New deans take the helm
September 6, 2012
Three new deans have joined the ranks of academic leadership at UAF.
Allan Morotti, who has served as interim dean of the School of Education since July
2011, has been named to the permanent position. Morotti came to UAF in 1995 and has
served as coordinator for the School of Education’s guidance and counseling programs.
He is also a licensed professional counselor. His 40-year career includes work in
K-12 education, higher education and community organizations. He has an associate
degree from San Joaquin Delta College, a bachelor’s degree from California State University
at Hayward, graduate education licensure work at St. Mary’s College, and a master’s
degree and a doctorate from the University of Oregon, Eugene.
UAF alumnus and artist Todd Sherman has been selected as the dean of the College of
Liberal Arts. Sherman first joined the UAF faculty in 1986 as an adjunct professor.
Since 2007, he has been a full professor in the art department. He is the founder
and director of the UAF Visual Art Academy and his work has been exhibited at a wide
variety of locations in Alaska, as well as in the Lower 48 and internationally. During
his 25-year career, he has completed multiple permanent installations at public facilities
in the Fairbanks area. He earned a bachelor’s degree from UAF in 1979 and an MFA from
the Pratt Institute in New York in 1985.
Volcanologist and UAF professor emeritus John Eichelberger will serve as the dean
of UAF’s graduate school. His nearly four decades as a researcher and educator have
included service as Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories and
the Alaska Volcano Observatory, along with his work as a volcanology professor at
UAF. Since his retirement in 2008, he has managed the U.S. Geological Survey’s Volcano
Hazards Program. Eichelberger has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Massachusetts
Institute of Technology and a doctorate from Stanford University.