UA President Eugene Sander discussed faculty, upcoming technical innovations and funding at a health sciences forum on Thursday with the UA community.

Sander said a main goal he has is to get faculty more involved with the UA campus.

“Normally we do that, but there are mainly two problems… there is not enough time and there is not enough faculty. I will speak for my former life where we would make that a pretty big deal,” Sander explained.

Jaime Gutierrez, moderator of the event and the vice president of external relations, said that the University of Arizona Medical Center – University Campus will be a non-smoking campus beginning Jan. 1. The UA does not foresee enforcing the non-smoking policy strictly because it is too difficult to enforce these types of rules, Gutierrez said, and commended the center for installing the new policy.

“I can understand why the health center would do that,” he added.

Sander said that he wished he could walk up to children who are smoking and tell them, “stop while you can.”

Gutierrez asked Sander what he hopes to achieve at the upcoming session with the state Legislature.

Sander said he is glad he has been in Arizona for so long and has the opportunity to know and create good relationships with members of the Legislature.

“The state of Arizona’s finances has been pretty abysmal for the past couple of years and last year, it was really really bad,” he said.

Sander said that last year the state had no money, but in 2012 state income will exceed its original projection from when the state budget was originally adopted.

“I believe I am fairly sure in my heart of hearts that we are looking at no more budget cuts. I believe that we will be sustained at least at the level we are at right now,” he said.

Sander also addressed that he is launching Tech Launch Arizona, a new technology commercialization center aimed at bringing researchers, innovators, investors and funds to the UA This program is designed to expose creations and inventions more into the public atmosphere as well as propel local economic development, he said.

“This is an opportunity on our part to do a better job on technology transfer,” Sander added.

Sander is working with Leonard Jessup, dean of the Eller College of Management, on the project and said that the collaboration will provide an opportunity to partner with the college’s entrepreneurship program. All reports and updates of the project will go directly to Sander.

Additional town hall meetings will start in spring of 2012, according to Gutierrez, to discuss more about the UA’s future.