U of A presidential search listening session draws just two speakers

The second of three listening sessions hosted by the Arizona Board of Regents and the University of Arizona’s presidential search advisory committee drew a crowd of under 10 people Wednesday night.

The listening sessions, which are meant to gather community input about the search for the next UA president, haven’t been very well-attended. The first gathering, which took place last week, had about 40 attendees and 12 speakers.

Wednesday’s session had just two speakers and ended less than 10 minutes after it began.

“We have a fairly small turnout today,” Regent Doug Goodyear told the attendees. “Final day of classes, exams, etc. etc. Perhaps the timing may not have been the best.”

It wasn’t just the last day of classes at the university, however. The night before the listening session, a chaotic scene erupted on campus when UA President Robert C. Robbins ordered law enforcement officers to arrest members of a pro-Palestinian encampment. Four people were arrested for trespassing.

Robbins announced last month, amid controversies over the UA’s deficit, that he will step down at the end of his contract, in June 2026, or sooner if his successor is in place. The deficit stands at $162 million and is projected to shrink to $52 million next year.

Goodyear said the regents plan to open up the next listening session, on May 8, to Zoom “in order to allow more people to participate.” The meeting time and site have not yet been announced.

There also were not many members of the presidential search advisory committee present. Out of the 18-member committee, staff member Christina Rocha, Professor Caleb Simmons, Regent Fred DuVal and search consultant Alberto Pimentel were present.

ABOR Chair Cecilia Mata could not make it because she was traveling internationally, Goodyear noted.

The committee did have seven meetings Wednesday with different “stakeholder groups” across campus, DuVal said.

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“We will be doing that again a week from today with another seven or eight groups,” DuVal said.

Erin Chadd, chief of staff and director of special projects for Arizona International, said she hopes the next president will be a strong team builder.

“I would really like to see a really strong leadership team, not just a strong president,” she told the committee. “It really is a team effort.”

Despite the listening sessions’ low turnout, the online survey sent out to students, faculty and staff soliciting feedback for the committee has received more than 2,800 responses, Goodyear said.

“Even though there may not be throngs of people here in our presence, people are responding and giving us very good impact and feedback via our online survey,” he said.

DuVal ended the listening session with what he called a “statement of aspiration and optimism.”

“This is a world class university, it will remain a world class university,” he said. “This challenge we have is a serious challenge that will require a serious effort.”

“This is an institution that is rich with assets and strengths and reputation and brand,” he said.