Gov. Mike Dunleavy appointed Fernando Escobar as the next student regent to the University of Alaska Board of Regents on April 15. Escobar was born and raised in Kodiak and is attending the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Escobar has been active in community service from a young age, serving with local organizations like the Kodiak Teen Court.
Andrew Ott, an attorney who works as an advisor and teacher with the Kodiak Teen Court, said he’s seen Escobar rise through the ranks, from defense and prosecution to judge in an actual courtroom.
“They do sit up where the judge normally sits, and we put three chairs up there,” Ott explained. “He was the chief judge for like two years, so he sat in the middle and kind of presided over the proceedings.”
Escobar began attending University of Alaska Fairbanks last fall and officially started his two year term as the student regent on June 1, 2025 after being appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Legislature.
The University of Alaska Board of Regents oversees the entire University of Alaska system, including the University of Alaska Anchorage, University of Alaska Southeast and UAF.
Ott said Escobar will bring a student’s perspective to the board and make an impact on university policy.
“I think his viewpoint is going to be appreciated at the Board of Regents level, because you have a bunch of adults associated on the Board of Regents who are so many years out of the college track,” he said.
Escobar started his first week of classes on Aug. 25, and he is preparing for the Board or Regents meeting in Juneau starting on Sept. 3. He said it’s been a lot.
“These first two weeks are really hectic because it’s obviously the first week of classes, and then next week I’m in Juneau,” he said.
Escobar served on UAF’s student government last year, but he left the position to focus on academics and his role as student regent.
To prepare for the regents’ meeting, Escobar is reviewing the upcoming agenda and talking with student body presidents from UAF, UAA and UAS.
“I represent all the students across the system, and through my avenues, I speak with the chair or with the coalition of student leaders,” Escobar said. “And then I also frequently speak with other student leaders across the University of Alaska system.”
One item up for discussion at next week’s meeting is a tuition increase.
“One of the things I'm gathering input on among the student population is a proposed 3% tuition increase that has been, that has been brought up to the board, Board of Regents level,” he explained.
Another issue: mental health.
“One of the things I’ve just been hearing about is a need for additional mental health resources,” he said. “So that involves additional funding into mental health resources across the system, and that is something that I’ll be bringing up with the board.”
Even though he is the student regent, Escobar will still have powers of other regents. According to Jonathon Taylor, the spokesperson for the University of Alaska, that means voting powers too.
“They are a full voting member,” Taylor said. “They sit on committees. They participate in board meetings and special board meetings and special board meetings.”
Taylor said that at the upcoming meeting, the board will begin the process of reviewing the budget for the university system.
“In September, we have our first reading and consideration of the budget, that includes the operating budget, the capital budget, any tuition increases that may be considered,” he said.
The operating budget for the University of Alaska normally comes in at over one billion dollars. Later in the fall, the board will vote to send the budget to Gov. Dunleavy for his approval.
The state pays for roughly one third of the university system’s budget. The rest comes from tuition, federal funding and grants. The governor can make additional changes before submitting the budget to the Legislature.
Editor's Note: Matthew Schmitz is a University of Alaska student who wrote this story as a freelancer for KMXT.