Challenges

Robbins had consistently assured the public he was “committed to staying” at the university to find solutions to a $177 million shortfall — even as many questioned if he was the right person to solve issues that happened under his tenure.

But in an abrupt announcement, Robbins said he would leave at the end of his term or when the regents pick a new leader.

“It has been a true honor to lead the University of Arizona for so many years, particularly during a time of transformational change in higher education and with challenges in the world around us,” Robbins said in an email to UA faculty and students.

While it’s unclear when UA will have a new president, Arizona Board of Regents Chair Cecilia Mata said in a statement Tuesday that the board will move “with expediency.”

Robbins leaving is one of several leadership shakeups for high-level positions at UA in recent months.

A school in flux awaits next president

A new president will be part of a slew of leadership changes at UA.

Over the past several months, the school’s chief financial officer and athletic director have both stepped down. The executive director of the Board of Regents took a leave of absence last month to intermittently fill the CFO role. An interim provost is nearing the end of his role as the school approaches the final stages of its search.

The new leader also will inherit the effort to integrate the University of Arizona Global Campus as UA looks to remove duplicated costs by merging the controversial online school. The online school is operating at an estimated $2.4 million deficit, according to university officials, after bringing in $229.8 million in revenue. Officials say the school will be profitable by 2025.

Then comes challenges for the athletic department, which is looking to revamp its finances under new Athletic Director Desireé Reed-Francois, who began her five-year contract last month.

The program for the past several years was subsidized with multimillion-dollar loans from the university.

The school also is knee-deep in its provost search. Interviews of the second of three finalists continued Tuesday as the campus community absorbed the news of Robbins’ intent to step down. It is likely the university will choose a new provost before Regents pick a new president. Hudson said she was glad Robbins’ announcement came ahead of a decision for a new provost.

“I think it’s good for them to know that the campus is shifting in a positive direction,” she said.

Faculty hope to be ‘involved in every aspect’

Members of the Faculty Senate said they want to be privy to the process as regents search for UA’s 23rd president.

“The new president must reestablish the trust between faculty and staff that has been terribly eroded,” said Katharine Zeiders, a UA professor and faculty senator, in a statement to The Republic.

Zeiders said the regents’ role in selecting the next president concerns her, saying they have not represented the “true interests of higher education.”

“Faculty should be involved in every aspect of the process — they should chair the search committee, be included as members on the committee, and come to the decision of our next president,” Zeiders said in an email to The Republic.

For now, John Arnold, the interim CFO and interim Provost Ronald Marx are continuing to analyze the school’s financial state, Hudson said. She said the school is in a better position than it was several months ago and is hopeful the trend continues under new leadership.

“We’ve already got a good start on this process,” Hudson said.

Robbins took a 10% pay cut within the last several weeks in response to the school’s financial stressors, meaning he will continue to make a base salary close to $734,400.

Gov. Katie Hobbs has stayed vocal with her concerns over how UA’s financial stressors were handled. The governor released multiple statements in the past several months calling for additional transparency from Robbins after receiving conflicting information from him and the media.

A spokesperson for the governor told KJZZ on Tuesday that she did not ask Robbins to step down.

“The new president must reestablish the trust between faculty and staff that has been terribly eroded.”

A UA professor and faculty senator