We ran a blog post here a couple days ago from Oscar Martinez, a tenured professor from the UofA. The gist of the story was the UofA is declining, class sizes have ballooned beyond control and the ship isn’t being steered correctly. He singled out UofA provost, Meredith Hay in particular. As a tenured professor I guess he’s got some job security or at least a lot of confidence in what he’s doing. Here’s the money quote from last weeks editorial:
Provost Meredith Hay, in particular, has become a lightning rod and legions of faculty and administrators would like to see her vacate her post.
Today another opinion comes out in the Star from UofA President, Robert Shelton and none other than – Meredith Hay. It’s a great cover your tail piece about tough budget times, openness is decision processes and all kinds of fun stuff. Read the article HERE.
We’ve commented on this blog before on the UofA’s ineffectiveness on creating jobs for our local community. They graduate 4000 plus eager young minds per year and we watch them leave our community because of a lack of jobs or economic opportunity. A university in your town can do a lot more than support a few college bars and wreck havoc with neighborhood infill developments. Take a look at Univ of Texas – Austin or the research triangle with North Carolina and Duke and you can see how powerful a force a good university can be in your local community.
I guess Shelton and Hay tried to make the leap that they are going their part to make Arizona a better place:
• Second, which units have the greatest outreach and impact on the citizens of our state? Our mission to serve the entire state and support its citizens is of the utmost importance during the financial crisis.• And third, which units will most likely have a positive economic impact on the state, with an emphasis on job creation and growth? If the state of Arizona is to recover and stabilize its own revenues, then the university has a duty to protect and invest in those areas where the university has the greatest impact on job and business growth.
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From today’s AZ Star – I wonder if Hay reads this blog?
University of Arizona provost Meredith Hay responded to criticism from a faculty survey by apologizing and saying she will meet frequently with faculty.
Of the 858 faculty who participated in the poll, 574 said they do not support the way the provost has handled the state budget cuts. The Legislature has cut about $100 million in funds to the UA in two years.
“I’ve heard the message loud and clear from the faculty that I must do a better job communicating. I believe that to my core,” Hay told the faculty senate Monday. “I will do a better job. I’ve obviously failed in that regard and I offer you my mea culpa.”
Better communication will happen at biweekly meetings with each college, she said.
Lynn Nadel, a regents professor and chairman of the campuswide Strategic Planning and Budget Advisory Committee, said Hay’s apology was brave and appropriate.
To admit mistakes, apologize and change course is “the essence of good leadership,” he said. “This is a situation where good leadership could make an enormous difference, and I think she aspires to that.”