At the direction of UA President Jim Johnsen, UA Human Resources is reviewing the university’s compensation including benefits for staff, faculty and executives. Initial findings were shared with the Board of Regents at its September meeting, but additional analysis needs to be done before final recommendations are made. The study is being conducted by an internal working group of compensation experts, an advisory committee made up of faculty, staff, and executives, and three outside consultants, Lockton, Quatt & Associates, and Gallagher, under the lead of Chief Human Resources Officer Keli McGee. �

The intent of the study is to bring equity in pay and benefits to the university’s staff, faculty and executives. The university’s pay and benefits structure has not been reviewed for some time, and there have been several years of no pay increases due to budget constraints. This analysis was undertaken to update and establish a consistent compensation structure that will make the university into a more competitive in its recruitment and retention efforts. To learn more about the study and its impacts, including initial market survey results, methodology and project FAQs, go to the compensation website: http://alaska.edu/classification/compensation-review/. Discussions and open forums will be scheduled in the coming months. MORE....

With a focus on the immediate needs of the University of Alaska, the UA Board of Regents spent its two-day meeting in Juneau discussing those needs in the context of how the university should position itself for the year 2040.

The regents reviewed the university’s FY20 draft budget request, which was developed based on the strategic priorities set by the regents during their June 2018 retreat. Regents established an ambitious, but realistic vision for Alaska in the year 2040 and how the university could contribute to that vision.


The university’s draft of the FY20 operating budget requests totals $351.5 million – an increase of $24.5 million over the current FY19 operating budget. Additionally, the draft FY20 capital budget request includes $50 million for facilities deferred maintenance/renewal & repurposing, and $5 million for USArray, a system of seismic sensors across the state that gathers critical data on ground movement and meteorological events.� MORE...

With Xtratufs on her feet and a copy of James Michener’s novel Alaska in hand, new University of Alaska Anchorage chancellor Cathy Sandeen is ready to step into her role of helming the state’s largest university.

With four academic degrees and more than 30 years of experience in higher education, Sandeen’s impressive background suggests she was born into the world of academia, but the native of Oakland, California, came from working-class roots.

Read the full story in the Green & Gold HERE

A draft policy encouraging reporting of misconduct and providing guidelines for how the university will respond to delayed misconduct complaints was introduced at the September meeting of the Board of Regents and will be considered by the Board at its November meeting.

The proposed policy encourages prompt reporting because of the problems that can be created by delay. But the policy also makes clear that complaints will be assessed and ongoing impacts will be addressed regardless of when alleged misconduct occurred.

The policy would also establish a three-year window for individuals to bring complaints forward. During that period, standard processes would be followed to determine whether to formally investigate. Complaints received outside the three-year window would not normally be investigated. However, UA would assess and address any ongoing impacts. In addition, investigation of older complaints could go forward if a specific finding is made that doing so is in the best interests of the university community. Considerations would include the ability to provide due process, any ongoing impacts on the safety and inclusivity of the university environment, as well as impacts on university operations. MORE...