UA Faculty Chair Leila Hudson speaks to the Star after the Aug. 31 Faculty Senate meeting
After the contentious Faculty Senate meeting Aug. 31, the first meeting of the fall semester and the new academic year, where University of Arizona President Suresh Garimella and Faculty Chair Leila Hudson sparred over recent university decisions including fall 2026 enrollment, the dismantling of UA's Health Sciences Enterprise, and more, Chair Hudson told the Arizona Daily Star: "I agree that it would've been lovely to start out the academic year on a completely positive note of harmony and collaboration. Unfortunately, the events of the summer and the late spring, so many of my constituents feel the need to engage in dialogue about with the administration, that makes it contentious," Hudson said. "The fact that it's contentious is not the end of the world. In fact, this is the way that dialogue happens. We start by speaking out honestly and bluntly, even if that is sometimes uncomfortable. And my offer to the Garimella administration has been consistent and remains on the table — which is, if we don't talk about things in a serious consultative way behind the scenes, the only thing left is to engage in these little contentious meetings in public."
Video by Prerana Sannappanavar, Arizona Daily Star.
Prerana Sannappanavar
Higher Education Reporter
