Senate Education Committee forwards two University of Alaska regent nominations to joint session

The Alaska Senate Education Committee on April 2 advanced the nominations of Karen Perdue and Christine Ressler to a joint session of the Alaska State Legislature following confirmation hearings and public testimony.

The committee chair opened the session saying the first agenda item was confirmation hearings for two Board of Regents nominees and noted both invited nominees were present in Juneau. Karen Perdue, of Fairbanks, described her long record of public service in health and higher education and said, “education is the great equalizer in our society.” Perdue detailed her service on the Board of Regents and as an associate vice president at the university system, and said she would continue to “ask the hard questions, and do due diligence and use data to make decisions.”

Christine Ressler of Anchorage, president and CEO of ASRC Energy Services Division, emphasized her private-sector and teaching experience and described efforts to link industry and university programs. Ressler told the committee she wanted to “stay, and I wanted to make this my forever home” in Alaska and said she would use board service to “foster opportunities that bolster our state economy and grow our student body.”

Two former regents and higher-education leaders provided public testimony in support of the nominees. John Davies, a former regent and legislator, said Perdue “asked the hard questions and then supported the decisions of the board.” Mary Hughes, a former regent, praised Ressler’s background in industry and teaching.

After the hearing President Stevens summarized the committee’s review and recommended forwarding the two names to a joint session. The committee record shows the names Karen Perdue and Christine Ressler will be forwarded to a joint session for consideration; no recorded roll-call vote was taken in committee.

The committee chair also reminded nominees of ethical standards the legislature expects of public officials, citing the Executive Branch Ethics Act (AS 39.52.0110) during the proceedings.

Committee members asked nominees about accreditation, enrollment strategy across the University of Alaska system, and the board’s relationship to federal guidance. Perdue described an “early warning system” for accreditation concerns and said the board expects real-time reporting from chancellors and provosts. Ressler said she would balance protecting students and academic programs while working with the board to respond to federal developments.

The nominations now move to the joint session of the Legislature for final confirmation action.