By
Michael Okorie
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Faculty wages, dropout rates addressed at third forum
Perched atop wooden stools, UA President Peter Likins and Provost George Davis addressed issues such as underpaid faculty and dropout rates at yesterday's "town hall" meeting.
About 30 University of Arizona students and faculty members filled Holsclaw Hall, and asked more than 30 questions relevant to the UA.
Likins said the UA's dropout rate - recently reported at 23 percent by U.S. News and World Report - could be attributed to Arizona's public school system, which has a large number of secondary schools but only three state universities.
Likins contrasted Arizona's college system with those of other states, such as California - where students can attend the University of California system or the California State system.
The president addressed the issue of underpaid faculty by referring to a recent study by the Arizona State Legislature.
The study, sponsored by the Legislative Budget Committee, recommended a 5 percent increase in salaries for professors at all three state universities.
Likins added that the pay increase would not affect those who were earning more than $33,000 per year.
"No one should be making less than $7.50 an hour," Likins said, referring to employees ranging from maintenance to landscaping workers.
The hiring rates and wages of female UA faculty are also areas that need improvement, the administrators said...
"Female academic professionals seem to be undercompensated in comparison to their male counterparts," Likins said.
The president and provost both cited the UA's women's studies curriculum as an important factor in attracting women as associate and assistant professors.
"We need to take a good look at ourselves and find out what the inequities are," Davis said.
One question - sent to Likins and Davis via e-mail - was about the code of academic integrity, which Likins said students need to internalize as a virtue.
"There has to be a value system that we all need to share," Likins said. "We're going to make the UA a better place."
The next town hall meeting is set for 11 a.m. on Feb. 26 at the Arizona Cancer Center Kiewit Auditorium.
