University of Arizona hires outside firm to analyze campus safety

Weeks after a professor was shot and killed on campus, the University of Arizona has hired outside consultants to examine its safety protocols.

In a campuswide memo sent Tuesday evening, UA President Robert Robbins said the school — which has more than 39,000 students enrolled at the Tucson campus — has retained crisis management consultant firm, PAX Group, LLC, to do this work.

The UA declined Wednesday to immediately answer the Arizona Daily Star’s question about the total cost of this contract. The Star has submitted a public records request for that information.

Phil Andrew, a former special agent for the FBI, co-founded and leads the PAX Group. According to its website, the firm specializes in offering organizations consulting, training and development in community and workplace violence prevention, among other areas of service.

“I have asked the firm to be thorough, inclusive, and frank in their review, and I have pledged our institution’s full cooperation,” Robbins said. “I expect that our students, faculty, and staff will be engaged in the process in a variety of ways.”

In addition to examining the campus safety policies the UA has in place now, the firm will also offer recommendations for improvement. The firm’s report is expected in about two months.

Back to homepage

Subscriber Login

Keep reading with a digital access subscription.

Subscribe now

In the meantime, Robbins said “we will continue to refine current programs and to implement additional safety and security measures that we determine will immediately enhance our campus environment.”

The UA’s decision to contract with the PAX Group, which Robbins first announced to the Faculty Senate Executive Committee Tuesday, comes after multiple faculty members have accused the administration of not doing enough to protect them from known threats like Murad Dervish. The ex-student harassed numerous professors for months before authorities said he killed hydrology professor Thomas Meixner on Oct. 5. He is charged with first-degree murder and several other felonies.

Last week, the UA Police Department revealed it made two attempts to charge Dervish with misdemeanor threats and intimidation prior to Meixner’s slaying. The Pima County Attorney’s Office declined, citing insufficient evidence at the time.

Robbins also announced Tuesday that the UA will “engage” the expertise of Steve Patterson, a recently retired Tucson-based FBI agent to help the UA’s Threat Assessment and Management Team.