President Eugene Sander addressed tuition and the UA’s reputation during a town hall meeting on Wednesday.
Sander hosted the forum from 12 to 1 p.m. in the Gallagher Theater. All students, faculty and staff were welcome to ask questions at the meeting.
The first of many questions asked was how to increase the UA’s statewide reach and how to improve its reputation. Sander said the UA is in the process of creating a new marketing campaign detailing why the UA is the premier school in Arizona. Sander said the current vision should be to make a new identity for the university and try to make a bigger presence in the state as its most prominent and best university.
“We used to call ourselves the first university,” Sander said. “But really, who gives a darn?”
He went on to say that, although student loans help students get through school financially, this will be the “next bubble to break.” The national student loan debt is currently in the trillions and outweighs the total credit card debt in the country, Sander said.
Along the same lines of the financial aid issue, Sander was asked about his support of the Arizona Board of Regents $0 tuition increase proposal for the next school year. Sander said he would support this but he said he believes a quality education does cost money.
Sander was also asked what characteristics he would like to see in the next UA president. He responded that the most important aspect of the next president would be strong leadership.
In addition, he said the next president should be able to assure the community that everyone — faculty, staff and students — have the most hospitable environment possible. The new president should be a good communicator, be adaptable, be personable and know that he is here to serve the community, Sander said.
He said the next president should also have a need to get involved and not sit on the seventh floor office of the Administration building behind a computer all day.
Sander stressed that these types of meetings are open to anyone and people are encouraged to attend and ask questions. The next meeting will be held on Dec. 8 in the DuVal Auditorium in the University Medical Center-University Campus.
