Å®Óźϼ¯

Å®Óźϼ¯ Board of Regents approves resolution of appreciation for Interim Å®Óźϼ¯F Chancellor Mike Sfraga

May 22, 2026

At the May 21 full board meeting in Anchorage, the University of Alaska Board of Regents approved a resolution of appreciation for Interim University of Alaska Fairbanks (Å®Óźϼ¯F) Chancellor Ambassador Mike Sfraga (ret.), who has served in the role since July 2025.

The first U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Affairs, Interim Chancellor Sfraga returned to lead Å®Óźϼ¯F last year, cementing its status as America’s Arctic University and a key partner on Arctic issues. A Å®Óźϼ¯F alumnus who spent 31 years as a faculty member and administrator, Ambassador Sfraga will stay connected to Å®Óźϼ¯ and Å®Óźϼ¯F in an advisory role for Arctic and national security strategies.

Below is the resolution.

RESOLUTION OF APPRECIATION FOR MIKE SFRAGA

WHEREAS, Ambassador Mike Sfraga (ret.), Ph.D., was appointed to serve as University of Alaska Fairbanks (Å®Óźϼ¯F) interim chancellor in July 2025, returning to the institution where he’d previously served for more than 30 years, and will step down from the role on May 31, 2026; and 

WHEREAS, Sfraga has had a long and storied history with the University of Alaska (Å®Óźϼ¯) System, he worked from 1985 through 2016 in a broad range of administrative, academic, and executive positions including vice chancellor, director of the Å®Óźϼ¯ Geography Program, chair of the Geography Department, faculty member, and associate dean of Å®Óźϼ¯F's School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Science, and at the Å®Óźϼ¯ system office served in executive positions including director of program development and associate vice president; and

WHEREAS, long before he held those positions of leadership and esteem, he was a student in the halls of Å®Óźϼ¯F, and no one - himself included - could have imagined then where his choices would bring him today; and 

WHEREAS, Sfraga’s impact has been global, he recently served as the first U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Affairs, nominated by President Joseph Biden upon the recommendation of Sen. Lisa Murkowski, and confirmed by a bipartisan vote of the U.S. Senate, and Sfraga, prior to this appointment, was twice appointed by President Joseph Biden to serve as Chair of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission; and 

WHEREAS, Sfraga was the founding director of the Polar Institute and concurrently served as Director of the Global Risk and Resilience Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C.; and

WHEREAS, Sfraga is a Fulbright Scholar and co-developed and twice served as co-lead scholar for the U.S. State Department’s inaugural Fulbright Arctic Initiative; and

WHEREAS, Sfraga’s work is centered on the evolving domestic and international dimensions of the Arctic, and his extensive public speaking, facilitation, consultation, and development of conceptual frameworks provide context and clarity that advance our understanding of the Arctic; and

WHEREAS, Sfraga is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, has testified before Congress, and maintains an active national and international speaking and facilitation schedule; and

WHEREAS, Sfraga is regularly called upon to inform and influence meaningful policy discussions, such as the nexus of U.S. Arctic and foreign policy, the increasingly complex geopolitical and security landscapes of the Arctic, the internationalization of the Arctic, including the inherent connections between the Arctic and the Pacific, North American and Euro-Atlantic regions; and

WHEREAS, regardless of titles and accolades, Sfraga has maintained his humility, humor, and charm, utilizing his gifts as a speaker, author, and thought leader to position the institution, and the state, for greater influence in the Arctic and beyond; and 

WHEREAS, though his term as interim chancellor was brief, his understanding of the critical research, life-changing education, and critical role for Alaska that Å®Óźϼ¯F and the Å®Óźϼ¯ System play made him the perfect candidate to steer the helm during this leadership transition and orient the institution for even greater strength in the future; and

WHEREAS, Sfraga holds a bachelor’s degree from Å®Óźϼ¯F (1984), a master’s degree from Bowling Green State University (1986), and Å®Óźϼ¯F’s first doctorate in Northern Studies and Geography (1997); and

WHEREAS, whatever direction Sfraga’s next journey will take, we can rest assured that the University of Alaska will remain in his heart and help light his passion for the Arctic and its diverse peoples; 

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Regents of the University of Alaska officially recognizes and thanks Mike Sfraga for his dedicated service to the University of Alaska, its employees, students, and partners, and commends him for his efforts; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this resolution be appropriately engrossed and conveyed to Mike Sfraga with a copy incorporated into the official minutes of the May 20-21, 2026, meeting of the Board of Regents.