Mike Sfraga, then-chair of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission, speaks on April 10, 2024, at the Arctic Encounter Symposium in Anchorage. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
The former U.S. ambassador to the Arctic, Mike Sfraga, began a new job as interim chancellor of the University of Alaska Fairbanks on Monday. He replaced the outgoing chancellor of eight years, Dan White, who announced his retirement in May.
UAA President Pat Pitney named Sfraga as interim chancellor on July 18, as a search for a permanent chancellor continues.
Sfraga has had a long career focused on the Arctic – international diplomacy, political relations, climate policy, science and research. He served briefly as the first U.S. ambassador-at-large to the Arctic, appointed by former President Joe Biden. Prior to that, he chaired the U.S. Arctic Research Commission, and founded the Polar Institute at the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C. He has worked in various faculty and administrative roles in the University of Alaska system, from professor to vice chancellor. He also graduated with UAF’s first doctorate in Northern studies and geography in 1997.
“Ambassador Sfraga is a fitting choice to lead America’s Arctic University,” Pitney said in a statement released with the announcement. “Mike brings a strong record of accomplishment, international networks, and over 31 years of experience at UA to the role, and he will be an excellent leader and steady hand at the wheel as we commence a search for a permanent chancellor.”
Sfraga’s appointment comes after the retirement of White, who served as UAF chancellor since 2017 and in several faculty and administrative roles since 1995. Sraga will lead UAF on an interim basis, while the university conducts a search for a permanent chancellor. He will not be a candidate for the permanent position, according to a university announcement.
“Returning to UAF is both a homecoming and recommitment, and I’m grateful to President Pitney for the opportunity to serve my alma mater and its mission once more,” Sfraga said in a statement with the announcement. “UAF has long stood at the nexus of Arctic research, innovation, and leadership; a place where policy and science converge, and local knowledge informs global decisions. From its inception over a century ago, members of the Fairbanks community and communities throughout the state worked tirelessly to build a unique institution – committed to serving Alaskans and the Circumpolar North.
“UAF is well-positioned to address the many opportunities and challenges evident in the age of a more connected and globalized Arctic. I’m honored and humbled to rejoin America’s Arctic University and contribute to its mission at a time when the Arctic matters more than ever, not just to Alaska, but to the world,” he said.
The university is expected to announce further details on the chancellor search process, the hiring committee, and timeline by mid-August.
The University of Alaska is also in the process of hiring a new chancellor for the University of Alaska Anchorage, after the retirement of former Gov. Sean Parnell in May. Cheryl Siemers, former director of UAA’s Kenai Peninsula College, is currently serving as interim chancellor.
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