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2.A.4 Governance and Decision-Making Structures

The institution’s decision-making structures and processes, which are documented and publicly available, must include provisions for the consideration of the views of faculty, staff, administrators, and students on matters in which each has a direct and reasonable interest.

The opportunity for faculty, staff, and students to participate in the shared governance of UAF is defined through  (). The UAF Governance Coordinating Committee, representing faculty, staff, and students, provides a forum for the three individual UAF governance bodies to address common concerns that affect faculty, staff, and students and exists for the expressed purpose of coordinating unified action from the individual governance bodies (UAF Faculty Senate, UAF Staff Council, and the Associated Students of the ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ [ASUAF]). Membership on the UAF Governance Coordinating Committee includes the president and president-elect or vice president of each constituency and the governance manager. The UAF Governance Coordinating Committee meets twice a semester during the academic year and the members communicate directly to their respective governance bodies.

is an advisory body that was established in to represent the faculty of the University of Alaska systemwide in matters which affect the general welfare of the university system and its educational purposes and effectiveness. As outlined in the of the UA Faculty Alliance, the Faculty Alliance is composed of the Faculty Senate leadership (president, president-elect, and past-president) of the three universities and meets monthly with the UA chief academic officer. The Faculty Alliance discusses and makes recommendations about policies, regulations, and academic issues that affect each of the universities and the system as a whole. These issues include development of a common calendar and aligning general education requirements among the universities, and providing feedback on UA BoR policies and regulations. The chair of the Faculty Alliance rotates among the universities.

UAF Faculty Senate was established in to allow faculty to carry out their professional responsibility as the legislative body of UAF in matters of instruction, research/creative activity, and service. As outlined in the  and of the UAF Faculty Senate, the senate consists of faculty members from each college or school, elected by their peers to serve as senators. Faculty Senate leadership agree to three-year terms, consisting of a year each as president-elect, president, and past president. Faculty senators, in addition to their service on the whole senate, are required to serve on permanent or standing committees of the Faculty Senate. The Administrative Committee is composed of the chairs of all standing and permanent Faculty Senate committees, and its obligation is to prepare the agenda and materials for efficient operation of the Senate. The standing committees include the Curricular Affairs Committee (undergraduate academic policies and procedures), Faculty Affairs Committee (faculty prerogative and recommends policy changes), and Unit Criteria Committee (reviews proposed unit criteria for evaluation of faculty and ensures that the criteria are consistent with criteria defined in the UAF Faculty Appointment and Evaluation Policies and Regulations "Blue Book"). Permanent committees include the General Education Requirements and Common Baccalaureate Requirements Committee; Curriculum Review Committee; Graduate Academic and Advisory Committee; Student Academic Development and Achievement Committee; Faculty Development, Assessment and Improvement Committee; Committee on the Status of Women; Research and Creative Activity Advisory Committee; Information Technology Committee; Faculty Administrator Review Committee; and the Teaching and Learning Committee. Ad hoc committees may also be constituted to focus on a particular aspect of the university’s academic mission, such as the Open Educational Resources Committee.

In March 2026, the nonrepresented employees of UA voted to form a union, and was certified on April 8, 2026. Consequently, the and UAF Staff Council lost their quorums of eligible members and were formally adjourned. UA is currently evaluating potential revisions to and assessing the eligibility of the remaining nonrepresented staff. Decisions regarding the reactivation of the UA Staff Alliance and UAF Staff Council, or the potential consolidation of representation, are pending these determinations. The timeline for this transition is currently under review. Because this is a new outcome and does not reflect staff governance prior to this spring, the subsequent two paragraphs provide an overview of the former UA Staff Alliance and UAF Staff Council.

was a systemwide shared governance body established under to represent classified and administrative, professional and technical (APT) employees who were not represented by a collective bargaining agent in matters affecting the general welfare of university staff and the effectiveness of the university system. As outlined in the Staff Alliance , the alliance was composed of representatives from the staff governance bodies of the three universities and UA System Office and served as an advisory body to university leadership on issues related to staff affairs, personnel policies and regulations, compensation and benefits, and workplace conditions. The Staff Alliance met regularly to discuss and provide recommendations on policies and initiatives that impacted staff across the UA system and promoted communication and collaboration among the universities. Leadership of the Staff Alliance rotated among the universities and UA System Office. 

UAF Staff Council was an advisory body that was established in to represent the needs of full-time, nonrepresented administrative, professional and technical (APT) employees of UAF. As outlined in the and of the UAF Staff Council, the council was composed of eight election units that encompass the Troth Yeddha' ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ and the rural campuses. Each election unit elected two representatives who served a two-year term. There were also 14 at-large representatives that each served a two-year term. The UAF departments that made up each election unit were chosen to provide a diversity of views and needs from academia, research, and administration. Most of the work of the Staff Council was completed in four permanent committees that met monthly, and the entire council also met monthly to review issues relevant to staff and vote on actions recommended by the committees. The Executive Committee was composed of the chairs of these four committees and reviewed the actions for each committee prior to the monthly council meeting. Staff Council closely partnered with UA and UAF leadership and met regularly with the UAF chancellor and provost. Representatives of Staff Council served on other UAF committees and groups and helped to create, review, and update policies. To help coordinate activities, the UAF Faculty Senate president attended the monthly Staff Council meetings and vice-versa. Staff Council officers were members of the and met regularly with the officers of the UAA, UAS, and System Office staff councils.

The is a systemwide shared governance body established under to represent students of the UA system in matters affecting the general welfare of students and the educational mission and effectiveness of the university system. As outlined in the of the Coalition of Student Leaders, the coalition is composed of student government leadership from the three universities and serves as a forum for collaboration, communication, and advocacy on issues impacting students across the system. The Coalition of Student Leaders meets regularly with university and system leadership to discuss and make recommendations regarding policies, regulations, tuition and fees, student services, and other matters affecting the student experience at each university and the system as a whole. Leadership of the coalition rotates among the universities. 

The Associated Students of the ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ (ASUAF) is UAF's representative student body that acts on behalf of university students in their best interests. ASUAF's primary responsibility is to represent the voice and opinion of UAF's student body to the UAF administration, UA BoR, UA president, and Alaska State Legislature. All UAF students who pay the consolidated fee are members of the association. While ASUAF technically refers to the entire association and its membership, which encompasses almost every student at UAF, in colloquial use, ASUAF typically refers to the student government officials of ASUAF. ASUAF's Constitution and Bylaws establish a government of ASUAF, consisting of a president and vice president elected by the student body on the same ticket, a Senate elected by the student body, and a chairperson of the Senate elected by the Senate. ASUAF meets twice each month during the academic year and monthly with UAF administration on matters of interest and welfare of UAF students.

The Chancellor’s Cabinet meets monthly to provide advice and counsel to the chancellor on matters regarding policies, procedures, and strategic planning. This group also updates the other members of the Chancellor’s Cabinet on events and activities within their respective units. Chancellor’s Cabinet positions and members are provided below in Table 2.

Table 2. Chancellor’s Cabinet Membership

Position	Name	Highest Degree Earned
Interim Chancellor	Larry Hinzman	Ph.D.
Interim Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor	Charlene Stern	Ph.D.
Vice Chancellor for Administrative Services	Julie Queen	M.B.A.
Vice Chancellor for Research	Laura Conner	Ph.D.
Interim Vice Chancellor for Rural, Community and Native Education	Bryn Uher	M.P.A.
Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management	Owen Guthrie	M.A.
Executive Director of University Advancement	Tom Hough	M.A.
Interim Chief of Staff	Alexis Knabe	B.B.A.
Executive Assistant and Advisor to the Chancellor	Lisa Slaba	B.A.S.M.
Vice Provost and Accreditation Liaison Officer	Trent Sutton	Ph.D.
Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities Services	Kellie Fritze	M.B.A.
Associate Vice Chancellor for Financial and Business Services	Amanda Wall	M.A.
Associate Vice Chancellor for Rural, Community and Native Education	Jessica Black	Ph.D.
Interim Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs	Kaydee Van Flein	M.S.
Chief Information Officer, Nanook Technology Services	Brian Seiler	M.S.
Senior Business Partner, UAF Human Resources	Kim Washburn	B.F.A.
President, Faculty Senate	Debu Misra	Ph.D.
President, Staff Council	Vacant	TBD
President, Associated Students of UAF (ASUAF)	Sammy Bass	Student, B.A. in Progress
Governance Office Manager	Molly Anslinger	M.S.

The Deans' Council, which includes the deans (and associate deans as needed) from all undergraduate and graduate degree-granting academic units, as well as the director of the Graduate School, director of Libraries, vice provost and accreditation liaison officer, and chief of faculty affairs and services. The Joint Academic & Research Council (J-ARC) includes the deans from all undergraduate and graduate degree-granting academic units, and the directors of the six research institutes and centers (Alaska Center for Energy and Power, Geophysical Institute, Institute of Arctic Biology, Institute of Marine Science, Institute of Northern Engineering, and International Arctic Research Center). Also included are the directors of the Graduate School; Libraries; UA Museum of the North; Institute of Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Extension; and Alaska Sea Grant. The vice provost and accreditation liaison officer and the Faculty Senate president are members as well. These two councils, which each meet separately each month, provide an opportunity for detailed discussions among administrators most proximally responsible for implementing policies and procedures in academic and research units and providing advice and counsel to the provost (Dean’s Council and J-ARC) and vice chancellor of research (J-ARC). The Chancellor’s Deans and Directors Meeting, a monthly meeting between the membership of J-ARC and the Chancellor’s Core Cabinet, provides a forum to foster collaboration and shared understanding among institutional leaders as well as an opportunity for information sharing, discussion, and alignment on key priorities while keeping core cabinet members connected to deans and directors. It also serves as a space to exchange perspectives, identify opportunities for cross-divisional collaboration, and maintain communication across academic, research, and administrative areas.

The UAF Planning and Budget Committee (PBC) is a standing body of faculty, staff, executive leaders, and governance delegates, co-chaired by the provost and vice chancellor for administrative services. It collects and reviews proposals for inclusion in UAF's state budget request, ensuring alignment with student success, UAF Strategic Goals, UA Goals and Measures, and NWCCU accreditation standards. The PBC serves as the principal budget advisor. Budget planning occurs at college, school, and department levels based on strategic needs, with proposals solicited 20 to 24 months before the fiscal year annually. The PBC also includes what was formerly called Strategic Enrollment Planning (SEP), which was a group of staff and executive leaders at UAF focused on student recruitment and retention that forecasted, analyzed, and managed student enrollment in a way that aligned with the overall UAF mission, goals, and academic priorities. 

Per, the meets monthly and is chaired by the UA vice president of academics, students, and research. Other members of the SAC include the UAF, UAA, and UAS provosts; UAF vice chancellor for rural, community and Native education; a UA community campus and rural campus representative; and representatives from UAF, UAA, and UAS, as well as additional representatives of the statewide system and the three MAUs. This group reviews academic programs and priorities and ensures compliance with accreditation and faculty collective bargaining agreements. 

The UA BoR encourages input from internal (UAF and UA) and external (community and workforce) stakeholders as stated in , which is part of the Bylaws of the BoR (). Two modalities for providing public testimony, audio and written, are available for stakeholders. Public testimony via statewide audio conference is held two to three days prior to each quarterly UA BoR meeting for an hour. In addition, written testimony is accepted at any time from anyone. The UA BoR meets quarterly and has periodic ad hoc meetings that focus on time sensitive and/or special topics. All meetings are open and publicly available (except for executive sessions) and recorded via that are  and have .

These governance structures at UAF are designed to ensure that the perspectives of faculty, staff, students, and administrators, on matters in which each has a direct and reasonable interest, are meaningfully incorporated into institutional decision-making. These structures not only provide representation, but also actively foster collaboration, transparency, and open communication across all stakeholder groups and with upper administration. Through regular dialogue, shared governance processes, and clearly defined channels for input and feedback, UAF promotes mutual understanding, collective problem-solving, and alignment of priorities. This integrated approach strengthens trust, enhances the quality of decisions, and ensures that institutional actions reflect a broad, informed, and coordinated perspective.