Faculty at the University of Arizona 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, according to results announced at a packed Faculty Senate meeting Monday.
Out of almost 1,000 voting faculty members, 91% approved the proposal.
“The referendum results — although the turnout was not (is never) as high as we would want — agreed with our recommendations and our asks from the president,” said Leila Hudson, the chair of the Faculty Senate, after announcing the results.
University of Arizona President Suresh Garimella was not at the meeting.
“I know many of you are disappointed that President Gariamealla is not present today as we have been assured he would be. I know that he will hear us, but I will continue to ask him to listen to us, to engage with us, and to help us trust him,” Hudson said.
Behind their paper name plates, faculty senators cheered at the circle tables after Hudson announced the results. Officers moved to the next agenda item as others trickled out of the Old Main Sage and Silver Room.
The school employs more than 5,000 faculty members, including adjunct faculty and emeritus professors as of the 2023-2024 school year, according to the university website.
The resolution urges President Garimella and the Arizona Board of Regents to take five concrete actions: defend against ideological and governmental attacks, legally resist unlawful directives, endorse the national “Call for Constructive Engagement” issued by the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AACU), help form a mutual academic defense pact among land grant universities, and commit resources to respond to politically motivated threats.
Senator Lucy Ziurys spoke during the meeting’s open comment section about the university’s lack of stance, particularly not signing the AACU statement, given attacks by President Donald Trump’s administration on higher education institutions.
“Over 600 institutions have signed, but who is glaringly missing, University of Arizona? This does not look good,” Ziurys said.
University spokesman Mitch Zak did not respond as to whether the administration would comply with the terms of the referendum, but shared a statement.
“Colleges and universities play a vital role in our nation, and we will continue to do so even in the face of significant change and uncertainty. We value the engagement of University of Arizona faculty, staff, students, and community members as we chart a path forward. U of A leaders are directly engaged with our federal congressional delegation, state legislators and agency officials, and we have been actively collaborating with the Association of American Universities, the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities and our peer institutions.
“We will continue to focus on student success, research excellence, and meaningful engagement with our state. This includes promoting an environment where all members of our community find belonging and purpose. With more than $470 million in federal research grants, $380 million in state funding, and over $70 million in federal Pell Grants supporting 22 percent of our student body, we are committed to sustaining the work and well-being of our students, faculty, and staff while preserving the long-term stability of the university.”
Megan Gilbertson, spokesperson for the regents, responded to Arizona Luminaria’s questions and request for comment over email with the same statement as last week saying, “the regents deeply respect university faculty and are grateful for their input. The board remains committed to the long-term health and success of Arizona’s public universities.”
Hudson said the Faculty Senate plans to move forward regardless of Garimella’s participation.
“We’re already in contact with our peers, and faculty, and shared governance at different land-grant universities across the country,” Hudson said during the meeting
The proposition follows months of federal directives targeting funding and diversity, equity and inclusion-related initiatives at universities nationwide and hits to grant funding for research.
The Trump administration’s changes have resulted in funding freezes amid the university’s already financially fraught state.
Hudson said 67 federally funded research projects were terminated or frozen and that $60 million worth of funds have been withheld since the Trump administration began slashing support based on criteria like DEI initiatives.
“To our colleagues and our peer institutions, to Americans in general, to the world, what message is this sending? Is this sending the idea that the administration believes that inequality, exclusion, and rigid uniformity are positive goals for the university?” Ziurys asked.
Faculty emphasized the urgency of the situation in March’s Faculty Senate meeting, urging the school to take action.
The school administration announced they established a bridge-funding program to support research while hoping for the reinstatement of funds in April. But, Hudson said the governing body hasn’t received an update since April 14.
UA scrubbed terms related to diversity and inclusion from its website in February, including its entire webpage for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, though the fate of the office remains unclear.
This includes removing “committed to diversity and inclusion” from its land acknowledgment, spurring backlash from Indigenous students and leaders.
The university’s changes came after the Education Department, in a memo Feb. 14, gave schools and universities two weeks to eliminate diversity initiatives or risk losing federal money. The memo was an extension of President Donald Trump’s executive order banning DEI programs within the federal government.
Critics of DEI initiatives say they threaten merit-based opportunities while supporters say they are necessary to ensure equity.
In March, Rutgers University launched a proposal to form a “Mutual Academic Defense Compact” for the Big Ten Academic Alliance in which participating universities pledge to join funds, legal counsel and strategy to defend universities against “political infringement.”
The Big Ten Academic Alliance is composed of 18 universities – University of Illinois, Indiana University, University of Iowa, University of Maryland, University of Michigan, Michigan State University, University of Minnesota, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Northwestern University, Ohio State University, University of Oregon, Pennsylvania State University, Purdue University, Rutgers University-New Brunswick, University of California Los Angeles, University of Southern California, University of Washington and University of Wisconsin-Madison.
As of last week, 11 Big Ten schools have voted in favor of establishing the compact.
The UA faculty referendum proposes participation in a similar initiative consisting of public land grant universities. UA is the only public land grant university in Arizona, Tohono O’Odham College and Diné College are land grant colleges.
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