Sean Parnell to retire from University of Alaska Anchorage in May

By
Suzanne Downing
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26
Sean Parnell

Former Gov. Sean Parnell will soon be former chancellor of the University of Alaska Anchorage.

Parnell has given notice to his colleagues that he is retiring.

“When President Pitney appointed me as UAA Chancellor, I promised her that I would, to the best of my ability, serve four years and perhaps more. As the final semester of my fourth academic year at UAA unfolds, I’ve reflected on how far we have come as as UAA since 2021, and whether I could commit to another few years in this role. Ultimately, for family reasons, I’ve concluded that l should retire, and this week provided my letter of resignation to President Pitney effective mid-May,” he wrote to the UAA community.

Parnell wants to have more time to take care of his aging parents and spend more time with family.

“Additionally, I plan to have more time to research, write, and continue coaching or teaching emerging leaders,” he said.

University of Alaska Pat Pitney will provide more details about the transition plan, he said.

Parnell served in the Alaska Legislature, starting in the House in 1992 when he was 29, and later in the Senate. He was elected lieutenant governor, and ultimately became governor of Alaska when Gov. Sarah Palin abruptly resigned in 2009. He was reelected and served until 2014, and then returned to his law career until being appointed chancellor of UAA in 2021.

26 COMMENTS

  3. So, what is the purpose of UAA, anyway? Some universities have something they focus on and do well what does UAAdo?

    • Well for one thing, Chuck, universities open minds and free them from narrow and corrosive MAGA-like attitudes. You should check them out. Enrollment is easy, and open to everyone.

      • Well, I’ve already spent years in such places, with nice pretty printed papers to show for it I learned a fair number of things there , many of which were later proven wrong, as you so often are! One of the places I went had several things,they emphasized. The largest was the business school, my little science department was treated as the ” poor stepchild” when it came to funding, behind the business(first) and Agriculture (second) schools given the it was located in e major farming region, I can understand why the Age school got priority over ” those nerds over there” we Needs made do by learning techniques not reliant on expensive whiz-bang machines we did our work manually. And LEARNED. To explain further.. I PAId for my education by something called a” job” that is likely not familiar to you. Yes, for one of the places I attended, I did take out student loans. The ones I paid in full before graduation. Through that same job!

    • They have on of the best Aviation programs in the country, several years ago 20% of all the air traffic controllers went through the UAA program

      • That’s a great thing. I had never heard mention of much coming from there except courses of study thst should mandate additional coursework in the chemistry of coffee, preparing for the jib they’d get as a barista

  5. He was able to provide steady leadership to UAA. That said, the University should consider hiring an actual academic with an earned PhD to lead UAA, rather than politicians who happen to be lawyers, or retired military officers.

    • What would had a person with a PhD done different? I worked at UAA for 30+ years and I loved have retired military in supervisory positions. They could make a decision without committee’s and lots of meetings.

  9. Worked for then Governor Parnell for 6+ years and was the best Pat of my 40+ years in healthcare. Loved my job and was the ideal close out to my career!

  12. Anyone notice how much Sean looks like WA governor Jay Insley? There really is a freakish left-wing connection. Both states need higher IQs.

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