Nataly Reed, a senior writing lecturer at the University of Arizona, was 12th in the long line of speakers at Thursday’s Arizona Board of Regents meeting at the UA. Like those before her, her tone was firm and filled with rebuke at one of the administration’s many controversial decisions.
“My colleagues are not disposable,” she said, recounting UA President Suresh Garimella’s promise to “support the success of every student” and highlighting how his administration’s move to let go 20% of the career-track faculty who teach foundational writing courses, seemed at odds with that promise.
“These are courses which are required for graduation and are prerequisites for students to advance in their majors,” Reed said. “What kind of promise is this?”
The news, which impacted 10 career-track instructors, hit on May 20 and left lecturers with only five days’ notice before their contracts — and benefits, including health insurance — ended on May 25.
The UA Faculty Senate Academic Personnel Policy Committee investigated the contract terminations, determining that Lori Poloni-Staudinger, dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, “provided insufficient notice of non-renewal” in a June letter to Leila Hudson, chair of the Faculty Senate.
“It is unconscionable to extract their intellectual labor in one week — sharing their expertise in a post semester workshop — and in the next week, facing unemployment with five days of health insurance to be cut off,” Reed told the board.
Reed called for the board to reinstate all 10 colleagues.
“We call on ABOR to enact fair working conditions that avoid the catastrophe of contingency so that we can truly deliver on our promise,” she said.
The regents meeting’s call to the audience section ended in Regent Chair Cecilia Mata cutting short a speech by Francisco Burke, who said they are a UA student, on the negative impact of President Garamella’s leadership on marginalized communities and his compliance with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) bans after it extended 10 minutes.
“This is your second warning. I request that you leave this building immediately, otherwise you’re subject to arrest for interference with the peaceful conduct of an educational institution,” Mata told the student.
The meeting proceeded in high spirits as the regents bid farewell to Student Regent David Zaragoza and to Mata’s tenure as board chair.
UA financial updates
Reed’s previous testimony starkly contrasted Patricia Perlock’s, the UA’s recently appointed provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, who spoke about the administration’s commitment to faculty.
“Our career-track faculty have really become a critical part of our overall faculty as they’re essential to achieving our mission for students’ success,” Perlock said during the meeting.
John Arnold, the UA’s senior vice president, chief operating officer and chief financial officer, updated the board on the school’s financial status, including the elimination of the budget deficit.
“We knew we needed to make investments in fiscal ‘26 to continue to advance the university forward,” Arnold told the board, adding that they had no tuition increases for Arizona residents and they implemented pay increases for faculty and staff.
A UA budget report further showed a 3% cut in overall spending with the administrative budget trimmed approximately 7%.
Board documents further revealed that the UA projects an increase of $57.1 million in the school’s FY 2026 net position. When including University of Arizona Global Campus, this increase drops to $55.4 million. Additionally, UAGC is now projected to break even starting in FY 2027 instead of FY 2026, as previously projected.
The University of Arizona reported an estimated 77 days cash on hand, an improvement from their Fiscal Year 2025 estimate of 76 but still far below the board’s required minimum of 140.
The update on the university’s cash on hand, a measure for the school’s reserves, came about a year and a half after the financial crisis that started at a similar meeting on Nov. 2, 2023 with the UA announcing their cash on hand was below the minimum, setting off budget cuts, the replacement of the university’s president and other leadership overhauls.
The updates also come after years of faculty criticism and recent calls for the university to take a stand against federal government actions.
In May, UA faculty voted to pass a referendum urging their leaders to take a stance against funding cuts and demands by the Trump administration they say are eroding academic freedom.
The Trump administration’s changes have resulted in funding freezes amid the university’s already financially fragile state: at least 67 federally-funded research projects were terminated or frozen and about $60 million worth of funds have been withheld since the Trump administration began slashing support based on criteria like DEI initiatives, according to Faculty Senate Chair Hudson during the last senate meeting.
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