 recipients of the “Staff Make Students Count” awards. Started in 1999, this award recognizes staff who have provided outstanding service to UA students. Each recipient receives an award plaque, $1,000, and two domestic Alaska Airlines vouchers. Recipients were selected by their respective staff councils from nominations by students and peers:

  • UAA: Zac Clark, Associate Director of Student Life and Leadership
  • University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF): Lynnette Dunn, Office Manager, Department of Geosciences, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
  • University of Alaska Southeast (UAS): Aimee Richards, Career Services Manager

On Thursday, Regents will approve five resolutions thanking former and outgoing UA employees and board members. They represent a combined total of more than 60 years of service to the university:

  • Associate General Counsel Andy Harrington will retire in July, concluding a 40+ year legal career focused on public service and access to justice in Alaska.
  • UAF Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Anupma Prakash will retire at the end of May, capping two decades of distinguished leadership and research.
  • Former Board of Regents Executive Officer Brandi Berg retired at the end of February after 23 years of service to UA, including 13 as board executive officer.
  • Former UAA Chancellor Sean Parnell retired in May after nearly four years as chancellor and a long career of public service to the people of Alaska.
  • Outgoing Student Regent Albiona Selimi graduated earlier this month and will officially conclude her two-year term on June 30, after which she plans to attend law school.

“Each of these individuals has left a lasting mark on the University of Alaska and the state,” President Pitney said. “Their leadership, service, and commitment to public good reflect the best of what we aspire to as an institution. I thank them for their dedication and wish them well in the next chapter.”

Regent Selimi’s role will be filled by UAF’s Fernando Escobar, whose appointment to the Board was approved by the Legislature earlier this week. UAF Vice Chancellor for Rural, Community, and Native Education (VCRNE) Charlene Stern will serve as interim provost at UAF. Former UAA Kenai Peninsula College Director Cheryl Siemers is serving as interim chancellor at UAA while the search for a new permanent chancellor is underway.

Wednesday Committees and Meeting Timing

Committees will meet on Wednesday prior to the full board meeting. 

  • The Audit and Finance Committee (8:00 a.m.) will hear updates from CFO Luke Fulp on UA’s three-year financial outlook, as well as an overview of ongoing audit projects, and will begin discussions on the FY27 budget proposal that will be approved in November.
  • At the Academic and Student Affairs Committee (10:30 a.m.*):
    • Dr. Jeff Fox, interim president of the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), will give Regents an overview of the federal accreditation environment. 
    • Committee members will hear a detailed update on the recruitment, retention, and graduation framework from UA Vice President and Chief Academic Officer Brian Smentkowski. 
    • Finally, Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education (ACPE) Executive Director Kerry Thomas will provide an update on outcomes and partnerships to support early awareness and increased eligibility and utilization of the Alaska Performance Scholarship (APS) Award.
  • The Facilities and Land Management Committee (1:00–3:30 p.m.*) will receive an update on deferred maintenance planning and capital project briefings. Members will also consider approving a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between UAA and the Seawolf Hockey Alliance (SHA) to jointly pursue a new community ice complex.

The full board will convene Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.* and reconvene Thursday at 8:00 a.m. for continued business. (*Time is approximate; meetings will begin at the conclusion of the preceding meeting.)

All committee meetings and the full board meeting will be held in Fairbanks on the UAF Troth Yeddha’ Campus at the Butrovich Building (Room 109); the agenda is available online.

All meetings, except any executive sessions, are public and will be livestreamed. 

The University of Alaska Board of Regents is an 11-member volunteer board, appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Alaska Legislature. Members serve an eight-year term, with the exception of the student regent, who serves a two-year term. The Board was established through the Alaska Constitution and is responsible for University of Alaska policy and management through the university president.

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For more information, contact Jonathon Taylor, director of public affairs at 907-350-0168 (cell), or via email at jmtaylor9@alaska.edu.