Alfredo Gutierrez (D)

ðProfession:
Retired state senator, former CEO of consulting firm and union organizer.

ðEducation:
Three years at ASU, Ph.D. (honorary degree) in humane letters from ASU.

ðAt a glance:
Gutierrez said he wants to restore funding for the state universities to it's level before last year's budget cuts.

He also wants to create a statewide system of four-year colleges with NAU as its head, to bring higher education to rural areas of the state, said Dave Wagner, communications director for Gutierrez's campaign.

Gutierrez also wants to fully fund research at UA and ASU, and keep tuition at all three universities as low as possible, Wagner said.

Janet Napolitano (D)

ðProfession:
Current Arizona attorney general, former U.S. attorney and partner at Lewis and Rocca law firm.

ðEducation:
B.S. in political science from Santa Clara University, J.D. from University of Virginia.

ðAt a glance:
One of Napolitano's top priorities is to properly fund education, said Kris Mayes, communications director for Napolitano's campaign.

Napolitano plans to amend the state constitution to allow universities to profit from research, Mayer said. This will cushion their bank accounts in the event of another round of state cuts.

Napolitano also wants to let universities do technology transfers with the community, which Mayes says will lead to a "greater partnership with local businesses."

Mike Newcomb (D)

ðProfession:
Physician.

ðEducation:
B.A. in philosophy from New York University, M.D. from Hahnemann University.

ðAt a glance:
Newcomb said Arizona must realize that "education is an investment in our future, not a cost."

In order to produce the best students, Newcomb said the state needs to provide universities with the resources to recruit top professors.

He said professors will "bring with them the intellectual capital that will be translated into economic capital." Closing tax give away loopholes will free up more money, he said.

Higher education, he said, should get the same emphasis as K-12.

Mark Osterloh (D)

ðProfession:
Ophthalmologist, former pharmacist.

ðEducation:
B.S. in pharmacy, M.D. and J.D. from UA.

ðAt a glance:
Osterloh said he believes in funding Arizona students from preschool to postgraduate education, and wants to close tax loopholes and funnel extra revenue into the state education system.

University staff and faculty should be paid adequate salaries to stop the brain drain, he said. Osterloh said he thinks the university funding must be brought up to a level that is competitive with other universities.

"We cannot compete for talented professors with inadequate salaries," Osterloh said.

Gary Fallon (L)

ðProfession:
Senior applications developer, former technical consultant.

ðEducation:
B.A. and B.S. in management information systems from UA.

ðAt a glance:
Fallon said he wants to privatize the university system and get state funding completely out of university classrooms.

The universities would rebound from this, he said.

Fallon said he thinks people in the community would give money if they saw a need for donations, either to a floundering university trying to make it in the private sector or to a prospective student who couldn't pay the higher tuition that comes hand-in-hand with a private university.

Barry Hess (L)

ðProfession:
Small business owner, former radio announcer and hearing representative.

ðEducation:
B.A. from Fordham University.

ðAt a glance:
Hess wants to privatize the university system and remove state funding completely from the universities' bank accounts.

"Our state universities need to be self-sustaining," he said.

The universities should be allowed to capitalize on their research and fund the institution through the lab, he said. Hess says that tuition at UA would likely go up if the system were privatized, but he expects foundations and organizations would develop more scholarship programs to offset the higher tuition.

Betsey Bayless (R)

ðProfession:
Secretary of state, former investment banker, Maricopa County Supervisor

ðEducation:
BA in Latin American studies and Spanish from UA, MS in public administration from ASU.

ðAt a glance:
Bayless said that Arizona needs to retain more federal research dollars to help fund the three state universities and offset cuts in state funding.

She said that in the early 1990's the universities were "bled to death," and its now time to built back the university system.

"The universities are one of the integral parts of the state economy," she said. Bayless would also like to see more utilization of distance learning.

Matt Salmon (R)

ðProfession:
Former US congressman and Arizona senator, US West executive.

ðEducation:
BA from ASU, MS in public administration from BYU.

ðAt a glance:
Salmon understands that universities are at the heart of the state's economy since they produce educated people to fill jobs around the state, said Andy Chasin, deputy press secretary of Salmon's campaign.

Salmon would amend the state constitutions to allow technology transfers between the universities and businesses, Chasin said.

Salmon would also give universities a chance to profit from research.

Carol Springer (R)

ðProfession:
State treasurer and former state senator, real estate broker.

ðEducation:
GRI, CRB and ALC (specialized real estate designations).

ðAt a glance:
Springer could not be reached for comment, but her website said that the current system used in funding education needs to be reviewed.

On K-12 education, Springer supports keeping the AIMS test, saying that "it is time now to stop procrastinating and do whatever it takes to get our children back on track to compete on a global level, including testing."

Springer says that she wants to work to improve the reading skills of Arizona students.