UA system president Pat Pitney announces retirement after 5 years at the helm

By Lizzy Hahn

Pat Pitney, University of Alaska system president, announced her retirement Thursday morning in an email to UA students and staff. Pitney has been in this role since August 1, 2020.

Photo by the UA office of the president.

Pitney was working as the financial director for the legislature when she got a call on a Thursday night five years ago. 

“A person I didn't know said, ‘Hey, you're a finalist for the interim president job,” Pitney said.

Pitney laughed recounting this moment since she had not applied for the job, although as it turned out, she was a finalist. She decided to stay in the pool of candidates. The next Monday, Pitney recounted that she had an interview with the Board of Regents and the following day she retired from her job in the legislature.

Initially, the intent was that Pitney would remain in this position for 12 to 18 months. After about a year and a half in the role, the board decided to make Pitney the permanent president. She was appointed the 17th university system president on February 25, 2022. 

Pitney is known for winning a gold medal in women’s air rifle, amongst other accomplishments. She first moved to Fairbanks, Alaska in 1987 to get her masters in business administration from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Pitney originally planned on retiring in August, 2025, however, after University of Alaska Anchorage chancellor Sean Parnell and UAF chancellor Dan White announced their retirements, Pitney moved her departure till May 2026.

“I need to give the institution more time. I'll go until May," Pitney said about the recent turnover amongst UA chancellors.

In addition to Parnell and White’s retirement, UAF Provost Anupma Prakash announced that she would be retiring a month before White on May 31, 2025.

“I really do want to retire. I have things to do and people to see,” Pitney said. “Leadership stability is critical and I want the best for the university.”

Going into her last few months as president, Pitney said that she will be working with the board to identify and recruit people to fill her position. Her reason for announcing her retirement as early as she did was in hopes to find a permanent replacement named by her departure date.

“It was the right thing at the right time for me to be here,” Pitney said on Thursday afternoon. “Now it's time to enjoy, you know, my kids and grandkids and travel some and just not working all the time.

Pitney has three children, all of whom are UA graduates.

Jonathon Taylor, the UA director of public affairs, told the Sun Star that Pitney’s decision to retire was “not influenced by the uncertainty at the federal level.”

In an August 14 interview with Pitney, she said that the University of Alaska system had 25 grants with a remaining total value of $6.4 million terminated and “still have about $45 million worth of grants frozen.

Looking back at her time at the helm of the UA system, Pitney said that the most important change was growing enrollment, which grew by 4% over the last year.

“I’m also proud of the team we’ve built. We’ve got really amazing people throughout the institution doing everything they can for students,” said Pitney.

University of Alaska Anchorage’s chancellor Sean Parnell retired from his position May 16, 2025. UAA now has interim chancellor Cheryl Siemers. University of Alaska Fairbanks’ chancellor Dan White retired from his position July 26, 2025. UAF’s interim chancellor is Mike Sfraga, former United States ambassador-at-large for Arctic affairs, who is also set to step down in spring 2026.