President Ann Weaver Hart will host her first town hall-style meeting on Wednesday to answer questions from staff, faculty and students.
The meeting, which will take place in the Kiva room of the Student Union Memorial Center, will enable community members to seek answers regarding anything from the university’s vision to Hart’s legislative agenda.
In a campuswide memo sent by Hart, she said she would dedicate her time to answering “questions about important issues facing the university.” The town hall will begin at noon and last until 1 p.m.
In the past, the majority of those in attendance have been faculty and staff, but the town hall is open to everybody, said Jaime Gutierrez, vice president of external relations.
Those who wish to attend the town hall can ask questions in a variety of ways, Gutierrez said, either by submitting them in advance through the Lo Que Pasa website, writing their questions on a card at the event or asking the president directly.
Gutierrez said there is no set list of topics that will be discussed, and that the meeting will be structured around the questions asked.
“I think one of the first issues that the president really wants to talk about is her strategic plan,” Gutierrez said. “She has folks working on it in terms of financing and goals so she’ll talk briefly about that. But after that people can ask whatever they want to ask.”
Although this is the first town hall Hart has hosted, there are plans for additional town halls in the spring semester, Gutierrez said.
“This is a great university because of its staff and faculty, and because of its students,” Gutierrez said. “I think that that is really our attempt, to have more of a connection with the university community, regardless of whether you’re a student or faculty or staff.”
For those who cannot attend, the meeting will be streamed through Arizona Public Media.
“I think there’s a variety of benefits,” Gutierrez said. “If you’re there, you get to see and talk to the president, at least indirectly. I also think it really connects the Office of the President to faculty and staff and their concerns.”