Following the lead of more than 100 faculty members, a group of elected student leaders at the University of Arizona sent a letter to senior UA leaders endorsing Marie Hardin for provost.
The email signed off on a previous letter sent by faculty members to UA President Robert C. Robbins, Interim Provost Ron Marx, Interim Chief Financial Officer John Arnold, the provost search committee and the Arizona Board of Regents.
“In student leadership meetings with the provost candidates, Dr. Hardin’s communication, expertise and leadership shone through,” says the email, obtained by the Arizona Daily Star. “Student leaders clearly saw an effective champion of our voices in Dr. Hardin’s vision for student engagement and student success.”
The letter was signed by the undergraduate student body president, executive vice president and administrative vice president, as well as the graduate student body president, executive vice president and administrative vice president. All of those positions are elected and represent more than 50,000 students.
The letter endorses a previous email sent by more than 100 faculty members supporting Hardin and criticizing Joseph Glover, the other candidate to be UA’s top academic officer.
Marie Hardin
Hardin is currently the dean of the College of Communication at Pennsylvania State University, while Glover served as the provost for 15 years at the University of Florida. A third finalist, Fouad Abd-El-Khalick, dropped out of the search after accepting the provostship at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
“Both undergraduate and graduate student leaders considered Dr. Glover to be the weakest of the three campus finalists,” the student leaders wrote.
Joseph Glover
They continued that “his inability to understand basic student needs, his inappropriate comments about the role of graduate students’ core function to the university and his inability to articulate the value of our land grant and (Hispanic serving institutions) led us to the conclusion that Dr. Glover is not what UA students need in our next provost.”
The letter from the faculty members bashing Glover made similar points.
Glover, the faculty claimed, had a “very odd and concerning response” to the role of the UA as a Hispanic serving institution. The faculty also wrote that Glover has “neither an understanding nor a commitment to the values that define us as a land grant.”
Hispanic serving institution is a federal designation by the U.S. Department of Education of universities with 25% or more total undergraduate Hispanic student enrollment.
Land grant universities, established by law in 1862, were initially created to teach agriculture, science and engineering. Now, the universities provide education, research and outreach meant to benefit their communities and address societal needs. The UA is one of 57 land grant universities in the country.
In a presentation at UA earlier this month, Glover emphasized that one of the reasons he is interested in the position is the university’s land grant status and mission. “From the knowledge base of different departments and different colleges within the university, you want to take that out into the community and assist the system in a tangible way,” he said.
In a comment to the Star, Jeremy Bernick, the graduate and professional student council president who signed the letter endorsing Hardin, said that “unanimous student support for any leadership position is rare, thus this endorsement is hugely significant.”
As to whether or not Bernick thinks the UA leadership will listen?
“Given this university’s constant denial and dismissal of student voices, we will not be surprised if our endorsement is ignored,” they said.
Bernick added that students have “no trust in (university) leadership and have been alienated from major decisions, events and communication continuously.”
The letter sent by the 100 faculty members endorsing Hardin came after a separate, smaller group of faculty wrote endorsing Glover.
About 40 faculty members sent a letter urging “quick action” to hire Glover earlier this month.
“A candidate this appealing might well have other opportunities,” those faculty wrote.
The final decision is expected to be released this week.
