UA President Pitney seeks stability and certainty for students, faculty amid cuts
A stable university is one that people will attend, she says.
A stable university is one that people will attend, she says.
Pat Pitney will be heading back to the University of Alaska.
Whoever gets the job will be tasked with navigating the University of Alaska system through continued financial turmoil—brought on by continued funding cuts handed down by Gov. Mike Dunleavy as well as the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic—all while trying to mend infighting in the university system.
The folks who wrote the checks felt like Johnsen had done a pretty alright job.
The resignation comes a week after the union representing UA faculty called for his resignation.
During the interview process with Wisconsin, Johnsen was critical of Alaskans’ refusal to pay taxes.
Johnsen and the University of Wisconsin faced fierce opposition over Johnsen’s track record and how UW conducted the search process.
After Johnsen was named the lone finalist for the top job at the University of Wisconsin, several professor groups say the process should have been restarted.
The plan calls for them to come up with a conceptual plan for merging UAS into UAF, but it specifically calls for other options.
“The University of Alaska is facing immediate and significant financial headwinds brought on by state budget cuts, enrollment and tuition declines and budget impacts visited upon us by the COVID-19 crisis. And like the virus itself, this budget challenge is real, painful, and one that demands that we take swift action to protect our university and its critical mission and service to Alaskans.”