Indigenous faculty ask U of A to remove administrator

A University of Arizona Native American faculty group is asking top administrators to reinstate the director of Native American Student Affairs and remove the assistant vice provost of Native American Initiatives.

Six Native American faculty members signed a letter June 5 to university President Suresh Garimella, Provost Patricia Prelock, Chief of Staff Francisco Garcia and Faculty Chair Leila Hudson.

It states the faculty members have “no confidence” in Tessa Dysart, the assistant vice provost of Native American Initiatives who was appointed in July 2024 after Karen Francis-Begay left in 2023. The letter alleges Dysart is “sowing harm, distrust, and division within the UA Native community.”

Signed by faculty members Karletta Chief, Andrew Curley, Stephanie Russo Carroll, Jameson D. Lopez, Sheilah E Nicholas and Valerie Shirley, the letter alleges Dysart has taken actions that are “unprofessional, misaligned with the interests of students, and, at times, clear attempts at intimidation.”

They said they couldn’t “in good faith” recommend that Native American students attend the University of Arizona under Dysart’s leadership, and that they would prefer to refer them to Arizona State University or Northern Arizona University.

Dysart did not respond to an Arizona Daily Star request for comment, and UA spokesperson Mitch Zak said she is not available for an interview with the Star.

Specifically, the faculty letter said:

— That Dysart and another senior administrator with Native American Advancement and Tribal Engagement “physically silenced a Native American female student“ when she tried to speak during a UA Tribal Summit in February on the UA’s changing of its land acknowledgement statement after the Trump administration ordered a ban on diversity, equity and inclusion.

— Dysart has shown lack of support for academic and community panels on the Land Back movement, a nationwide effort advocating for the return of Indigenous lands and resources historically taken from Native American communities.

— Dysart hasn’t worked with Native American student admissions, retention and service programs in higher education.

— That Dysart responded “I can go anywhere I please” when she was asked to leave the physical space of Native American Student Affairs (known as NASA) by its then-director Julian Juan in April because students weren’t comfortable with Dysart being in their “safe space.”

The faculty members also wrote in the letter that they could not list additional specific points because they want to “protect the identities of the students and staff.”

They ask that Juan be brought back as Native American Student Affairs director, after he was let go on May 27 when the UA announced the centralization of its cultural and resource centers.

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The Star submitted questions for Garimella, Prelock and Garcia through spokesperson Zak, including whether they have responded or will to the faculty letter and its requests, including the faculty members’ request that they reinstate Juan and move Native American Student Affairs back under Jenna Hatcher, a vice provost and special advisor to the provost.

Garimella, Prelock and Garcia did not respond to the Star’s questions.

Zak said UA serves approximately 2,000 Native American students from 200 Native nations across the country. “Native students are valued members of the U of A community, and we have taken steps to support them by strengthening Native American Student Affairs,” Zak said in a written statement.

“NASA continues as an independent program now led by Associate Vice Provost and Professor Tessa Dysart, a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. Vice Provost Dysart is already bringing a more coordinated, student-centered approach to this important work, in close collaboration with Provost Prelock and Senior Vice President for Native American Advancement and Tribal Engagement Levi Esquerra,” Zak wrote. “While we welcome input from members of our campus community, we are confident in NASA’s new leadership and the positive direction it is taking.”

Faculty members in the letter said they don’t think Dysart is qualified for her position, for which Zak said she is paid $195,435 annually. They claimed she gave misleading information during the interview process when she said she had a long-standing relationship with Native American students in UA’s law school.

They also said Dysart wasn’t recommended by the hiring committee, but was instead “unilaterally appointed” by former Provost Joseph Glover, who held his position at the UA for only two months last year before leaving.

“The high-profile conflicts between Dysart and UA students and staff — many of which we’ve known and worked with for a long time — have sparked public backlash against the UA, particularly from Native alumni and community members,” the faculty members wrote.

Juan told the Arizona Mirror, which first reported about the faculty letter, that one Indigenous student told him Dysart made derogatory comments about tribal colleges and universities, saying they don’t adequately prepare students for the rigors of a Western university.

UA Chair of the Faculty Leila Hudson She said she hasn’t seen a response from administration, but she has responded to the faculty group and intends to work with them more closely.

The six faculty members who signed the letter declined to answer questions from the Star including whether they received any response from administrators to their requests.

Juan took to Instagram after being informed of his termination to say he believed it was a result of retaliation after he stood up for Native American students’ safety. He also mentioned the incident in which he asked Dysart to leave NASA’s physical space as one that might have led to retaliation.

Asked by the Star to respond to Juan’s Instagram comments, Zak said, “The effort to strengthen NASA reflects the university’s unwavering commitment to improve outcomes” for its Native students.

“Provost Prelock, Professor Dysart, and Senior Vice President Esquerra are working tirelessly with our Tribal partners to ensure this work is grounded in shared values and shaped by ongoing meaningful engagement,” Zak said. “We are excited about NASA and confident in our ability to serve Native students and the sovereign Tribal Nations we honor and respect.”

In his Instagram video message, Juan, a member of the Tohono O’odham Nation, said Native American Student Affairs is for students. “No student should feel unsafe in there.”

“I think the most heartbreaking thing is just in advocating for Native students, I began to see a path forward for me to be pushed out,” he wrote. “And what that signals to me is that advocating for students, advocating for Native students is a no-no. Advocating for the safety of these students is a no-no. Calling out harm, calling out a misuse of your position is a no-no. I can physically silence a student apparently, but I cannot advocate for them. That’s a no-no.”