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Dr. Smentkowski joins UA from the University of Idaho, where he was the founding director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, and also served as a professor of political science.

Dr. Smentkowski earned his B.A. in American politics from Marshall University, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in political science from the University of Kentucky. Prior to the University of Idaho, he served as the director of the Center for the Advancement of Faculty Excellence at Queens University of Charlotte; director of faculty and academic development programming at Appalachian State University; and as a faculty member and associate dean at Southeast Missouri State University. As a part of the transition, Dr. Smentkowski will visit all three of UA’s universities in person in his first months.

Teri Cothren began her career in workforce development at the University of ÌÒ»¨Ö±²¥ Anchorage (UAA) shortly after graduating from UAA and later transitioned to the System Office where she has served in various workforce development roles and currently as Associate Vice President of Workforce Development. In this capacity she is an associate member of the UA Community Campus Directors Council, member of the National Association of State Directors of Advance Career and Technical Education (CTE), served in various board positions and continues to be involved as an engaged member and committee participant for the ÌÒ»¨Ö±²¥ Association for Career and Technical Education, member of the Board of Directors for the ÌÒ»¨Ö±²¥ Safety Alliance, chair of the UA Fisheries, Seafood and Maritime Initiative, co-chair of the ÌÒ»¨Ö±²¥ Maritime Education Consortium, and vice chair of the ÌÒ»¨Ö±²¥ ACT Council. Cothren also is an active member with CTE partners around the state, including the ÌÒ»¨Ö±²¥ Departments of Labor and Workforce Development and Education and Early Development, to implement the ÌÒ»¨Ö±²¥ Career and Technical Education Plan and other industry workforce development plans for health, maritime, mining and oil & gas. In 2016, Cothren received the UA Statewide President's Spotlight Award for her contributions in CTE and workforce development.

Cothren is an alumna of UAA, obtaining an undergraduate degree in psychology, and UAA Athletics Women's Basketball. She completed a Master of Public Administration from University of ÌÒ»¨Ö±²¥ Southeast in 2022 and was recognized by the program faculty as a recipient of the Ernest Gruening Award for Outstanding Graduate.

Gwendolyn (Gwen) Gruenig serves as Associate Vice President of Institutional Research and Analysis. She has held various positions with the university since 1993 and currently oversees a wide range of functional responsibilities for the UA system, including: institutional, operational and ÌÒ»¨Ö±²¥ research and analysis; planning support and standards; enterprise-wide decision-support data and reporting, setting common reporting standards; university survey assessments; external reporting to federal, state government and private entities; performance-based budgeting; accountability and performance assessment.

Gruenig is a life-long ÌÒ»¨Ö±²¥n and brings a broad range of experience to her current position. Her education includes an undergraduate degree in psychology and a graduate degree in statistics. In addition to her duties with the system office, Gruenig is a former adjunct faculty member, teaching introductory statistics courses for the UAF mathematics department. She has also been employed as a statistical consultant to researchers and private businesses for a number of years, specializing in social science research and project management.