Tom Campbell

Students question Shelton's past record, stance on diversity issues

Developing a stronger connection between faculty and students is crucial to boosting retention rates at the UA, said presidential candidate Robert Shelton during a public forum Friday.

Students repeatedly questioned how Shelton has previously worked to improve these rates, specifically in terms of graduate students and diversity statistics.

Given his past experience with creating retention plans at other institutions, Shelton said there are several ways to raise numbers, but it starts with strong teacher-student dialogue.

At the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, where he is the executive vice chancellor and provost, Shelton said adding more courses and cutting class sizes proved beneficial, especially for graduate students.

"Students expect to have one-on-one research mentoring," Shelton said.

Alistair Chapman, former Associated Students of the University of Arizona president and a first-year medical student, asked for Shelton's thoughts about the large number of medical students who leave Arizona after graduation and if he had any thoughts on how to keep them working in the state.

One idea is to create a residency program in the hospitals so working close by is more accessible, Shelton said, in addition to getting the most research funding possible and spending money to recruit top-notch faculty.

In terms of undergraduate retention, Shelton said he beefed up advising hours and the interaction level between faculty and struggling students to create a better support system.

"We have to orient them so they understand the competitive environment," Shelton said. "And we have to ask faculty to be mentors."

Retaining and recruiting diversity among the student population is also something that needs attention, said Michelle Thomas, a pre-nursing freshman and 2005-2006 Miss Native American University of Arizona.

According to the UA FactBook, about 2.4 percent of UA students were American Indians in the 2004-2005 school year. Thomas questioned how Shelton would work to increase that enrollment and also keep the students who are already there.

Because family and community are of huge importance in American Indian societies, Shelton said, when those students come to college they have to overcome community pressures not to leave, so they need to be convinced the institution is a welcoming place.

Shelton said he has visited the homes and reservations of American Indian students in North Carolina to better identify with the different backgrounds and needs of the student body.

"We need to show them that the students aren't lost to the community forever," Shelton said.

A university and society needs to make every effort to stamp out hate. - Robert Shelton, presidential candidate

Tolerance on campus, especially with sexual orientation, is also a huge factor of diversity that can make a university an inviting place and have an impact on retention rates, Shelton said.

To better foster an accepting environment at UNC, Shelton said he created the first local chapter for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning students.

"I said it had to be done, it was the right thing to do," Shelton said. "A university and society needs to make every effort to stamp out hate."

Students were also interested in finding out Shelton's knowledge of repetitive tuition hikes and what kind of options could be explored in terms of how tuition dollars are spent.

Shelton said his current institution has also experienced tuition jumps, and he's since created a tuition taskforce to determine what recommendations should be made to the state board of trustees about how the money should be allocated.

The taskforce comprises trustees, faculty, undergraduates and graduate students, who Shelton said recommended most dollars last year be spent toward financial aid, increased teacher assistant salaries, and higher faculty salaries, in that order.

"Involving students in the discussion is crucial," Shelton said. "They have great, well-thought ways to improve the university and are real allies in making the university a better place."

Though only 16 of the 75 students could ask questions before time ran out, the questions were impressive and possibly more challenging than what's been asked by the search committee thus far, said Ben Graff, the voting student regent of the Arizona Board of Regents, who is a search committee member.

Lauren Conway, a political science freshman, said she felt Shelton did a good job of answering the questions directly and not "skirting" around the issues.

"He handled the tough questions well," Conway said. "And I was impressed with his charisma; he seemed really approachable."

It was also nice to see how engaging Shelton was and how it didn't seem like he was giving any "stock answers," said Andrew Record, Arizona Student Association director and a political science junior.

Fred Boice, a regent and search committee chairman, said he was pleased with the turnout and hopes that next week's forums attract a similar attendance.

Tom Campbell, dean and professor of the Haas School of Business at the University of California-Berkeley, will be speaking at today's student forum at 2:15 p.m. in the Student Union Memorial Center North Ballroom.

The faculty forum is in the same location at 3:30 p.m. and the public forum will follow at 5:15 p.m.