Karen Patricia "Pat" Pitney ( Spurgin, born August 10, 1965) is an American university administrator, former Alaska state government official, and Olympic gold medalist. She is the president of the
University of Alaska system
The University of Alaska System is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Alaska. It was created in 1917 and comprises three separately accredited universities on 19 campuses. The system serves nearly 30,000 full- and part-time stud ...
.
Early life and education
Born in
Billings, Montana
Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, it is the seat of Yellowstone County and the principal city of the Billings Metrop ...
, Pitney competed and won a gold medal in the
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...
. She became the first Olympic Champion in Air Rifle for Women, at the time being an 18-year-old student at
Murray State University
Murray State University (MSU) is a public university in Murray, Kentucky. In addition to the main campus in Calloway County in southwestern Kentucky, Murray State operates extended campuses offering upper level and graduate courses in Paducah, H ...
,
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
. The Pat Spurgin Rifle Range at Murray State University is named after her. She earned a degree in engineering physics from Murray State University and a Master of Business Administration from the
University of Alaska Fairbanks
The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF or Alaska) is a public land-grant research university in College, Alaska, a suburb of Fairbanks. It is the flagship campus of the University of Alaska system. UAF was established in 1917 and opened for cla ...
.
University of Alaska
Pitney held administrative positions at the
University of Alaska
The University of Alaska System is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Alaska. It was created in 1917 and comprises three separately accredited universities on 19 campuses. The system serves nearly 30,000 full- and part-time stud ...
for 23 years. From 2008 to 2014, she was the vice chancellor for administrative services at the
University of Alaska Fairbanks
The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF or Alaska) is a public land-grant research university in College, Alaska, a suburb of Fairbanks. It is the flagship campus of the University of Alaska system. UAF was established in 1917 and opened for cla ...
. While vice chancellor, she also served as finance vice president for the
University of the Arctic
The University of the Arctic (UArctic) is an international cooperative network based in the Circumpolar Arctic region, consisting of universities, colleges, and other organizations with an interest in promoting education and research in the Arcti ...
, starting in 2012.
Pitney volunteered as an assistant coach for the
Alaska Nanooks
The Alaska Nanooks are the intercollegiate athletics teams that represent the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The Nanooks name is derived from the Inupiaq " nanuq", meaning polar bear. The school colors are blue and gold. The Nanooks compete at t ...
rifle team at the University of Alaska Fairbanks for almost two decades. The team won nine
NCAA Rifle Championship
The NCAA Rifle Championship is an annual co-educational rifle national collegiate championship sponsored by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The tournament includes an individual and team championships consisting of the two- ...
s during that time.
Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games
Pitney was a torchbearer for the
Sochi 2014
, ''Zharkie. Zimnie. Tvoi'')
, nations = 88
, events = 98 in 7 sports (15 disciplines)
, athletes = 2,873
, opening = 7 February 2014
, closing = 23 February 2014
, opened_by = President Vladimir Putin
, cauldron =
, stadium = Fisht Olympic ...
Olympics torch relay. She traveled 3,100 miles on the Russian nuclear-powered
icebreaker
An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters, and provide safe waterways for other boats and ships. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller ...
''
50 Let Pobedy
''50 Let Pobedy'' (russian: 50 лет Победы; "50 Years of Victory", referring to the anniversary of victory of the Soviet Union in World War II) is a Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker.
History
Construction on project no. 10521 started ...
'' to the
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distinguish from the Mag ...
, where the crew ignited a cauldron with the Olympic torch.
State of Alaska
In December 2014, newly elected
Alaska Governor
The governor of Alaska (Iñupiaq language, Iñupiaq: ''Alaaskam kavanaa'') is the head of government of Alaska. The governor is the chief executive of the state and is the holder of the highest office in the executive branch of the government as ...
Bill Walker Bill Walker may refer to:
Australian rules football
* Bill A. Walker (1886–1934), Australian rules footballer for Essendon
* Bill Walker (Australian footballer, born 1883) (1883–1971), Australian rules footballer for Fitzroy
* Bill J. V. Wal ...
appointed Pitney as director of the Office of Management and Budget During the 2014-2018 Walker administration, Pitney focused on managing the impact of collapsing oil prices on the Alaska state budget. Pitney then became director of the state of Alaska's Legislative Finance Division in January 2020.
University of Alaska president
Pitney became interim president of the
University of Alaska system
The University of Alaska System is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Alaska. It was created in 1917 and comprises three separately accredited universities on 19 campuses. The system serves nearly 30,000 full- and part-time stud ...
on August 1, 2020. She succeeded acting President Michelle Rizk, who had stepped in after the resignation of President
Jim Johnsen on June 22.
Pitney's term was originally set to expire when a permanent university president was recruited. However, on January 31, 2022, the chair of the University of Alaska Board of Regents, Sherri Buretta, proposed that the pending recruitment be cancelled and that Pitney be appointed as permanent president, effective immediately. Although faculty, student and staff governance groups all protested their exclusion from the decision-making process, the Board of Regents unanimously accepted the proposal on February 25; Buretta noted that Pitney was the first woman to hold the University of Alaska presidency as a permanent position.
Pitney inherited an ongoing downsizing of the university system in response to a three-year program of scheduled reductions in financial support from the
state of Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...
. Her presidency began at the start of the second year of the reductions. To compensate for reduced funding from the state, Pitney has pursued private philanthropists,
external grants for research programs, and completion of the University of Alaska's federal land grant endowment.
The completion of the land grant passed a milestone in December 2022 with the passage of the federal
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 is a $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill funding the U.S. federal government for the 2023 fiscal year. It includes funding for a range of domestic and foreign policy priorities, including support for ...
, which directed the
Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands. Headquartered in Washington DC, and with oversight over , it governs one eighth of the country's la ...
to begin the process of transferring 360,000 acres of federal land to the University.
The Pitney administration's academic focus has been on programs which directly benefit the Alaska economy, such as alternative energy,
marine farming
Mariculture or marine farming is a specialized branch of aquaculture (which includes freshwater aquaculture) involving the cultivation of marine organisms for food and other animal products, in enclosed sections of the open ocean ( offshore ma ...
, health care education, heavy oil recovery, mining of critical minerals, and development of drone aircraft applications.
In the face of budget cuts, Pitney has also pushed forward the Alaska Native Success Initiative, which increases the involvement of Alaskan native students and faculty in University academics.
Pitney's presidency of the university system has been complicated by the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, which shut down most on-campus activities in the spring of 2020 in favor of remote instruction. Her administration gradually reopened those on-campus activities, with all in-person classes resuming in the fall of 2021.
Other activities
Pitney joined the Board of Directors of
First National Bank Alaska
First National Bank Alaska () is an American bank founded in 1922 by Winfield Ervin Sr., as The First National Bank of Anchorage. The first branch stood on the corner of 4th and G Streets in Anchorage, Alaska.
History
The bank was founded in 19 ...
in October 2022.
Legacy
Pitney has been inducted into the
USA Shooting Hall of fame.
References
External links
Meet the President: President Pat Pitneyat the University of Alaska
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pitney, Pat
1965 births
Living people
American female sport shooters
United States Distinguished Marksman
Shooters at the 1984 Summer Olympics
Olympic gold medalists for the United States in shooting
Sportspeople from Fairbanks, Alaska
Olympic medalists in shooting
Murray State Racers rifle shooters
Alaska Nanooks rifle coaches
Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics
Pan American Games medalists in shooting
Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States
Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States
Shooters at the 1983 Pan American Games
Medalists at the 1983 Pan American Games
21st-century American women