I'm not positive ... but THIS may be why I 'broke up' with the UA ... as a "grey area" category employee and orphan of two publications departments ... back in 1979. I had arrived from NYS in 1971, searching for contacts by knocking on doors of individual colleges ... no 'Employment Office'. I accidentally met 'Swede' Johnson (then VP of UA) on a walkway and this kind gentleman walked me over to the UA Press building. The rest is history of a morbid sort. There was no 'recognized group' of employees other than groundskeepers and secretarial staffs OR tenured faculty. We others, while known as 'professionals' in assorted fields, were more like aliens on campus. Added to that, die-hards of the 'new Dean' and of the 'departed Dean' were locked a faculty grudge war between the 'old guard' and 'the new.' (This did not bode well for most.) An experienced 'someone' from Illinois arrived to establish an actual employment office, but even then ... no one knew how to handle us "other" people. Speed-dial had not even been invented, nor had cell phones OR computers. What good we DID have was our own AZ 'Fab Five' basketball team ('Wildcats' Bob Elliot, Eric Money, Coniel Norman, Jimmy Rappis, Al Fleming (RIP), Herman Harris, and more). led by Coach Fred Snowden. They were our 'Mo-Town' men who made the UA program into a WAC championship, and into the lure that hooked Lute Olsen. THOSE were my best days at the U of A. There's been a lot of water under our bridge over 50 years ... but I still miss those guys and those days and that non-academic joy.
Again, would be funny if not true. U of Vermont is pretty small compared to U of A. I have worked for all my career with engineers….they are smart, inventive, good with MATH but often NOT great leaders. I’m married to one and love him dearly but he tends to rely on me to see “the gray” in things. His world, black and white. It is OR it isn’t. Fine, I don’t know this man from OZ but we couldn’t find a Latina (woman or man) somewhere who could better serve the ultimate purpose of this university? Public education for OUR many. I know, it’s complicated.
Well, once again things are done behind the iron curtain. Not sure if this candidate will work out or not but we need to let the public in. It is supposedly a public institution. No more golden parachutes though. Mess up, you're out. No severance, no retirement, no seven figure parting gift, just be gone. I'm hoping for the best for the U of A and Tucson.
It may indeed turn out to be a good hire. Garimella's credentials and background are interesting and, in part, impressive. The problem, once again, is with the Arizona Board of Regent's arrogance and flawed decision-making process: rushed, opaque and disorganized, with an over-arching presumption of ABOR infallibility. No other candidates were seriously considered? Or apparently considered at all? Because Garimella was the only SITTING University President to express interest? As if that is a sine qua non for success in the job. To put the process in the best possible light, maybe ABOR was suffering from a bad case of FOMO, coupled with tunnel-vision, and panicked that some other institution would snag the guy if AZ did not act with undue haste. If so, that is far from reassuring about the quality of the current hire or regarding ABOR's future decision-making.
Seems to me like a thorough house-cleaning at ABOR is in order.
I'm not positive ... but THIS may be why I 'broke up' with the UA ... as a "grey area" category employee and orphan of two publications departments ... back in 1979. I had arrived from NYS in 1971, searching for contacts by knocking on doors of individual colleges ... no 'Employment Office'. I accidentally met 'Swede' Johnson (then VP of UA) on a walkway and this kind gentleman walked me over to the UA Press building. The rest is history of a morbid sort. There was no 'recognized group' of employees other than groundskeepers and secretarial staffs OR tenured faculty. We others, while known as 'professionals' in assorted fields, were more like aliens on campus. Added to that, die-hards of the 'new Dean' and of the 'departed Dean' were locked a faculty grudge war between the 'old guard' and 'the new.' (This did not bode well for most.) An experienced 'someone' from Illinois arrived to establish an actual employment office, but even then ... no one knew how to handle us "other" people. Speed-dial had not even been invented, nor had cell phones OR computers. What good we DID have was our own AZ 'Fab Five' basketball team ('Wildcats' Bob Elliot, Eric Money, Coniel Norman, Jimmy Rappis, Al Fleming (RIP), Herman Harris, and more). led by Coach Fred Snowden. They were our 'Mo-Town' men who made the UA program into a WAC championship, and into the lure that hooked Lute Olsen. THOSE were my best days at the U of A. There's been a lot of water under our bridge over 50 years ... but I still miss those guys and those days and that non-academic joy.
Again, would be funny if not true. U of Vermont is pretty small compared to U of A. I have worked for all my career with engineers….they are smart, inventive, good with MATH but often NOT great leaders. I’m married to one and love him dearly but he tends to rely on me to see “the gray” in things. His world, black and white. It is OR it isn’t. Fine, I don’t know this man from OZ but we couldn’t find a Latina (woman or man) somewhere who could better serve the ultimate purpose of this university? Public education for OUR many. I know, it’s complicated.
Let’s give the new guy a chance. Maybe, just maybe
ABOR has, In contrast to their previous record, Made a good choice
Well, once again things are done behind the iron curtain. Not sure if this candidate will work out or not but we need to let the public in. It is supposedly a public institution. No more golden parachutes though. Mess up, you're out. No severance, no retirement, no seven figure parting gift, just be gone. I'm hoping for the best for the U of A and Tucson.
It may indeed turn out to be a good hire. Garimella's credentials and background are interesting and, in part, impressive. The problem, once again, is with the Arizona Board of Regent's arrogance and flawed decision-making process: rushed, opaque and disorganized, with an over-arching presumption of ABOR infallibility. No other candidates were seriously considered? Or apparently considered at all? Because Garimella was the only SITTING University President to express interest? As if that is a sine qua non for success in the job. To put the process in the best possible light, maybe ABOR was suffering from a bad case of FOMO, coupled with tunnel-vision, and panicked that some other institution would snag the guy if AZ did not act with undue haste. If so, that is far from reassuring about the quality of the current hire or regarding ABOR's future decision-making.
Seems to me like a thorough house-cleaning at ABOR is in order.