The Arizona Board of Regents will convene in Flagstaff, Ariz., on Thursday and Friday to discuss the affairs of the Arizona University System. Below are several of the main items that the regents will discuss for approval regarding the UA.
• The board will be asked to approve a five-year employment contract for Greg Byrne to serve as the University of Arizona Director of Athletics through May 2, 2015. Byrne previously served as the director of athletics at Mississippi State University. His proposed base salary will be set at $390,000.
• The board will be asked to approve a $97.7 million Capital Development Plan for the UA for fiscal year 2011. The plan includes $85.7 million for an expansion to the north end of Arizona Stadium. In addition, the UA will seek approval for its plan to build the Bryant Bannister Tree-Ring Building at a cost of $12 million.
• The UA will request approval to purchase a 27,464 square foot research and development facility in Oro Valley, Ariz. The purchase price is reported to be $3 million.
• The board of regents is expected to make accommodations for revised statutes to HB 2350. The bill currently requires state universities and communities colleges to provide recipients of a Purple Heart with a tuition waiver scholarship at any university or community college in the state. Arizona Revised Statues A.R.S. 15-1808 will extend the tuition waiver to the children or spouse of a peace officer, correctional officer, fire fighter, etc., who was killed or died from injuries suffered in the line of duty.
• The UA will request board approval to appoint three Regents’ Professors: S. James Anaya, College of Law; Marcia Rieke, Department of Astronomy (College of Science); and Edgar Dryden, Department of English (College of Humanities). Each professor will receive a $5,000 salary increase for their appointment.
