University Advisory Council and Shared Governance Updates

March 11, 2024, 2:32 p.m. 

Dear Colleagues,

I am grateful to everyone – including faculty, staff, and students from across campus – who has shared ideas and responses to the recently announced University Advisory Council (UAC). I have been overwhelmed by your positive feedback and your enthusiasm for the opportunity to have even more voices and broader perspectives advising senior leadership as we advance shared governance at the University. My sincere thanks to the many faculty, staff and students who have expressed a strong interest in the UAC and nominated dozens of candidates for the council. 

Below are important UAC and shared governance updates.

University Advisory Council

I respect and appreciate all voices on campus, and that is why the UAC was created. I worked with the deans and other leaders to identify the inaugural council members, several of whom are elected representatives in other shared governance organizations. I am particularly encouraged to have students, faculty, staff, department heads and deans working together in the same room to collaboratively address issues. 

The UAC will not in any way diminish the input or impact of other shared governance partners. Rather, it will add even more voices in a new collaborative structure to advance shared governance at the University of Arizona. Our first meeting will take place next week, and we will be meeting regularly. I am excited to launch this effort that represents our diverse campus communities. Visit the UAC page to learn more about the new committee and its inaugural members.

President’s Cabinet

To additionally enhance collaboration among shared governance partners, I am reconstituting the President’s Cabinet to include leadership from the Staff Council, Faculty Senate, Deans Council, Department Heads HeadsNETWORK, University Advisory Council, Associated Students of the University of Arizona, Graduate and Professional Student Council, and Strategic Planning and Budget Advisory Committee (SPBAC), along with members of the senior leadership team. 

This collection of esteemed campus leaders will meet as a team, enabling the institution to have a more informed, consistent and unified approach to address challenges and inform decisions that best advance the University’s mission. The Cabinet will meet quarterly and will be called on to gather additionally as needed.

Shared Governance Webpage

I am pleased to share a new webpage about the University’s approach to shared governance where you will find an overview of the structure and information about shared governance committees. We are fortunate to have several shared governance organizations that represent faculty, staff and students. I encourage you to visit the page and learn more about the important work of these committees.

Moving Forward

With the complex issues facing higher education and the University, I believe this is a critical time to engage in broad and inclusive dialogue across our community. As we expand the number of voices and perspectives informing decision making, members of my leadership team and/or I will attend meetings of each group and communicate regularly with these organizations. 

Every member of the University has a valuable viewpoint to share – your voice is important – and I will continue to connect with as many individuals as possible. I am excited to partner with you in helping the University of Arizona achieve even greater success in the days, weeks and years ahead.

Thank you, and Bear Down.

Robert C. Robbins, M.D.

President
The University of Arizona

This email was sent to: faculty, staff, graduate assistants and associates, and DCCs.