By
The Wildcat Online Opinions Board
The UA and the new state legislature are both brimming with optimism, as both hope to work cooperatively in achieving higher education goals for the state.
But this optimism ought to materialize into tangible improvements at the UA. Aside from funding the expected technology research programs, hopefully the UA can use its good relationship with the state legislature to further some projects that have been neglected: improving support for teaching assistants and increasing professor salaries.
On Monday, UA President Peter Likins visited a panel at the Arizona House of Representatives to discuss the UA's mission. House Appropriations Chair Rep. Laura Knaperek invited Likins for that very purpose. Now that there are more available funds for higher education, partly from Proposition 301, many of the UA's goals can be pursued without hesitation due to funding.
While discussing the "mission" of higher education, Likins mentioned specific aspects of the UA need to be supported in order to achieve its goals. Thankfully, increasing support for graduate teaching assistants was one of the key improvements that Likins mentioned.
The UA can now focus less on how to fund its projects and focus more on areas that deserve funding. While its mission is to become the "nucleus of the new economy," plenty of other campus improvements need to take place. With their newfound optimism, the state legislature and the UA administration can make sure these improvements materialize.
