Chancellor Cheryl Siemers: An inside look

Following the retirement of previous UAA Chancellor Sean Parnell in May 2025, Cheryl Siemers took over as interim chancellor. On March 8, she was appointed to the permanent position.

The Northern Light interviewed Siemers to learn more about how she started in the UA system. 

Seimers said she moved to Alaska for family reasons and fell in love with it. 

She shared an anecdote that her academic advisor at Cedarwood University asked her if she ever thought about teaching college students. As a freshman in college, she said had not considered it before. Siemers said this question lit a fire under her career.

She said her time as a professor at Kenai Peninsula College — or KPC — led to an increase in community engagement curriculum, as she worked closely with faculty to bridge the gap between students and their community. 

According to Siemers, during the COVID-19 Pandemic, she stepped in as director at KPC, she listened to input from the students. She said her role led to an increase in hybrid classes and enrollment. 

Siemers said her philosophy centers engagement with students, working with commuters, Alaska Native students and the rest of the student body to ensure that they feel they belong. 

In her first year as UAA’s chancellor she is already hard at work, meeting with members of the student government to hear what needs immediate focus.