The Next Chancellor of the University of Alaska Southeast

Aparna Dileep-Nageswaran Palmer has been selected as the next chancellor of the University of Alaska Southeast in Juneau. She will take office on July 1.

According to the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Education, the University of Alaska Southeast enrolls just under 2,000 students, including 240 graduate students. Women make up 65 percent of the undergraduate student body.

“I am honored to be appointed as chancellor of such an amazing and distinctive university and I am committed to UAS, the UA System, and to Alaskans,” Dr. Palmer said. “I look forward to working with the incredible faculty and staff to support their work and educational mission, and creating more opportunities for students to access higher education. Having lived in, taught about, and done research on Pacific Northwest coastal organisms and ecosystems, I’m excited to make Southeast my home. Along with the great alumni, and with the support of the Juneau, Ketchikan, and Sitka communities, we will continue leveraging UAS’ strengths and opportunities to further empower Alaska.”

Dr. Palmer currently serves as a vice president at Front Range Community College in Westminster, Colorado. Earlier she was the assistant vice president for academic affairs and a professor of biology at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction.

Dr. Palmer is a graduate of Colorado State University, where she majored in English and biological sciences. She earned a Ph.D. in zoology from Washington State University