Mat-Su College Director announces upcoming retirement

WASILLA — Mat-Su College Director Talis Colberg recently announced his intent to retire in October after 13 years of leading the campus.

“Watching my students attain successful moments in their own lives has been wonderful," Colberg stated in a recent press release.

Colberg was the 10th director hired by the Mat-Su College, and he has plenty of history with the campus, starting when it was still known as Palmer Community College.

According to the press release, Colberg was hired as an algebra tutor in 1974 by the acting director Al Okeson.

Colberg was hired even though he was still attending high school. The position only required a few hours of work per week. Colberg took his first class on campus the following year. The time he spent at the college sparked an unwavering dedication to the campus that would eventually blossom into a fully committed career.

The Palmer Community College officially became part of the University of Alaska Anchorage In 1987. Colberg was establishing his legal career during that time period.

Colberg found his way back to the campus in 1992 to teach a history class.

“That evening of talking about a topic I loved was perhaps one of the best things that ever happened to me,” Colberg stated in the press release. "I taught seventy-two classes (history and law) at this college. Teaching those classes was the best job I have ever had.”

Colberg continued his work at the university as an adjunct professor at night while working his day job as an attorney and some additional work as a Borough Assembly Member, a twice-elected Borough Mayor and then three years as Alaska’s Attorney General.

Colberg was hired as the director of the Mat-Su College in 2010, leading the campus through numerous challenges such as the construction of the Glenn Massay Theater and navigating through the pandemic.

Colberg will continue his duties as the college seeks out a replacement.

“We honor Talis Colberg’s many years of service to our college, the people of the Mat-Su Valley and our state,’ UAA Chancellor Sean Parnell stated in the press release. “His intellect, wit, kindness and passion for teaching will be sorely missed. We wish Talis the very best in his next chapter. We look forward to working with him as a colleague until his retirement this fall and into the future.”

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com