University of Arizona President Suresh Garimella will host breakfast meetings with faculty this semester as a step towards “regular, two-way communication.”
“Our goal is to have open discussions in an intimate setting to learn from your experience and seek your suggestions,” Garimella told faculty in an email inviting them to sign up for breakfasts with him and Ron Marx, the interim senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, over the spring.
The faculty breakfast series aims to have the president and provost engage in “unstructured and informal conversations” with faculty members, Garimella wrote. He pledged to accommodate as many faculty as they can this semester, and said he hopes to continue the practice in future semesters.
UA President Suresh
“Any and all contact the president has with the faculty is a good thing,” responded Chair of the Faculty Leila Hudson.
“He will find that breakfasts with faculty are a great supplement to, but not a replacement for, engaged working relationships with the elected faculty leadership, the Faculty Senate, the Committee of Eleven (another faculty governance body), and the strategic planning and budget committee,” Hudson told the Star.
The three one-hour breakfast sessions will be held on Feb. 26, April 17 and May 8, from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., at the UA’s Old Main building on campus, which is also the headquarters for offices of the university’s top administrators.
The series doesn’t involve one-on-ones with faculty members but will be more of a group setting for faculty to raise their concerns, said UA spokesperson Mitch Zak.
“Anyone who signs up can come and please share your thoughts with us and your feedback and your guidance,” Garimella told the Faculty Senate last week.
Gary Rhoades, a faculty senator and director of the Educational Leadership and Policy program, said it is a common practice nationally to have listening sessions with new presidents at universities.
“The key is whether President Garimella openly listens, hears, and in at least some ways acts on what faculty has to say, and whether he is open to a wide range of voices,” including those speaking with candor, Rhoades told the Star.
Faculty Senator Lucy Ziurys said the aim to communicate in a meaningful way with faculty is encouraging.
“The faculty after all is the key to the success of the university,” said Ziurys. “I hope the president actually listens to the faculty and acts accordingly. There is more strength in working together than not. But working together does not mean simple acquiesce and compliance.”
