Official Statement on University of Arizona's Career-Track Faculty Non-Renewals

Below is our union's official statement on the University of Arizona's Career-Track Faculty Non-Renewals.

Approved by the UCWAZ CWA Local 7065 Executive Committee and released publicly on Wednesday, May 21st, 2025.

On Monday, May 19th, at least 10 Career-Track (contingent faculty) lecturers in the University of Arizona Writing Program received notice of their non-renewal. Next month will leave these essential educators, whose families, students, and communities rely on them, without a paycheck, and the remaining lecturers will be forced to take on additional work without any increase in compensation.

The 2024-2025 academic year proved especially profitable for the University of Arizona. With a record number of students enrolled, the University continued to push all of its campus workers to their limits. In return, our administration has chosen to punish the people who make this university’s mission possible while redirecting funds to inflate salaries of upper administrators, like the recent creation and hiring of a chief artificial intelligence and data science officer for $448,000 per year. 

The contingent faculty working in the Writing Program address student needs at the University of Arizona campus by inspiring creative and critical responses from our students who continue to confront unprecedented learning contexts. The lecturers’ deep commitment to their students despite the program’s lack of commitment to their teachers demonstrates the program’s real strength. All students rely on this program at some point in their academic career, and their success depends on the amount of time and attention their lecturer can provide. 

These annual cuts to fellow contingent faculty like those in the Writing Program are a necessary reminder to all campus workers that the University of Arizona’s administration will always choose profits over people. Whether its absurd executive bonus packages, cowardly senior leadership, or poverty-level wages for grad workers, the University of Arizona has shown its true colors.

We call on the University of Arizona to reinstate these faculty in order to deliver the university’s most important Strategic Imperative: to support student success. 

In solidarity, 

Your Union, United Campus Workers of Arizona CWA Local 7065

To read or download the statement as a PDF, click the button below.