Pete Likins UA President

It is always risky to try to write history as we make it. Still we speculate about the pivotal moments in history, even as we live them. In this spirit, I believe that historians will someday see this academic year as a critical "turning point" for our university, a moment in time when the trajectory of the university took a dramatic upward turn.

If this opinion is to have any credibility, we must distinguish clearly between "position" and "direction" (the difference between a position on a curved line and the slope of that line).

If our "position" is characterized in financial terms, some restraint in our enthusiasm will be necessary. Although research funding at UA is at an all-time high (now approaching $400 million in annual expenditures) and our billion-dollar goal for Campaign Arizona gifts is being approached rapidly (now well above $900 million), we have suffered major cuts in State General Fund appropriations in recent years (more than $38 million cut from UA operations in the past two years, with another $18 million threatened for FY '04). And our tuition rates have declined to the lowest (for residents) among the nation's 50 senior state universities. Our operating budget problems may be more acute than at any time in memory, and next year promises no relief. No one can objectively describe our current financial position as good.

From the broadest perspective, our current position is OK and perhaps even promising ...

If we attempt to characterize our current position in non-financial terms, the picture is more promising. Our stature as a national research university continues to grow. (As one measure, the latest NSF rankings for annual research expenditures put us 14th among America's public universities in FY '01, and five of those above us are campuses of the University of California.) Our undergraduates are receiving a major infusion of support funds for academic advising (with improved retention for graduation as the goal), and they are enjoying new facilities designed for students (such as the Student Union Memorial Center, the Integrated Learning Center and library expansion, the Eddie Lynch Pavilion at the McKale Center, the Ina E. Gittings Dance Theater, and the new campus housing for graduate and undergraduate students). Our facilities for students have never been better. Financial constraints on operating budgets have squeezed student services, including course offerings, but these problems can be solved quickly with the restoration of operating funds.

Any description of the current status of our university requires a characterization of progress with the diversity agenda. Although we have far to go before reasonable goals are met, our current numbers are encouraging, particularly for Hispanics (who were 13 percent of our student body in the fall of '02, added to 10 percent distributed among African Americans, Asian Americans and Native Americans). We expect to award 29 doctoral degrees to Hispanics this year and 77 master's degrees, so we're making progress at the graduate level as well. We have built a foundation on which we can grow securely.

From the broadest perspective, our current position is OK and perhaps even promising, but not yet truly stellar.

What has happened this year to make me think that we are "turning the corner" and seeing ahead a much more positive future?

The Arizona Board of Regents began this past year with a commitment to a Changing Directions initiative that enabled the University of Arizona to adopt our Focused Excellence strategy. The changes of policy adopted in one year are unprecedented:

Beginning in 2006, the University of Arizona will be empowered by the Arizona Board of Regents to manage enrollment growth, to achieve both better academic performance and greater diversity. Planning has begun already, although it will be a decade before the academic profile of UA students is truly elevated.

Beginning in fall 2003, tuition prices for UA will begin moving to market rates except for resident undergraduates, whose tuition will move in time from 50th among America's senior public universities to 33rd. Concurrently, financial aid will grow for both need-based and merit-based awards, so this university can become more affordable for selected populations (such as needy families).

Beginning in fall 2003, the "tree" of academic programs will be selectively pruned to stimulate the healthy development of programs that have reached or can attain a high level of excellence by national standards. Strategies for focusing academic excellence are currently under development.

There are also signs of a "sea change" in the relationships between Arizona's state government and her public universities. We are fortunate to have a governor who understands our critical role in contemporary society. Much more surprising is the newly emerging recognition in the Arizona Legislature of the economic impact of university research, as reflected in a bill to support the construction of UA research laboratories ($180 million) and similar facilities at ASU and NAU. We may be seeing the beginning of a new and better era for Arizona's public universities.

Pete Likins is the president of the University of Arizona.