By
Emily Severson
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Subjects covered include diversity and how the UA
The University of Arizona is one of the most important factors in Tucson's economy, said university President Peter Likins during a public forum last night.
The discussion was planned by two UA professors who are also members of St. Mark's Presbyterian Church, 3089 E. Third St., where the function was held.
Stanley Reynolds, head of the economics department, and Jack Marietta, an associate professor of history said they planned the event to give the community a chance to meet with Likins to hear how he envisions the UA in the Tucson community.
"President Likins has been a very outspoken advocate for public education," Reynolds said.
Likins said that the funding of universities has changed from being entirely funded by the state, to branching out to private sources.
"We used to be an introspective bunch, we are used to being judged by other academics but we are not used to thinking about what society out of academia thinks of us," Likins said. "We have been growing more costly and therefore we need to be a stimulus in the economy."
Society looks at the university by what we do for them, Likins said.
The UA is a significant factor in the economic development and living standards in Tucson and the state, he said.
"We spend $1 billion a year in Tucson. We have as an institution have a $2 billion impact on region," Likins said. "We are the largest employer in seven southern Arizona counties."
Another issue that was brought up during the forum was what the university is doing to increase opportunities for minority students and how it is reaching out to the poorer communities in Tucson.
"The UA is cheap and easy to get into, but once minority students get here they don't always succeed," Likins said.
The UA needs to improve in making minority students feel at home at the UA and to match the amount of minority faculty proportionately to the number of minority students, Likins said.
One of the members in the audience said he attended because he is a UA student as well as the youth director at St. Marks. He said the forum was important to him because a lot of the children in the youth programs were at the age where they were considering higher education.
About 50 people attended the meeting. The event planners sent fliers to the faculty at the UA but did not necessarily target students. It was also part of the church's ministry focus called "faithfulness in our economic life."
