By
Kevin Clerici
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Candidate forums begin today, students welcome to attend
Students are encouraged to speak up at an open forum for the position of Vice President of Undergraduate Education today in the Memorial Student Union.
An 18-member search committee has narrowed the field to five candidates, and it wants faculty, staff and student input on each before it makes a recommendation to Provost George Davis later this month. Students will have 10 opportunities - two for each - to meet the candidates.
"Come out and be heard," said Rick Kroc, search committee member and director of the Office of Assessment and Enrollment Research. "This is a wonderful opportunity for students.
"In terms of setting priorities for undergraduate student programs and initiates, there is no more a pivotal position on campus."
Candidate Randy Richardson, interim vice president of undergraduate education since July and UA geosciences professor, will answer questions and present his platform today from 2 to 3 p.m. in the student union's Rincon Room. Richardson will also be available for questions from 2 to 3 p.m. tomorrow in the Memorial Student Union, Room 256.
Forums for the other candidates will take place after spring break.
"I will be very disappointed if students don't show up," said Chuck Tatum, College of Humanities dean and search committee chair. "This is one position that directly affects (student) life at the university."
Forum attendees may pose questions and are encouraged to fill out anonymous evaluation forms for the search committee.
"I know that one of the pressing issues for students right now is undergraduate advising," Tatum said. "As a student, I would be very interested in knowing how the candidate is going to create a better system at the university.
"I would want to have some specific answers to their plan. I would want to know that they are thinking about it. This is (the students') chance to find out."
The vice president sits on UA President Peter Likins' cabinet and reports directly to Provost Davis, the chief academic officer of the university. The new vice president must vigorously raise funds for undergraduate scholarships, Tatum said.
"By token of it being a VP appointment, that person has direct access to decision makers at the highest level," Kroc said.
The candidates include Richardson; Jerry Hogle, university distinguished professor of English and UA faculty chair; Phillip Kraemer, dean of undergraduate studies at the University of Kentucky; Susan Steele, vice provost for undergraduate education and instruction at the University of Connecticut; George Bridges, associate dean and associate vice provost, office of undergraduate education and sociology professor at the University of Washington.
The vice president for undergraduate education has influence on major student issues such as curriculum, registration, class scheduling and tuition.
Other areas of concern for undergraduates include:
financial aid
assuring courses are available and opening more sections if necessary
assuring advising is available and accessible to students
enrollment management as enrollment figures increase
facilitate student registration
vice president will have some input in tuition setting
"As a student, I'd want to know the kind of person who is going to have this kind of jurisdiction on my life, said Jonathan Hartman, a doctoral student in retailing and consumer sciences. "I would want this person to be nice and to really care about students, which is something the administration hasn't always cared about."
Like all administrative vice presidents, the position has a yearly renewable contract.
"All student evaluations will weigh heavily," Tatum said. "Look at it this way. There are more students than faculty and staff. This is a great opportunity."
