ÐÔÓûÉç interim chancellor candidate announced
June 6, 2016
Roberta Graham
907-360-2416
A forum to pose questions to Dana Thomas, a candidate for the ÐÔÓûÉç interim chancellor position, is scheduled for 5 p.m. on June 21. The event will be held at the Schaible Auditorium on the ÐÔÓûÉç campus. Questions for the candidate can be submitted in advance .
University of Alaska President Jim Johnsen only submitted Thomas as a potential candidate for the ÐÔÓûÉç interim chancellor post to the Fairbanks community for comment/feedback and for consultation with ÐÔÓûÉç governance.
Thomas is the former UA vice president of academic affairs and research. If selected, he would succeed Interim Chancellor Mike Powers, who steps down Aug. 1, and would lead ÐÔÓûÉç for the next 12 months.
Feedback on the candidate is sought. You can submit comments to President Johnsen to consider when filling the interim chancellor position . President Johnsen will make his final decision on the post June 30.
Can't attend the forum in person? Tune in via .
As interim chancellor, Thomas would lead ÐÔÓûÉç through its continued evolution as the premier Arctic research university, the continued commitment to campus safety, efforts to complete the ÐÔÓûÉç engineering building and the celebration of ÐÔÓûÉç’s centennial in 2017.
Thomas was born and raised in Fairbanks, is a ÐÔÓûÉç alumnus and was the statewide vice president of academic affairs and research from 2012 to 2014. He served six years as chair of ÐÔÓûÉç's Department of Mathematics and Statistics. In 2005, Thomas received the Emil Usibelli Distinguished Teaching Award for sustained excellence in teaching at ÐÔÓûÉç. From 2006 to 2012, Thomas served as ÐÔÓûÉç's vice provost and accreditation liaison officer. The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities asked him to serve as an institutional accreditation evaluator of other institutions. In addition to his distinguished career in teaching, Thomas is recognized for his interdisciplinary research on the design and analysis of studies assessing food and habitat selection by animals. His career also features contributions at the international level, including work for two years in the Republic of Yemen facilitating a national survey of agriculture and two years in the Sultanate of Oman improving their fisheries statistics operations.
Thomas’ letter of application and full CV can be found at .