AIC provost gives up

Arizona Daily Wildcat Celestino Fernandez

Celestino Fernandez, who yesterday released a memo announcing his resignation effective June 30, told AIC faculty and students his 15 years of administrative service will soon come to an end. He spent four years preparing for the premiere of the year-old AIC experiment.

"The president (Likins) invited me to continue, but I made the decision not to," Fernandez said. "I appreciated the offer very much, but it was a decision I reached. It was time to move on."

Fernandez's decision comes on the heels of a petition signed by 27 UA faculty members that called for the closure of the campus.

The petition stated the branch campus, at South Santa Rita Road and Interstate 10, is a "huge waste of taxpayer money and an embarrassment for the state, especially the University of Arizona."

It also singled out Fernandez for criticism.

"Fernandez had no experience creating a new college and few faculty at the University of Arizona had confidence in his ability to do so," the petition stated.

Members of the AIC community, however, were disappointed by the announcement.

"I'm a little saddened and a little mad that he (Fernandez) has found himself in this situation," said Lucian Spataro, associate to the provost at AIC.

Fernandez said he resigned because he thought Likins should form his own AIC team.

Next year Fernandez will return to his tenured professor position in the University of Arizona's sociology department. Likins will conduct a search for a new dean.

Hank Amos, Arizona Board of Regents member, said although Fernandez has done a "good job," AIC needs new leadership.

"Sometimes you need some fresh ideas and a different pair of eyes would be good," he said. "President Likins will provide one pair and the new dean will provide the other."

With the board's approval later this month, Likins' plan will move AIC next summer to UA's main campus. The university will serve as an "incubator" until AIC develops the enrollment and financial support needed to launch its own campus.

Likins was out of town yesterday and not available for comment.

"If any of those conditions is not met after five years," Likins' plan stated, "then AIC and her students will be absorbed into the University of Arizona without unnecessary trauma."

During the past year AIC has been criticized for everything from its location to its no tenure faculty employment policy.

The no tenure policy was part of this summer's controversy when Fernandez refused to renew the contract of Kali Tal, a branch campus professor. Fernandez and the policy were criticized by the UA community.

Although Fernandez said the Tal case and the lack of AIC support from UA faculty did not influence his decision, though AIC faculty and administrators said they suspected otherwise.

"I think a lot of political factors have come together for this to happen," Spataro said.

He said it was "not fair" that Fernandez was singled out when Tal's one-year contract was not renewed this fall.

"She (Tal) has played it up as an entire dispute between him (Fernandez)," Spataro said. "But she had many other problems with other people as well. She just did not fit."

He also said criticism by some UA faculty who "don't understand what AIC is about" gave Fernandez a few headaches.

AIC professor Hiber Conteris said UA professors who do not support the branch campus, do not understand AIC's mission.

"I think the main reason (Fernandez resigned) was because he was being attacked from many different angles," said Conteris, who felt most of AIC's criticism was directed toward Fernandez.

"I was really depressed," Conteris said. "He (Fernandez) has been a really good friend and an excellent administrator."

AIC freshman Megan Hinton said although Fernandez's resignation is an "administrative loss," she believes it will not damage the branch campus' morale.

"He's been supportive of the students and the staff," she said. "He's done a wonderful job."

Hinton said, however, she hopes losing Fernandez will detract from the controversy surrounding AIC.

"The controversy may leave with him, although he was not the cause of it," she said.

AIC freshman Jennifer Hott said she was surprised to learn about Fernandez's resignation, but she realized he was doing it for the good of the students.

"It (Fernandez's resignation) does not change the fact that I'm a student and I'm getting a really good education," she said.

In the memo, Likins thanked Fernandez for his hard work and for tackling several UA administrative positions.

"I know that much of the vision of Arizona International has been his (Fernandez) work," Likins said in a memo, "and when the history of this institution (AIC) is written, he will be remembered as its first and highly tenacious leader."