The time is now

Phillip "Aarnaquq" Charette's appointment as associate director of Community and Belonging and the Indigenous and Rural Student Center marks both a homecoming and the continuation of a lifelong commitment to education. Once a beneficiary of the very kinds of programs he now leads, Charette is uniquely positioned to support today's students with the same care and guidance that shaped his own path.

"Ultimately, my job is making sure that students understand that this is a place that they can come to, that they can be at and be supported, and feel like there's somebody here for them, like there was somebody there for me," said Charette.

Born at a military installation in Jacksonville, Arkansas, Charette grew up spending summers in Bethel, Alaska, where his maternal family lived, and winters in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where his paternal family lived. When it came time for college, he remained in Florida, but grew disillusioned by a lack of advising and sense of community. Ready to stop out, Charette instead followed the encouragement of an aunt studying and working at the University of Alaska Fairbanks to move back north, which reinvigorated his educational journey.

Majoring in education at UAF, Charette discovered Rural Student Services - a program that provided the community and support he needed to succeed. What began as assistance quickly became inspiration, as he threw himself into mentoring, student leadership and eventually peer advising.

Charette's only break from the University of Alaska system came when he pursued graduate study at Harvard University. There, the lessons he carried from Alaska distinguished him among peers from some of the world's most elite universities. Practical experience mentoring rural and Indigenous students gave him an ability to connect theory with lived reality, and his solutions-oriented perspective helped guide international projects.

"Languages and cultures might be different, but many places around the world face the same challenges," said Charette of a resource distribution problem assigned to his Harvard class by the Ministry of Education in Egypt. Charette's solution, which drew inspiration from similarly resourced Alaska villages, was ultimately adopted by the ministry. "What it really came down to is what I learned within the University of Alaska system and being a big brother who was there to reach out to, network, connect and problem-solve with."

When Charette returned to Alaska, he stepped into various leadership roles across the UA system, culminating in his tenure as director of the Department of Alaska Native Studies and Rural Development at UAF. Emphasizing empowerment, his approach encouraged faculty, staff and students to articulate their visions of the future and take ownership of their programs. Under his guidance, degree pathways were redesigned to highlight transferable skills and career outcomes, ensuring students could connect their education to both cultural relevance and professional opportunity.

Beyond the UA system, Charette's commitment to education and community includes helping establish an Indigenous preschool that earned national recognition for its cultural concept, grounded curriculum, program innovation and architectural design. His contributions also reach internationally through collaborations with the University of the Arctic, where he helped set new standards for ethical research practices in Indigenous communities. These efforts earned him rare honors, including multiple chief's necklaces from various Indigenous tribes - symbols of cross-cultural respect that underscore the impact of his leadership.

Now at UAA, Charette brings that same vision to the Community and Belonging department and Indigenous and Rural Student Center. He acknowledges the program is in a period of transition, but sees opportunity in rebuilding. His immediate priority is stabilization - reestablishing trust, ensuring students feel supported and laying a strong foundation for future growth. In the longer term, Charette envisions expanding partnerships with departments, corporations and tribal organizations to align resources with student needs.

At the heart of Charette's leadership is a belief in continuous growth. He expects his staff, students and himself to keep learning, a philosophy rooted in family teachings that emphasize the value of lifelong education. He applies this not only to individuals, but to institutions, insisting that universities must grow, adapt and evolve to remain vital.

"I'm a team player, so my goals are the collective goals of everyone who has a stake in the game - everyone who understands that for the city, state and country to grow, we have to grow people in a way that will help change things," said Charette. "But what I really am is an educator. I love making people think, and I hope we can get others to think. Because in the context of all the tremendous change happening now on a very large scale, the time is now - the time to share, the time to discuss, the time to debate, the time to do all of that is now."