State legislators grilled two University of Alaska Board of Regents appointees last week, after the board approved a motion to scrub mentions of diversity, equity and inclusion from UA communications.
The February vote from the board has brought up criticism about the decision itself and the lack of transparency in the board’s process.
Sen. Löki Tobin, D-Anchorage, criticized the decision during the appointees' April 2 Senate Education Committee confirmation hearing. Tobin, who is also a Ph.D. student at the University of Alaska Anchorage, said the board should have heard from the university community before making the decision.
“I have had my faith shaken over the last few weeks,” Tobin said. “It has been deeply shaken, and I know many of my fellow colleagues and fellow students are feeling similar. We are feeling unheard. We are feeling unseen.”
The Board of Regents is composed of 11 members. Each regent serves eight-year terms, except for the student regent, who serves for two years. Members are appointed by the governor before going through a confirmation process with the Legislature.
Only one of the two appointees being considered was actually at the meeting. Anchorage-based Regent Christine Resler was appointed for her first term this year. She voted in favor of the motion to scrub DEI mentions from the university.
“I stand behind that we were trying to do the right thing, but I also recognize how hard it was for the community,” she said.
Sen. Jesse Kiehl, D-Juneau, said the decision gives the federal government a lot of power over the university.
“It doesn’t just say we’re going to follow the U.S. Constitution or federal law,” he said. “It said any guidance and executive orders or guidance on executive orders that come out of the federal government, anything from the U.S. Department of Education on Maryland Avenue in Washington, D.C. is the law of the University of Alaska system.”
Resler said she’s committed to supporting the UA community through any other changes from the federal government.
“We are in a very dynamic environment, and I can’t predict what’s going to happen next or what we’re going to be faced with, but what I can tell you is I will make sure the Board of Regents will react to support the students, the faculty and the alumni of the state and the university system,” she said.
Regent Karen Perdue was reappointed this year. She wasn’t at the meeting when the board approved the motion, but said that the university needs to maintain a stable environment to face what comes from the federal government.
“We see directives coming out sometimes on short notice,” she said. “But what we can do is we can stick together, talk to each other, and try to figure out how we might react and best adapt to these activities. I value the principles of academic freedom and the right to speak about issues. These are core values of our university.”
Senate President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, was the only other senator to question the appointees during the hearing. He asked about accreditation and research within the UA system.
Resler and Perdue’s confirmations will be heard at a joint legislative session that has yet to be scheduled.
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