Arizona opinion: Land-grant mission should be top priority in choosing next president at U of A

The Arizona Board of Regents recently began the search process for the next president of the University of Arizona. I commend them for their desire to swiftly act and appoint a search advisory committee that is currently in the process of taking public input. There is no doubt that the new president will have some challenges to work through early in their tenure given the current situation at the University of Arizona. However, adversity also brings opportunities to set the direction for the University moving forward.

In a recent article published in the Arizona Daily Star, committee members were quoted saying what is important to them in the overall search for a president. Priorities included regaining faith in the institution, a values-based leader, a top scholar and recruiter in academia and priority in the areas that the university can lead. Diversity and continuing the legacy of serving underrepresented populations was also identified.

I agree with these sentiments and would also emphasize the need to focus on candidates that have a strong background, understanding and commitment to the land-grant mission of the university which represents the best strategy to achieve these goals.

The University of Arizona has the proud distinction of being the only land-grant institution in Arizona and is built on the foundation of education being available and accessible to everyone. Land-grant universities were developed to provide excellence in teaching, research, and extension. The Morrill Act of 1862, Hatch Act of 1887 and Smith-Lever Act of 1887 outline and support the three pillars of the land-grant mission.

The Morrill Act established the educational role of the University while the Hatch Act provided funding for establishment of experiment stations throughout the state to find practical solutions to real world problems. Lastly, but perhaps most importantly, the Smith-Lever Act recognized the need for research and education opportunities to be extended across all the communities served by the land-grant university. The Smith Lever Act created the Cooperative Extension System which brings the science and research from the university and the teaching agendas directly to people to serve the public good.

These three pillars give the University of Arizona the opportunity to have an impact in virtually every community across our state and tribal communities. Cooperative extension alone has programs dedicated to agriculture and natural resources, family and consumer sciences, 4H Youth Development and tribal extension programs, perhaps the most ideal representation of community engagement that includes underrepresented populations.

The three pillars of the land-grant mission are just as relevant today as they were when they were first established in law. The next president will have the opportunity to restore the University of Arizona’s reputation as a top-land grant university, exhibit excellence in world class research to solve the real-world problems we all face and make all this available across the state. I hope the next president is selected with the proper background and skills to make that happen and we look forward to working with them to make it a reality.