{"id":191,"date":"2026-05-27T23:08:29","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T23:08:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alaskamovingnetwork.com\/?p=191"},"modified":"2026-05-27T23:08:29","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T23:08:29","slug":"army-colonel-chosen-to-lead-university-of-alaska-fairbanks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alaskamovingnetwork.com\/?p=191","title":{"rendered":"Army colonel chosen to lead University of Alaska Fairbanks"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

A senior Army officer will serve as the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ new chancellor. Col. Russell Vander Lugt will step down from leading the 11th Airborne Division’s Arctic Aviation Command at Fort Wainwright to assume the role in September.<\/p>\n

Read more Seward Highway crash on Memorial Day kills 3<\/a><\/p>\n

That’s according to a University of Alaska announcement<\/u> Wednesday morning.<\/p>\n

Jonathon Taylor, a spokesperson for the university system, said Vander Lugt is a scholar in his own right with deep ties to the state, having graduated from UAF with a doctorate in Arctic and northern History.<\/p>\n

\n“Col. Vander Lugt was selected because of his leadership style and philosophy based on trust,” Taylor said. “He’s also very focused on the role the Arctic plays in the world, and his combination of academic, military and Arctic experience made him the best candidate for the job.”<\/p>\n

Read more FAA proposes $165K fine for Alaska Airlines over drunk passengers<\/a><\/p>\n

\nFormer University of Alaska President Pat Pitney, who retired last week,<\/u> selected Vander Lugt from a pool of four finalists after a monthslong search.<\/u> Vander Lugt’s base salary will be $309,000.<\/p>\n

\nInterim Chancellor Mike Sfraga’s last day will be May 30, but Vander Lugt won’t start until Sept. 9. Larry Hinzman, who directs the university system’s Arctic Leadership Initiative, will serve as interim chancellor over the summer.
\n
Copyright 2026 KUAC<\/p>\n

Read more Proposed Alaska gas pipeline has a narrow window of viability, estimates suggest<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Col. Russell Vander Lugt, who holds a doctorate in Arctic and northern history from UAF, now leads the 11th Airborne Division’s Arctic Aviation Command at Fort Wainwright.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":190,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-191","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nArmy colonel chosen to lead University of Alaska Fairbanks - Alaska Moving Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/alaskamovingnetwork.com\/?p=191\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Army colonel chosen to lead University of Alaska Fairbanks - Alaska Moving Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Col. 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