Higher Education and the New Economy: Crisis or Opportunity? - Audio

Question and answer session with ASU President Michael Crow. April 29, 2010.

Michael Crow, reflecting on his early years as Arizona State University's president, said he visited neighborhoods surrounding the institution to learn more about its community-wide impact and connection. The 8-point list of priorities, objectives and aspirations he devised eight years ago remains the driving force behind his administrative and includes "use-inspired" research, enabling student success, being involved globally and valuing entrepreneurship. April 29, 2010.

Transcript of the Foundation Panel talk. April 8, 2010.

Increasingly, the nation's community college system is being asked to be all things to all people, which is creating compounding difficulties for institutions, said Pima Community College Chancellor Roy Flores. In addition to a fundamental mission to aid students toward earning baccalaureate degrees, "we also have been asked to remediate America" and educate "the backbone of the workforce," Flores said. He noted, for example, that about 80 percent of the student body at PCC is comprised of people who are 45 and younger. April 15, 2010

question and answer sessions wit the Foundation Presidents Panel. April 8, 2010.

Luna said advancing civic leadership means encouraging individuals to vote, contribute to charities, commit to service in their communities and run for public office. Likewise, he said, it is crucial to develop a college-going culture among students at a younger age. April 8, 2010.

Jewett said "The Arizona We Want,"report indicated that businesses are not as engaged as they need be and that "only 10 percent" of those surveyed felt that public policymakers and elected officials in Arizona were "properly" representing them. Issues policymakers must consider "are extraordinarily complex," Jewett said, but added: "Unfortunately, public policy decisions during this most opportune time often times are driven by partisanship. There has been a short term fix rather than a long term strategy." April 8, 2010.

Transcript of the Christine Thompson and Greg Fahey remarks. March 4, 2010.

Question and answer session with Tim Bee, March 25, 2010.

Tim Bee is a former Arizona Senate President and in March 2010 directed Gov. Jan Brewer's southern Arizona office. Bee stressed the importance in passing Proposition 100 in a talk about the escalating statewide concerns not only about the current economic situation, but also the funding deficit. March 25, 2010.

Transcript of Dean Marx's presentation.

Transcript of Gary Rhoads presentation.

Gary Rhoads, AAUP general secretary heads the staff of the AAUP's national office in Washington, D.C. He said that some of the nation's higher education administrators are suffering from a lack of creativity in dealing with "tough choices" and planning for the future while also breeding a culture of resignation and constraint. Now, he said, is the time to recalibrate, not accelerate. March 11, 2010.

Transcript of Dean Ruiz's remarks.

Transcript of President Shelton's talk.

Question and answer session with Christine Thompson and Greg Fahey. March 4, 2010.

Christine Thompson, the Arizona Board of Regents' assistant executive direction of government affairs, spoke with Fahey during the session. She said these and other funding complexities are often misinterpreted and not understood. Greg Fahey, University of Arizona's associate vice president for external relations, said that during the 1970s and 1980s the state's university system was something of a juggernaut. Thompson and Fahey also said such shifts also have partially led toward decreased earmarks for the university system and an increased reliance on tuition and fees, federal grant dollars and private funds by way of donations. The scene is, in some areas, dire, they noted. March 4, 2010.

Question and answer session with Nils Hasselmo, former president of the Association of American Universities.

Nils Hasselmo, former president of the Association of American Universities, of which the University of Arizona is a member, said the states and their higher education institutions need to take charge, boosting the support of research institutions in particular. February 25, 2010.

Question and answer session to President Shelton's talk.

Dr. Robert N. Shelton became the 19th president of the University of Arizona when he began his appointment on July 1, 2006. He affirmed the need for new funding models and rearranging the income structure to help secure the future of "robust" universities. He also noted that supporters of education must become proactive, informing their families, peers and elected officials of the need for public higher education. February 18, 2010.

Ernest Calderón, a Regent and president of the board, explained the board's plans and considerations Thursday afternoon. His talk was the second in a new, semester-long series, sponsored by the UA's Center for the Study of Higher Education: "Higher Education and the New Economy: Crisis or Opportunity?" Calderón said the low-cost, regional institutions would likely offer a select number of degrees and likely would be located in shared spaces with no athletics programs, amenities and other "extras" that come with attending one of the three public universities. February 11, 2010.

Joaquin Ruiz is Dean, College of Science and Professor, Geochemistry. His research focuses on the use of radiogenic and heavy stable isotopes to study the evolution of the crust and mantle through time, the genesis of ore deposits, paleogeography, and environmental and archeological problems. Ruiz said the true mission of "state-aided" universities like the UA and also of his own college should be to "allow undergraduate students access to our research," Ruiz said. This must occur while institutions continue working to "help change the ways in which we live," he added. "We must take this incredibly seriously." January 28, 2010.

Ronald W. Marx is Professor of Educational Psychology and Dean of Education at the University of Arizona. His presentation discussed how certain structures and practices within public higher education must change, and quickly, if the nation's institutions are to be economically sustainable while staying true to their core missions. Marx said the funding structure that has long sustained higher education must shift; the level of state support that public institutions enjoyed more than 30 years ago would never return. "We have to figure out how to move forward," Marx said. "We need to look through the front of the windshield of our vehicle rather than in the rear view mirror." January 28, 2010.