President

Alaska Pacific University (APU) invites applications for President of the University. The President serves as Alaska Pacific University’s (APU) chief executive officer and the chief advisor to and executive agent of the Board of Trustees.

The President’s authority is vested through the Board of Trustees and includes responsibilities for all APU educational and managerial affairs.

The University

APU is a small, private liberal arts university known for experiential and project-based learning.

The university campus is in Anchorage, Alaska, a diverse city and home to more than 300,000 residents.

APU offers a unique set of bachelors, master’s and doctoral
– level degrees, with emphasis on Alaska-critical and globally relevant issues.

Focused on competency development and cultural relevancy, the APU curriculum fosters high-level intellectual and practical skills, a wide-ranging knowledge of science, cultures, and society, and an active commitment to personal and social responsibility.

APU is an Alaska Native-Serving Institution and Tribally controlled university honoring Alaska’s Indigenous heritage, exemplifying excellence, and preparing pathways for educational attainment and student success.

The University is committed to growing innovative programs that are responsive to the workforce needs of Alaska, as well as growing Alaska Native and Alaskan professionals throughout the state. 

Vision

Honoring Alaska’s Indigenous heritage, exemplifying excellence, and preparing paths 

Mission

APU provides a world-class, hands-on, culturally responsive educational experience in collaboration with our students, communities, and Tribal partners 

Core Themes

Learning, Growth, and Innovation: Cultivate APU as multicultural community where people love to learn and work 

Community Engagement and Impact: In service to our peoples and communities, assist our students to achieve the best expressions of their potential and collaborate with partners to provide the highest level of collective impact 

Leadership

The President is responsible for leading APU, hiring necessary personnel, implementing all board policies, keeping the Board informed on appropriate matters, consulting with the Board in a timely manner on matters appropriate to its policy-making and fiduciary functions, and serving as APU’s key spokesperson.

The President has the authority to execute all documents on behalf of APU and the Board of Trustees consistent with Board policies and the best interests of APU.

The President serves ex-officio as a member of the Board of Trustees and all Board committees but shall not have voting rights.

The President is an officer of APU and serves at the pleasure of the Board of Trustees for such term, compensation, and with such conditions of employment as the Board shall determine. 

Administrative Goals

• Cultural competency/values: Promote cultural values and priorities of Alaska Native peoples toward the advancement and attainment of a tribal university.

• Faculty and Staff: Recruit and retain quality faculty and staff by creating a positive environment in which to work, teach, and grow.

• Student Support Services: Provide students with the mentoring, counseling, tutoring, cultural, and spiritual support services needed to succeed.

• Recruitment and Enrollment: Develop effective recruitment programs that address the needs of potential students and their families with the objectives to increase enrollment and to attract diverse, multicultural students.

• Financial Management: Ensure financial stability through budget discipline, efficient use of facilities and resources, and fundraising efforts based on broad community support.

• Campus Facilities: Maintain first-rate facilities and an attractive, safe campus.

• Communication: Maintain open and continuous communication among all constituents.

Core Duties and Responsibilities

Including but not limited to: 

• Improve the active learning, student centered, personalized education offered by APU.

• Promote APU across Alaska, nationally, and internationally to increase awareness among prospective students and the community that APU offers individualized education in an intentionally small-sized university.

• Recognize and support the unique needs of the diverse educational programs at APU, and strive to keep their unique identities.

• Exercise an ambitious and vigorous approach to fund raising in order to grow the APU’s endowment, general fund, research grants and contracts, and dedicated gifts for facilities, endowed chairs, and scholarships.

• Exercise the highest standards in fiscal responsibility and ethics in the oversight of APU’s financial operations.

• Strategically plan for future growth, including setting campus facility and enrollment goals, and oversee definition and coordination of these goals among various university departments.

• Strategically plan future development of academic and endowment properties, incorporating land-use compatible with APU’s academic programs, an expanded vision for the Kellogg Farm facility, preservation of outdoor recreation and a commitment to environmental sustainability.

• Recruit and maintain high quality faculty and staff who are skilled at teaching, experts in their field and properly trained to operate an efficient, student-centered campus.

• Improve organization and transparency of the system-wide processes to facilitate delegated decision-making by people who are properly trained, regularly evaluated and publicly supported in their work.

• Develop and actively participate in APU’s outreach to the community, particularly in the University-Medical Center district, and foster continued cooperative agreements with the University of Alaska, Anchorage that improve the quality of services available to the APU community (e.g., Consortium Library).

• Serve as an ex-officio member of, and work closely with, the Board of Trustees to formulate plans and policies for Board consideration and approval, and implement the resulting Board policies.

• Serve as a Board member and/or administratively support APU’s related entities including Alaska Pacific University Foundation, the DeWolf Kellogg Trust, Cardinal Newman Professorship Foundation, and the Leah J.

Peterson Legacy Committee with associated properties.

• Communicate key APU information and support relationships with Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) or any future corporate members and supporting Tribes and Tribal Organizations.

Performance/Effectiveness

• In order to be successful, this position must: 1) Embody and model the highest levels of organizational strategies knowledge, skills and desire; 2) Exhibit a high-level of job competence – the effective on-going fulfillment of job responsibilities; 3) Regularly achieve goals 4) Develop short
– and long-term strategies for partnerships and funding opportunities to carry out the strategic direction from the Board of Trustees.

• Faculty and staff will have the opportunity to annually complete a comprehensive and anonymous survey of the effectiveness of the President in the duties and responsibilities as outlined, particularly with respect to the academic programs and progress of APU and the efficacy of day-to-day operations.

These surveys will be summarized by appointed members of the Faculty and Staff Assemblies and conveyed to the Board of Trustees.

Qualifications

• APU requires charismatic, inspirational leadership that can balance both strong management and academic programs that attract eager students and capable, committed faculty and staff.

The APU President should possess a wide variety of skills and experience, including, but not limited to: 

• Extensive experience in and sensitivity to racially and culturally diverse communities.

• Demonstrated knowledge and authentic understanding of the social, health, educational, training, and cultural status of the Alaska Native/American Indian community.

• Genuine interest in connecting with Alaska and Alaskans.

• Terminal degree in a field of expertise preferred, and recognized academic achievement.

• Passion for higher education and a commitment to innovation and modernization in academic programs.

• Demonstrated experience successfully leading strategic planning, organizational management, and financial management.

• Demonstrated experience in development and fundraising.

• Demonstrated community leadership experience and ability to identify, develop, and sustain partnerships.

• Highly developed communication skills, with a history of demonstrated commitment to transparency, delegated decision-making, efficient, systemic processes, technology advancements, open-door policies, ethical standards, and shared governance.

• Knowledge of current professional practices for program conception and development.