ÂÌÅ«Ì컨°å

Interviews Begin for ÂÌÅ«Ì컨°å’s Next Vice President/Chief Academic Officer

August 23, 2024

The hiring committee searching for ÂÌÅ«Ì컨°å’s next Vice President/Chief Academic Officer (CAO) will begin interviewing a strong pool of prospective candidates next week, with campus visits planned for later in the fall.

Catch Up Quick: Vice President of Academics, Students, and Research Dr. Paul Layer plans to retire at the end of the year, capping a nearly 35-year career in Alaska post-secondary education, and over 7 years in his current role. He’ll be dearly missed.

• VP Layer was hired as an assistant professor of geophysics at ÂÌÅ«Ì컨°åF in 1989. He was promoted to full professor in 2000, and twice served as Chair of the Department of Geology and Geophysics.
• He became associate dean of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (CNSM) in 2007, and later served as interim (2009-2011) and permanent dean (2011-2017) before becoming the ÂÌÅ«Ì컨°å VP of Academics, Students, and Research.
• VP Layer has also published over 180 peer-reviewed papers in his research areas of radiometric geochronology, volcanology and tectonics and has given numerous presentations at professional conferences and workshops. 
• VP Layer received his B.S. in geology from Michigan State University, and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in geophysics from Stanford University. 

Zoom Out: The retitled VP role will continue to report to the President. Candidates are being vetted by a committee representative of the entire system:

• Michelle Rizk, Vice President for University Relations for the ÂÌÅ«Ì컨°å System (Search Chair)
• Anupma Prakash, University of Alaska Fairbanks Provost (ÂÌÅ«Ì컨°åF)
• Deanne Woodard, University of Alaska Anchorage Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs (ÂÌÅ«Ì컨°åA)
• Bill Urquhart, University of Alaska Southeast Ketchikan Campus Director (ÂÌÅ«Ì컨°åS)
• Jennifer Carroll, AY25 Faculty Alliance Chair (System Governance)

What’s Next: Candidate visits are tentatively planned for late September/early October. Those visits will include targeted meetings with key stakeholder groups:

• academic affairs team 
• governance 
• provosts, vice chancellors for research and student affairs, and accreditation liaisons
• system office leadership

For more information, visit or contact VP Rizk at marizk@alaska.edu.