University of Arizona President Suresh Garimella emphasized the importance of federal and state funding as he responded to top professors urging him to stand up to Trump administration orders they say threaten UA’s core values.
“With more than $470 million in federal research grants, more than $380 million in state funding, and over $70 million in federal Pell Grants supporting 22% of our student body, we are deeply committed to sustaining the work and supporting the success of our students, faculty, and staff, while preserving the long-term financial stability of the university,” Garimella wrote in a letter Monday to the professors.
“We also have a responsibility to comply with the laws and guidelines that apply to our public university,” he said.
The Trump administration has ended some funding and threatened to pull more from universities that don’t meet various ideological demands, including ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs. The Republican-controlled Arizona Legislature has also threatened loss of state funding if DEI is not eliminated.
Garimella
Garimella was responding to the more than 60 Regents and Distinguished professors who wrote to him Friday asking him to fight what they call unlawful conditions being placed on federal funding; to protect students and international scholars, “many of whom are living in fear of deportation;” and more.
The professors had written: “It is imperative that universities present a united front against threats to our firm commitment to academic freedom, and the rights guaranteed to all of us — faculty, staff, and students alike — by the US Constitution: freedom of speech, equal protection, and due process under the law. We urge you to issue a statement affirming the University of Arizona’s commitment to these principles.”
Garimella responded that UA administrators are collaborating with the Association of American Universities, the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities and peer institutions, and are in ongoing dialogue with Arizona’s congressional delegation and state legislators. He did not mention specifics about these conversations and collaborations nor what their goals are.
“Our efforts are focused on protecting our academic freedom and research strength, and of course the success and access for our students, all of which are foundational to our land-grant mission,” Garimella wrote, without addressing the specific actions requested by Regents and Distinguished professors.
Garimella said UA has “worked methodically,” including through advocacy “in support of the legal process.”
It has taken “proactive steps,” he wrote, to support the continuity of its research through its Bridge Funding program, announced to faculty and researchers March 6, to bridge gaps when federal grants are paused or stopped.
Thomas Sheridan, a UA Distinguished Outreach Professor Emeritus of anthropology who signed the letter to Garimella, said, “I don’t believe the president addressed the calls for action.”
Marcia Rieke, a UA Regents Professor of astronomy who also signed the letter, said while Garimella’s response included some good points, she “was hoping that it would include more mention of concrete actions showing that the University of Arizona stands united with our fellow universities, both within the state of Arizona and nationally.”
On April 22, more than 150 university presidents signed onto a statement titled “A Call for Constructive Engagement,” saying they are showcasing a united front. The statement, which now has over 400 signatures, was issued by the American Association of Colleges and Universities or AACU.
“We are open to constructive reform," that statement says, "and do not oppose legitimate government oversight. However, we must oppose undue government intrusion in the lives of those who learn, live, and work on our campuses. We will always seek effective and fair financial practices, but we must reject the coercive use of public research funding."
No Arizona presidents — Garimella, Arizona State University President Michael Crow and Northern Arizona University President José Luis Cruz Rivera — have signed onto this statement.
Rieke said she would feel better if Garimella signed the letter. Sheridan said he was deeply disappointed Garimella did not sign the Call for Constructive Engagement letter.
Keith Maggert, a UA professor of molecular and cellular biology, said: “We know that collective stands do make a difference. I wish President Garimella would lead us to sign on to something like the AACU statement. That would put us in the company we’d like to keep.”
