University of Alaska President Pat Pitney, who's set to retire at the end of May, delivered her final State of the University address Thursday at the Westmark Hotel during a luncheon for the Rotary Club of Fairbanks. The roughly 30-minute speech emphasized overcoming challenges and entering what she says is a period of promise.
Pitney worked in the UA system for more than two decades before leaving to serve as state budget director under former Gov. Bill Walker in 2014. She took over as interim UA president in 2020 and was appointed to the permanent position by the UA Board of Regents about a year and a half later.
"When I returned to UA as president in 2020, we were focused on survival. Today, we're positioned for long-term, sustainable growth that will shape Alaska's future for decades to come," she said near the end of her address.
Pitney used some form of the word "stability" nine times during the speech, and some form of the words "opportunity" and "growth" 11 times apiece, according to a transcript of the address.
Pitney said declining enrollment, the COVID-19 pandemic and major state funding cuts contributed to the fight for survival toward the beginning of her tenure. And she said turbulence at the federal level has added another layer to the difficulties.
But Pitney said state funding has stabilized, and enrollment has started to rebound: As of the Fall 2025 headcount, the university reported a roughly 4.4% enrollment increase compared to the previous year.
She also said the most recent survey from the National Science Foundation showed that UA had $273 million in research expenditures – a university system record. The survey covered federal fiscal year 2024.
"Fiscal stability, research excellence, recruitment, retention and graduation – that's progress," Pitney said during her address. "That progress is empowering Alaska."
Pitney called her upcoming retirement "bittersweet" and said that serving and leading the institution has been an honor. The Board of Regents, a 14-person search committee and third-party firm WittKieffer are charged with finding her successor.
In February, Board of Regents Chair Scott Jepsen announced they were concealing the identities of finalists. That's a break from the system's typical practice of holding public interviews and forums for senior leadership positions.
Jepsen wrote that, in recent years, highly qualified candidates have declined to participate in searches with the public evaluation process due to "concerns about professional risk if they are not selected for the role."
The move caused some consternation, including from the University of Alaska Fairbanks Faculty Senate, which passed a resolution in early March opposing the search model. It says the university system has been well-served by its prior process, and that whomever is selected will have less community support than previous candidates because of the lack of public input.
"Offering the highest position in the UA system to someone whom the community has had no opportunity to meet, hear from, and weigh in on undermines UA's values and mission," the resolution reads.
Speaking to reporters after her address Thursday, Pitney defended the confidential search, which was recommended by WittKieffer.
"That was a calculus to say, 'How do I get the best and biggest pool, and how do I not threaten those people from getting in the pool?' And so, again, I think it's valuable, but it is hard for people to grasp," she said.
Pitney said her biggest goal ahead of retirement is finding the best leaders for the UA system and for UAF. Mike Sfraga, the former U.S. Arctic Ambassador, is currently serving as interim chancellor at UAF. The search for a permanent UAF chancellor is following the public evaluation process.
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