University of Arizona leadership says its financial crisis should be viewed as a university-wide problem and that it will take everyone working together to get through it. But there is still plenty of pushback against the people in charge.
Professor and faculty senate member Ted Downing says there is responsibility all the way down to the bottom, but there also needs to be more accountability and transparency at the top.
Were out of budget, were running all over the place, he said Monday after leaderships forum regarding the universitys response to the crisis. That discipline was supposed to be instilled by who? The president and by the Board of Regents. Ultimately, all is accountable to him.
Downing says leaderships budget model and off budget wheeling and dealings led to this crisis.
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ABOR chair Fred DuVal said Monday that two outside firms will triple-check the universitys financial planning from here.
The governor said shed like an independent audit. An independent audit. Theyre giving us an internal audit, Downing said of the universitys plan. You cant go to the same people who caused the problem and ask them to find a solution Makes me feel that we havent really reached the bottom of this pit.
President Robert Robbins says since the fall, leadership has been taking time to fully diagnose the problem and now theyre taking action.
He says this is the start of a very transparent, very collaborative process, that we’re going to move forward to make the university more financially healthy.
Robbins did meet with the faculty senate to answer questions on Monday afternoon.
Student leaders also spoke out against UArizona administration on Monday:
“As the elected undergraduate and graduate student body leaders of UA, we were dismayed to see the misleading statements made today by the University administration. At no point prior to today’s presentation, were any student leaders consulted or informed about the University’s financial plan going forward. We are disappointed to see the university continuing to erode trust internally and externally.”