[Faculty] Special Faculty Senate Mtg Summary [Monday, Feb 19]

[Torres, Robert M - (rtorres1)]

Dear CALES Faculty,

We want to share with you a summary of a special Faculty Senate meeting that was held yesterday (Monday, Feb 19, from 3-5 pm) via Zoom. Please see the live recording here<https://arizona.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=a4fd1650-a53e-47a2-9ef7-b11c0022c94c>.

Faculty Senate Chair Dr. Leila Hudson and Dr. Gary Rhodes, chair of the General Faculty Financial Recalibration Committee (GFFRC), provided critical insights into the challenges facing the University of Arizona, focusing on proposed legislative changes and financial management issues. Chair Hudson expressed deep concerns about House Bill 2735, which seeks to alter the university's governance structure by diminishing faculty involvement in academic oversight and centralizing decision-making authority with the AZ Board of Regents and university presidents. According to Chair Hudson and many faculty senators, this bill misinterprets faculty's essential role in university governance and threatens the principles of shared governance, which are crucial for maintaining academic freedom and educational quality.

Providing a slide deck of his report [GFFREC Recommendations<https://facultygovernance.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/2024-02/February%20GFFRC%20Deck%20-%2002.28.%20V3%5B99%5D.pdf>], Dr. Gary Rhoades, leading the General Faculty Financial Recalibration Committee, discussed the committee's efforts to address financial mismanagement and advocated for fiscal discipline and targeted cuts over across-the-board reductions. He emphasized the negative impacts of central administration's overspending and the lack of expenditure controls, which have adversely affected academic units. Rhodes called for a more strategic approach to financial decisions, stressing the need to realistically assess investment returns and manage financial risks, particularly concerning athletics and UAGC. He urged for a focus on prioritizing academic units and protecting vulnerable employees from potential budget cuts, proposing a systematic reduction in senior administrative costs to foster a more financially responsible and academically focused university environment. We encourage you all to listen to the presentation as it counters the continued approach and narrative of Central Administration.

Finally, there was a brief discussion of possible Conflicts of Interest (COI) related to ABOR regents. When we have more information, we will let you know.

As always, please feel free to reach out to us via email or our anonymous Qualtrics survey (https://uarizona.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_a4vcRICRZwxfebc)

Best,
Bobby, Katie & Tim


Robert M. Torres, PhD
Neely Family Endowed Professor
Roger & Nancy Huber Eminent Faculty Scholar
Arid Lands Resource Sciences, Associated Faculty
Vice President, Association for Career & Technical Education<https://www.acteonline.org/>
Fellow, Food Systems Leadership Institute<https://fsli.org/>
Fellow, American Association for Agricultural Education<http://aaaeonline.org/>
Fellow, The Bart Cardon Academy for Teaching Excellence<https://compass.arizona.edu/cardon-academy>, CALS

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205 Saguaro Hall | 1110 E. South Campus Dr. | Tucson, Az, 85721
Telephone: 520-621-1523 | Email: rtorres1 at arizona.edu<mailto:rtorres1 at email.arizona.edu>

The University of Arizona is designated a Hispanic-Serving Institution<https://sites.ed.gov/hispanic-initiative/hispanic-serving-institutions-hsis/> that resides on the Tohono O'odham<http://www.tonation-nsn.gov/history-culture/> people's traditional territory

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