A letter from UAA Chancellor Fran Ulmer

January 22, 2010

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

There comes a time when retirement must be considered as part of life's journey. I have never spent much time thinking about retirement, at least in the traditional sense, because I want to remain as productive and engaged as possible for as long as I can. However, for a variety of personal and professional reasons, I plan to retire as chancellor of UAA in 2011.

As many of you know, I decided not to apply for the UA President's position last year, and chose to stay at UAA. Your support and encouragement have meant a great deal to me as chancellor. Thanks to your excellent work and significant contributions, we have made an incredible amount of progress over the last few years. Things are going extremely well at UAA and there is a strong team in place, so I feel as though my departure will not be disruptive. Robust organizations make good succession planning an important part of management, and we should work together to ensure the UAA leadership transition is smooth, professional and positive. I am confident that together we can continue UAA's forward momentum and our culture of transparency, participation and collaboration.

There are several things I would like to do while I am still able, a few of which may be difficult while in my current position as chancellor. I hope to work on public policy issues in Alaska, either independently or affiliated with the University. Writing, lecturing and policy research are still calling to me. Several family health issues have reminded us that we are not invincible. My husband has been retired for three years, and there are many places we want to visit together. We became grandparents last year, and our grandson is very far away. A combination of these things, and many others, send a common message: It is time for me to plan for a transition.

I plan to stay to finish several important projects that are still pending like accreditation and filling key positions, including the director at Mat-Su College and vice provost for research and graduate studies, as well as assisting the new president in his or her first year. UAA is a large, complex, diverse and rapidly evolving institution. It is important to me that its students, staff and faculty are well represented during this transition. I will do my best to assure a positive situation for the next president, for UAA and for the communities we serve.

I love UAA and its many campuses, programs and remarkable people. I am enthusiastic about the progress we can make together over the next 18 months and beyond. The satisfaction that comes from our joint efforts and the knowledge that momentum is strengthening our capacity to help our students reach their full potential are excellent reasons for us to feel good about every day we get to work at UAA and be part of this remarkable community. Thank you all for your partnership in success and for your dedication and commitment to UAA.

Sincerely,

Fran Ulmer
Chancellor