​Forums for PAIR director search

May 2, 2019

University Relations

Two candidates for the director of the office of Planning, Analysis and Institutional Research will give a public lecture as part of the selection process. Individual, one-hour presentations by Adam Watson and Sylvan Robb will focus on their vision for PAIR. There will be an opportunity for candidates to answer questions from the audience. The public forums will be available via live stream and will be recorded.


Audience members can submit questions during the public forum by emailing uaf-provost@alaska.edu. The public is welcome to provide anonymous feedback on the candidates at the Provost’s Office website.


Faculty, staff and students are strongly encouraged to attend these presentations. A reception with light hors d’oeuvres will follow the forums.




Photo courtesy of Adam Watson.
Photo courtesy of Adam Watson.

Adam Watson
Monday, May 6, 5-6 p.m.
Schaible Auditorium


Watch the recording here.


Adam Watson has been in institutional research at UAF and in the UA system for nine years, and has been involved with UAF as a student, employee and instructor for 15 years.  He has been acting director of PAIR since October 2018.


Watson graduated from high school in Singapore, and earned a B.A. in Asian studies from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.S. in statistics from UAF. Before entering graduate school at UAF, he spent a decade in journalism, working as a newspaper editor and designer.

Watson is responsible for data and analysis in support of institutional planning and decision-making. His primary interests lie in improving IR efficiency through automation and self-service, improving collaboration between IR and the people and entities its data describes, and in bringing advanced analytic techniques to bear on institutional challenges such as improving student success and forecasting future financial and enrollment activity.

For Adam Watson’s CV, please visit the director’s search web page.




Photo by David Lienemann/Office of Gov. Bill Walker.
Photo by David Lienemann/Office of Gov. Bill Walker.

Sylvan Robb
Tuesday, May 21, 5-6 p.m.
BP Design Theater (ELIF 401)


Watch the live stream here.


Sylvan Robb has been in Juneau working for the State of Alaska since fall 2015. She is currently the director of Administrative Services for the Department of Corrections. She worked for several years as a policy analyst at the Office of Management and Budget under Gov. Bill Walker researching policy proposals and analyzing options related to the state’s finances and management policies.


Before moving to Juneau, Robb lived in Fairbanks for 12 years, where she worked at a local consulting firm for 11 of those years. There she conducted research, provided analysis, and led strategic planning efforts for a variety of clients including the state, the university, school districts, municipalities, nonprofits, and tribal entities. She also worked for UAF for 15 months researching areas for potential budget reductions and making recommendations to leadership.

Robb spent the 10 years before she moved to Alaska as a researcher in Chicago at a children’s policy research center at the University of Chicago and as assistant director of research for the Illinois Department of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse. She has a master’s degree in policy and management from the University of Chicago.

For Sylvan Robb’s CV, please visit the director’s search web page.


For more questions or concerns you may contact Jennifer Hoppough at 474-7096 or jahoppough@alaska.edu.