Chancellor Transition Community Forum for Faculty, Staff, and Students

Governance Leaders ► Kim Stanford, President, University Assembly and Classified Council ► Bob Kizer, President, APT and VP, University Assembly ► Anthony Rivas, President, USUAA ► Kerri Morris, President, Faculty Senate ► Christine Tullius, Governance Coordinator

Interim Chancellor Fran Ulmer Currently: Director of ISER B.A., Political Science and Economics, B.A., Political Science and Economics, University of Wisconsin, 1969 J.D., University of Wisconsin Law School, 1972

Timeline January 12, 2007  Chancellor Maimon meets with EBoard to announce that she is a finalist for the job.

Timeline January 26, 2007 January 26, 2007  Executive Board of Faculty Senate meets with President Hamilton about Chancellor's job possibility.  President clearly states that he will not seek to retain Maimon, nor does he wish to.  Commits to allowing faculty (through EBoard) a veto of suggestions for interim Chancellor.

Timeline (1/26)  States desire for a two-year period for interim. (One year plus a search)  Rejects role of faculty in any systematic evaluation of any Chancellor because our view is not “comprehensive.”

Timeline February 19, 2007  Hamilton contacts the Provost, the Deans, Kim Stanford, and Kerri Morris about suggestions for interim Chancellor. Shares list as it develops with each person. Asks for feedback.  Jim Liszka, Tom Case, and Renee Carter- Chapman ask that their names be removed from the list

Timeline February 23, 2007 Hamilton meets with Chancellor’s Advisory Board.  Discusses long list publicly with the Board.  Includes names of people who have removed their names from consideration. Leaves one name off of the list. Visitors and student reporter present.  Reiterates desire for two-year appointment of interim.  Asserts that permanent Chancellor need not have a PhD.  Urges Board to consider possibility that the interim could be appointed to the permanent post.

Timeline February 23, 2007 Hamilton meets with Executive Board of Faculty Senate.  Shares list of possible interims.  EBoard endorses two candidates.  Hamilton reflects on their strengths and commits to offering the interim position to Fran Ulmer.

Timeline (2/23)  Rejects desire of EBoard to begin search in August 2007 on the grounds that interim will offer stability. Mentions the possibility that we will approve of the interim and could appoint the person to a permanent position.  Assserts desire to “continue support” of UAA, specifically mentions making the PhD in Psychology a truly joint program.

Timeline  Rejects notion that chancellors should have three-year contracts that are similar to the contract he has. Claims that he is an exclusively “at will” employee in spite of his contract.  Commits to meeting with EBoard again this semester and for two meetings per year in coming years.

FAQ ► Why did Chancellor Maimon leave? From our perspective, it seems clear that Chancellor Maimon was facing an antagonistic Statewide administration that was severely limiting her ability to be productive and that is resistant to her enthusiastic advocacy on UAA’s behalf.

FAQ ► When will the search begin? At this time, President Hamilton desires to have the interim Chancellor in place for one full year before beginning the search process.

FAQ ► How will the search committee for the new Chancellor be chosen? President Hamilton has not yet announced his intentions regarding the search committee. However, your governance leaders expect and will strongly encourage a national search with a representative committee, as during the last search. Generally, the committee for a Chancellor will be selected by the President and will include members from Deans & Directors, Governance Leaders from staff, faculty, student governance groups, additional faculty members from UAA, and Anchorage community members.

FAQ ► Is there a commitment to further UAA as a Public Square? We believe that part of Chancellor Maimon’s legacy at UAA will be her desire to build UAA’s image as a public square. The members of Chancellor’s Cabinet, as well as members of the UAA and Anchorage community appear to hold a strong commitment to this and we hope it will continue.

FAQ ► How will the transition affect the FY08 budget process? The FY08 budget process is in full swing, and it is not anticipated that the transition will have any affect on the work done so far and the work that continues to be done by our UAA administration, the Planning and Budget Advisory Committee, and others. It is imperative that we all are involved and contact our legislators to push for full funding for UAA and let our needs be known.

FAQ ► How will 2008 budget effect staff and faculty employment and raises? Mandatory staff and faculty wage and benefit increases are included in the FY08 budget request and are fully expected to be covered. UA has also included a 2% staff salary grid increase for cost of living, which appears to be committed to as far as Statewide and BOR are considered. It can never be anticipated how the final budget will end up affecting us. We still hope for funding to allow for further program growth and capital projects, but our administration at UAA is deeply committed to staff, faculty, and programs continuing at current level.

FAQ ► What are President Hamilton’s goals for UAA’s immediate future? He told Faculty Senate’s E-Board that he’s committed to “work force development.” We hope that he understands that this means everything from technical jobs to professional jobs and requires GER course support. He also claimed to support equal footing for UAA and UAF with the joint PhD in psychology, which we do not currently enjoy. However, he also has said that he doesn’t support UAA’s being accredited to deliver a PhD. These views contradict.

Questions without answers ► Can President Hamilton make a statement concerning UAA's position amongst other UA campuses? ► Can President Hamilton make a commitment to the Talloires Declaration? ► What changes would President Hamilton like to see at UAA? ► What programs and activities would President Hamilton like to see highlighted at UAA? ► In what ways can the image of UAA be improved in the Anchorage community? With the new Regents?