Update | 8:50 a.m.
University of Alaska President Patrick Gamble selects Richard Caulfield as the next chancellor of University of Alaska Southeast. Caulfield is UAS’s current provost. He’ll replace John Pugh.
Original story | 6 a.m.
UAS chancellor search down to two finalists
The University of Alaska Southeast may be announcing its next chancellor by the end of the week.
John Pugh has led UAS for 16 years. After he announced his retirement last October, a search committee started a nationwide search in January. Twenty-six people applied. The committee narrowed the pool down to two finalists – Richard Caulfield, provost at UAS, and Margaret Madden, provost and vice president for academic affairs at State University of New York Potsdam. Both attended community and university receptions last week.
Vice Chancellor Michael Ciri is the search committee chair. He says both candidates are strong and have received letters of support from the campus community. Ciri says the committee sent its recommendation to UA President Patrick Gamble Tuesday.
“We did forward both candidates as strong candidates for consideration. We did not exclude either of the finalists,” Ciri says. “The president did get an opportunity to meet with both of the candidates specifically as part of this recruitment and sit down and talk to them, so he had a chance to form his own opinion as well as taking in the feedback that we were giving him as a committee.”
Ciri says both candidates also went through a ranking process. Gamble will make the final selection.
Pugh’s last day as UAS chancellor is May 29.
