CLA Dean finalists’ public forum recap

By Gabriele Rigaudo

Courtesy of the UAF College of Liberal Arts

Dean candidates MaryTheresa Seig, left, Alvin Malesky, and Carrie Baker.

In a period of profound leadership changes in the University of Alaska system, with the search for a new UA president and UAF chancellor open, the College of Liberal Arts is coming close to finishing the dean search. All three of the candidates, MaryTheresa Seig, Alvin Malesky, and Carrie Baker, completed a public forum on campus, and the decision by the search committee for who will next serve as dean is expected in the coming weeks.

The College of Liberal Arts shapes each student at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The college is involved in almost every undergraduates coursework, including general education requirements and core classes, and it is the largest college on Troth’ Yedda’s campus. 

During the forums, all three candidates mentioned the difficult situation for liberal arts nationwide. Budget constraints, enrollment pressure, and the institutional restructuring the University of Alaska system is undergoing at the moment were all themes highlighted by the candidates.

With the current overall decline in enrollment that higher education is encountering nationwide, and the many questions about the return on investment of a liberal arts degree, it is more than ever a critical point for UAF’s CLA, as addressed by all three candidates. 

Seig remarked on the importance of interdisciplinary studies in higher education. She suggested CLA has to tie firmly together interdisciplinary work and place-based education,“grounding liberal arts education in Alaska and Indigenous knowledge, and the space we occupy.” In her eyes, departments in CLA cannot function alone, but must move into an “interconnected academic portfolio” organization.

Her leadership revolves around listening, caring, and offering possibilities. On the economic uncertainties of the college, she believes that the budget does not represent the main issue in itself, but the leadership context and sustainability also profoundly shape the direction of the CLA. “Sustainability is not about doing more with less. It’s about doing the right things well,” she stated. 

Malesky’s approach covered CLA students’ experience, the future of higher education, and implied the need for some structural changes. He sees higher education at a tipping point, with the need “to do things a little bit differently.” With the pool of potential students dropping, the liberal arts need to defend their value, he explained. In Malesky’s view, the lower salary expectations cannot go unacknowledged but only represent part of the story. He highlighted what a liberal arts degree offers, with long-term skills and adaptability mentioned as the major strengths. 

Malesky believes that the liberal arts should lead the ethical and societal conversations on artificial intelligence. As the development of this new technology is raising questions in higher-ed, he believes that students of liberal arts should be addressing them. He said his governance would rely heavily on the department faculty’s voice. 

The last candidate to hold the forum was Interim Dean Carrie Baker. Formerly the department chair of the Theater & Film Department, she has been a UAF faculty member since moving to Alaska in 2005. In support of her case, Baker highlighted that her institutional knowledge, understanding of UAF as a system, and her existing relationships benefit CLA were she to continue leading it. Baker said the fiscal situation that currently endangers CLA would benefit from greater transparency between the college and upper administration.

Strongly believing that “CLA is the heart of UAF,” Baker emphasized how the liberal arts retain a critical role in students’ life trajectories by teaching critical thinking, teamwork, and providing hands-on experience. Speaking to the overall recruitment crisis of higher education, she highlighted the critical role advisors play in the matter, promoting enrollment and positive student experience. 

CLA’s previous Dean, Ellen Lopez, resigned on June 27,2025. The decision, that led to Baker’s stepping up as Interim Dean, came in an “unexpectedly tumultuous time this past summer,” said Baker. 

The new CLA Dean will be announced by the search committee in the coming weeks.