Dr. Rick Caulfield to be New UAS Chancellor

UA President Gamble commented, “I was very pleased to confirm the recommendation of the UAS selection committee. Rick has worked tirelessly alongside of John Pugh as his right-hand in the advancement of not only our southeast campuses, but of UA’s broad based Shaping Alaska’s Future initiative. He is well positioned to assume the leadership role on behalf of UAS faculty, staff and students, to guide UAS into a bright future.”

Date of Press Release: May 6, 2015

University of Alaska (UA) President Patrick K. Gamble today announced that Rick Caulfield has been selected to replace John Pugh as Chancellor at the University of Alaska Southeast (UAS). Pugh announced last October he would retire at the end of May. Caulfield currently serves as UAS Provost.

A committee of UAS faculty and staff led the national search which resulted in Caulfield’s selection. Gamble commented, “I was very pleased to confirm the recommendation of the UAS selection committee. Rick has worked tirelessly alongside of John Pugh as his right-hand in the advancement of not only our southeast campuses, but of UA’s broad based Shaping Alaska’s Future initiative. He is well positioned to assume the leadership role on behalf of UAS faculty, staff and students, to guide UAS into a bright future.”

As provost and chief academic officer at UAS Caulfield is responsible for ensuring that UAS academic programs are fully compliant with regional, national, and professional accreditation standards. He is actively engaged with implementing the university’s strategic and assessment goals and strategies.

Dr. Caulfield has been a part of the University of Alaska for more than 30 years. He began his higher education teaching career in 1985 at the university’s Bristol Bay Campus. He became a full professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks as part of the Department of Alaska Native and Rural Development. His research interests took him to Greenland, Denmark, Canada, New Zealand, and Russia. He has published two books and numerous other professional publications and served on national and international science steering committees and boards, including the NSF Oceans-Atmosphere-Ice Interactions Scientific Committee, the International Arctic Social Sciences Association, and the University of the Arctic.

A 40-year Alaska resident, Dr. Caulfield has combined academic and professional interests with experiences in commercial fishing, flying, sailing, home construction, dog mushing, hunting, recreational fishing, and other outdoor pursuits.

Dr. Caulfield earned a Ph.D. in Development Studies from the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom, a Master’s degree in Education from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and BA and BS degrees in Political Science and Natural Resources from the University of California, Berkeley.