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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, July 18, 2025

UA President Pitney names Ambassador Sfraga (ret.) as Interim UAF Chancellor

First U.S. Arctic Ambassador to lead America’s Arctic university as search for permanent chancellor commences

(FAIRBANKS) - University of ������Ƶ(UA) President Pat Pitney announced today her selection of the Interim Chancellor for the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), as well as next steps in the search for UAF’s next permanent Chancellor. UAF alumnus Ambassador Mike Sfraga (ret.), Ph.D., who most recently served as the first U.S. Ambassador-at-Large to the Arctic, will lead America’s Arctic University as Interim Chancellor. Amb. Sfraga will work alongside Chancellor Dan White as he prepares to retire at the end of July, and will lead UAF until a permanent chancellor is selected. He will not be a candidate for the permanent chancellor position. 

Amb. Sfraga’s first day in the office as interim chancellor will be July 28, and he will join senior UA leaders at the Arctic Encounter Symposium July 30 - Aug. 1 in Anchorage.

“Ambassador Sfraga is a fitting choice to lead America’s Arctic University,” President Pitney said. “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. Please join me in extending heartfelt gratitude to Chancellor Dan White for his 30 years of dedicated service to UA and UAF and in wishing him well in retirement. I am pleased to welcome Ambassador Sfraga back to UA and UAF, and thank him for his willingness to serve.”

Amb. Sfraga also previously served as Chair of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission. He was the founding director of the Polar Institute and concurrently served as Director of the Global Risk and Resilience Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C.

“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,” Ambassador Sfraga said. “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.”

Amb. Sfraga’s career at the University of ������Ƶhas spanned over 31 years. He worked for UAF and the UA System from 1985 through 2016 in a broad range of administrative, academic, and executive positions. He most recently served at UAF in several positions, including vice chancellor, director of the UA Geography Program, chair of the Geography Department, faculty member, and associate dean of UAF's School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Science. At the UA system office, Amb. Sfraga served in executive positions, including director of program development and associate vice president.

A geographer by training, Amb. Sfraga is a Fulbright Scholar, member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and holds a bachelor’s degree from UAF (1984) and a master’s degree from Bowling Green State University (1986). He also holds UAF’s first doctorate in Northern Studies and Geography (1997).

Search for Permanent Chancellor

President Pitney is continuing to gather feedback from stakeholders about the search process to identify the next permanent chancellor for UAF. Additional details on the search, committee, and process timeline will be shared in mid-August.

The University of ������Ƶinspires learning, and advances and disseminates knowledge through teaching, research, and public service, emphasizing the North and its peoples. A land-, sea- and space-grant system of higher education established in 1917, the UA system’s three universities (,, and) are separately accredited institutions with 13 community campuses and extended learning centers across the state of Alaska. 

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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.