Commencement
2023

Chancellor Karen Carey

Dr. Karen Carey serves as Chancellor at the University of Alaska Southeast (UAS), located in Juneau, Alaska’s capital city. UAS is a regional university with campuses in Juneau, Ketchikan, and Sitka—coastal communities situated in Alaska’s magnificent Tongass National Forest. As Chancellor, Dr. Carey provides strategic leadership in fulfilling UAS’ mission, including budget development, academic planning and program assessments, student and enrollment services, administrative services, and community relations.

President Pat Pitney

The University of Alaska Board of Regents appointed Pat Pitney as the university system’s 17th president on Feb. 25, 2022. She served as interim president since Aug.1, 2020.

Previously Pitney served as the state’s Director of the Division of Legislative Finance. She was the former Vice Chancellor of Administration, University of Alaska Fairbanks and worked at UA Statewide for 17 years. In all, Pitney spent 23 years with the University of Alaska before leaving to serve as the State Budget Director in the administration of former Governor Bill Walker.

Campus Director Priscilla Schulte

Dr. Priscilla Schulte became the UAS Ketchikan Campus Director in 2012, Dr. Schulte first joined the faculty of Ketchikan Community College in 1980 as Instructor of Anthropology/Sociology and continued her teaching assignment after the transition to the University of Alaska Southeast.

Commencement Speaker Helen Mickel

Helen Micken is the president and CEO at Tongass Federal Credit Union. Mickel is a 2015 UAS graduate of the Bachelor of Business Administration program and she served on the Ketchikan Campus Advisory Council from 2014-2020.

Student Speaker Rochelle King

King is graduating with an Associate of Applied Science in Marine Transportation with a Deck Emphasis. After 16 years in the US Army, Rochelle was honorably discharged in 2019 as a Chief Warrant Officer 2. She resides in Ketchikan.

Faculty Marshal Kasia Polanska

Kasia has worked at UAS Ketchikan as an Adjunct Instructor of Government and Sociology since 2007. She has also taught sociology and political science at the University of Minnesota, MN; Sacred Heart University, CT; and American Public University System, WV. Her past professional experience includes working for 7 years within the United Nations human rights treaty system as a Research Director of a non-governmental human rights organization.