University of Arizona President Ann Weaver Hartβs side job with a for-profit college firm is eroding public confidence in the entire state university system, the systemβs CEO says in an internal memo.
Arizona Board of Regents President Eileen Klein, who last month publicly lauded Hartβs decision to join the board of DeVry Education Group, said in a recent email to the other Regents that she planned to make a public statement suggesting Hart βforgo or postpone her service to DeVry.β
Klein then backtracked and didnβt release the April 11 statement. She wouldnβt specify why in an email interview on Tuesday with the Arizona Daily Star.
The Star obtained Kleinβs proposed statement and related correspondence through public records request to Regents headquarters in Phoenix and to the office of Gov. Doug Ducey, an ex-officio Regent.
In an April 9 email to the Regents, Klein wrote of her βgrowing concernβ over the negative impacts of Hartβs DeVry job.
βAs much as I stand by (Hartβs) right to make this decision, I cannot ignore that her decision is creating a distraction and a risk, not just to the university but to the system.
βIt is also impacting the publicβs perception of our leadership,β Klein told the Regents, who oversee all three of the stateβs public universities.
Hartβs DeVry post βclearly conflicts with current public perceptions about her primary role and responsibilities as the president of the University of Arizona,β Klein added.
Several hundred UA supporters, including faculty members, students, donors and 20-plus state legislators, have criticized Hartβs decision to join the board of DeVry, which is being sued by the Federal Trade Commission over claims the school routinely deceived students about their post-graduation job prospects.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs also is scrutinizing DeVry after complaints from nearly 150 military veterans.
The firm denies wrongdoing. Hart, who joined DeVry in February, has said she vetted the firm thoroughly and believes it is on solid footing.
Hart, whose UA pay package totals $665,500 this year, will receive $70,000 a year plus $100,000 in stock from DeVry.
In an email to the Star on Tuesday, Hart said she is βfully committed to the University of Arizonaβ but intends to stay on with DeVry, a position she has said sheβs pursuing in her free time.
Hart also noted that she complied with Regentsβ policy, which requires her to disclose outside work but doesnβt require board approval.
Klein, in her email to the Regents, said she decided to put out a statement following an April 9 conversation with Hart.
Reached for comment Tuesday, Klein wouldnβt say directly why she decided not to proceed. She said only that her proposed statement βled to additional conversationsβ but wouldnβt say who those talks were with or what they were about.
βI donβt have any further comment to offer about the nature of my conversations or the individuals involved,β Klein said.
The emails show that when Tucson Regent Ron Shoopman read Kleinβs proposed statement, he sent back an email asking Klein to call his cellphone for a discussion before making the statement public.
Shoopman, reached for comment, wouldnβt say what he and Klein talked about, but said he thinks Hart is doing a βremarkable jobβ at the UA.
Kleinβs email traffic shows Regent Bill Ridenour of Paradise Valley is losing patience with the DeVry situation.
When Klein wrote that she planned to make a statement to express her βgrowing concernβ with Hartβs decision, Ridenour wrote back: βI think that you should not only express your growing concern but the Boardβs growing concern.
βI think we need to ratchet up the pressure (on Hart),β Ridenour wrote.
Hart is said to be the only sitting public university president in the country serving on the board of a publicly-traded, for-profit education firm.
Another higher education leader who joined the DeVry board the same day Hart did, Chancellor Linda Katehi of University of California-Davis, apologized and quit within days after a public outcry in that state.
Regent Rick Myers of Tucson has asked the board to review the policy that allows university presidents to engage in outside work without seeking board permission.
