UCWAZ Statement on ABOR UA Presidential Decision

Below is our official statement on the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) August 8th, 2024 decision to appoint Dr. Suresh Garimella to be the 23rd president of the University of Arizona (UA). 

Approved by the UCWAZ Executive Committee and released publicly on Wednesday, August 14th, 2024.

As the University of Arizona campus community knows, the United Campus Workers of Arizona (UCWAZ) formed in 2020 during the Robbins’ administration at a moment when, faced with glaring pandemic failures, lapses in basic safety of our workers, and a financial mismanagement crisis, we united to change the working conditions at UA. Students, staff, and faculty have worked tirelessly to bring about transparency and hold the Robbins’ administration and the Arizona Board of Regents accountable every step of the way. We are incredibly proud of our work and with the announcement of a new President last week, we see another step in our union’s success. Changes in management, however, do not mean that our struggles are over. The sudden departure of our recently arrived Provost reminds us that we must have leaders who are invested in the interest of our university. 

To that end, we welcome the opportunity to work with President Garimella and urge him to show his commitment to working shoulder to shoulder with the campus community by engaging with all our university’s employees rather than just a handpicked few, and by welcoming the input of our shared governance bodies. In particular, we urge him to establish an open process for the new search that will follow, and to appoint a Provost who has been a member of our campus community and who enjoys wide respect and support. UCWAZ, CWA Local 7065, will continue to organize around accountability and transparency within the University of Arizona. 

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