By Staff Reporter |

Over 80 of the top University of Arizona (U of A) professors pushed leadership to reject President Donald Trump’s higher education compact.

At the beginning of this month, the Trump administration sent universities across the country the Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education to encourage certain reforms in exchange for preferential federal funding. One major contentious point of the proposed compact would prohibit hostility to conservative viewpoints.

“To advance the national interest arising out of this unique relationship, this Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education represents the priorities of the U.S. government in its engagements with universities that benefit from the relationship,” read the compact. “Institutions of higher education are free to develop models and values other than those below, if the institution elects to forego federal benefits.”

The proposed reforms touch on improving equality in admissions, stabilizing the marketplace of ideas and civil discourse on campuses, ensuring nondiscrimination in faculty and administrative hiring, enforcing institutional neutrality on societal and political events, raising and standardizing student academic performance standards, establishing equal treatment of students, reducing the educational costs, and reducing foreign influences.

In response, 80 Regents Professors at U of A issued a letter to university President Suresh Garimella requesting denial of the compact. The professors said the compact contained “significant legal and practical flaws” which would threaten U of A’s academic freedom, institutional independence, and legal integrity.

The Regents Professor designation is an exclusive honoring of “faculty scholars of exceptional ability” with both national and international distinction in their respective fields. It is a recognition of the highest academic merit for faculty members who gave unique contributions to U of A through teaching scholarship, research, or creative work.

Their letter questioned the compact’s ambiguity, specifically the vagueness of the alleged benefits and preferential federal funding universities would receive. The professors stated multiple times that the compact offered no insight on how it would be operationalized and enforced.

“Without clarification, UA thus could be ceding authority over internal operations and academic policies for no enforceable, concrete new benefits,” said the professors.

U of A was one of nine institutions to receive the proposed compact, and the only one in Arizona. The others were Brown University, Dartmouth College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Pennsylvania, University of Southern California, University of Texas at Austin, University of Virginia, and Vanderbilt University.

These nine universities received the letter because the Trump administration judged them “good actors” based on their having “a president who is a reformer or a board that has really indicated they are committed to a higher-quality education,” per senior White House advisor May Mailman.

Last week, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology formally rejected participation in the proposed compact.

The Tucson City Council sent a similar message to U of A. The council passed a resolution urging the university president to reject the compact.

Garimella said in statements to the media that he and the Arizona Board of Regents are reviewing the compact together to determine a response.

These are the following Regents Professors who signed the letter opposing the compact (not listed: two anonymous signers):

• John J. B. Allen, Distinguished Professor of Psychology, Cognitive Science, and Neuroscience;
• Sama Raena Alshaibi, art professor; co-director of the Racial Justice Studio, and Regents Professor;
• J. Roger P. Angel, Regents’ Professor of Astronomy and Optical Sciences, Steward Observatory astronomer, director of Richard F. Caris Mirror Lab;
• Neal Armstrong, director of SPECS, Regents Professor (Emeritus) for Chemistry and Biochemistry, Regents Professor (Emeritus) for College of Optical Sciences;
• Victor Baker, Regents Professor of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences, Geosciences, and Planetary Sciences;
• Carol Barnes, Regents’ Professor of Psychology, Neurology and Neuroscience; Evelyn F. McKnight Chair for Learning and Memory in Aging; Director, Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute; Director, Division of Neural Systems, Memory and Aging;
• Chad Bender, Astronomer, Steward Observatory;
• Thomas Bever, Regents’ Professor, Linguistics, Psychology, Neuroscience, Cognitive Science, BIO5; Co-Director, Center for Consciousness Studies; Director, Cognition and Language Laboratory;
• Ronald Brieger, Regents Professor and a Professor of Sociology at the University of Arizona; Interdisciplinary Program in Applied Mathematics; Interdisciplinary Program in Statistics & Data Science; School of Government and Public Policy;
• David D. Breshears, Regents Professor Emeritus of Natural Resources and the Environment;
• Judith L. Bronstein, University Distinguished Professor; Joint Professor (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology);
• Judith K. Brown, Regents Professor, Plant Sciences; Research Associate Professor, Entomology; Professor, Entomology / Insect Science – GIDP;
• Gail Burd, Senior Vice Provost; Office of Academic Affairs, Teaching & Learning; Distinguished Professor, Molecular & Cellular Biology;
• Hsinchun Chen, Regents Professor of MIS; Thomas R. Brown Chair in Management and Technology; Director, Artificial Intelligence Laboratory; Director, AZSecure Cybersecurity Program;
• Peter Chesson, Regents Professor, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology;
• Albrecht Classen, University Distinguished Professor of German Studies;
• George H. Davis, Regents Professor (Emeritus) of Structural Geology; Provost Emeritus;
• Alison H. Deming, Regents Professor of English; Agnese Nelms Haury Chair of Environment and Social Justice;
• Celestino Fernandez, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Sociology;
• Price V. Fishback, Regents Professor; APS Professor of Economics;
• Robert B. Fleischman, Professor of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics;
• Robert Glennon, Regents Professor and Morris K. Udall Professor Emeritus;
• John Hildebrand, Regents Professor Emeritus of College of Neuroscience;
• Malcolm K. Hughes, Regents’ Professor Emeritus for the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research;
• Chris Impey, Distinguished Professor of Astronomy; Astronomer, Steward Observatory; Associate Co-Department Head;
• Takeshi Inomata, Regents Professor for the School of Anthropology;
• Josephine D. Korchmaros, Director of the University of Arizona’s Southwest Institute for Research on Women (SIROW);
• Mary Koss, Regents’ Professor in the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health;
• Etta Kralovec, Regents Professor of Teaching, Learning and Sociocultural Studies;
• Diana Liverman, Regents Professor for the School of Geography, Development, and Environment;
• Sallie Marston, Regents Professor Emerita for chool of Geography, Development, and Environment; Co-Founder and Consultant, School Garden Workshop;
• Oscar Martinez, Regents Professor Emeritus, History Department;
• Toni M. Massaro, Regents Professor of Law Emerita; Milton O. Riepe Chair in Constitutional Law and Dean Emerita; Executive Director of the University of Arizona Agnese Nelms Haury Program;
• William (Bill) McCallum, mathematics professor;
• Daniel McDonald, Director, Take Charge America Institute for Consumer Financial Education and Research; Extension Specialist, Financial Literacy;
• Alfred McEwen, planetary geologist and director of the Planetary Image Research Laboratory;
• Juanita L Merchant, Associate Director, Basic Sciences, Cancer Center; Chief, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, College of Medicine; Regents Professor of College of Medicine;
• Pierre Meystre, Regents Professor Emeritus of Optical Sciences;
• Roger L Miesfeld, University Distinguished Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry;
• Barbara Mills, Regents’ Professor Emeritus of Anthropology; Curator Emeritus of Archaeology, Arizona State Museum; Professor Emeritus, American Indian Studies;
• Lynn Nadel, Regents Professor Emeritus of Psychology;
• Alan C. Newell, Mathematics professor;
• Mimi Nichter, Professor Emerita of Anthropology;
• Janko Z. Nikolich, Professor, Basic Biomedical Sciences; Associate Dean for Research and Partnerships; Regents Professor; UA College of Medicine-Phoenix;
• John W. Olsen, Research Professor Emeritus of East Asian Studies;
• Jeanne E. Pemberton, Regents Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry;
• Ian Pepper, Director, WEST Center; Regents Professor, Environmental Science;
• David A. Pietz, Regents Professor; UNESCO Chair in Environmental History; Director, School of Global Studies;
• George Rieke, Regents Professor for Lunar & Planetary Laboratory;
• Marcia J. Rieke, Professor, Astronomy; Regents Professor; Astronomer, Steward Observatory; Endowed Chair, Dr Elizabeth Roemer – Steward Observatory;
• Robert Robichaux, University Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology;
• Jerzy W. Rozenblit, University Distinguished Professor; Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Raymond J. Oglethorpe Endowed Chair; Professor of Surgery; Professor of the BIO5 Institute;
• Steven Schwartz, Regents Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry;
• Beverly Seckinger, Distinguished Outreach Professor in the School of Theatre, Film & Television; former director of the School of Media Arts; Executive Committee of the Human Rights Practice graduate program; founded U of A LGBTQ+ Institute;
• Chris Segrin, Regents Professor, Steve and Nancy Lynn Professor of Communication;
• Thomas E. Sheridan, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology; Research Anthropologist, Southwest Center;
• Kathy G. Short, Regents Professor, Teaching, Learning & Sociocultural Studies;
• Kelly Simmons-Potter, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, College of Engineering; University Distinguished Outreach Professor; Director AzRISE, the Arizona Research Initiative for Solar Energy; Professor of: Electrical and Computer Engineering, Optical Sciences, Materials Science and Engineering, and Indigenous Food, Energy and Water Systems Graduate Interdisciplinary Program;
• Marvin Slepian, Regents Professor and Associate Department Head, Clinical & Industrial Affairs, Biomedical Engineering; Director, Arizona Center for Accelerated Biomedical Innovation; Regents Professor of Medicine, Division of Cardiology; Regents Professor of Medical Imaging, Department of Medical Imaging; Regents Professor of Materials Science and Engineering
• David H. Soren, Regents Professor of Anthropology and Classics;
• Sally J. Stevens, Distinguished Outreach Professor in Gender and Women’s Studies; Research Professor with the Southwest Institute for Research on Women;
• Mary Stiner, Regents’ Professor Emeritus, Anthropology; ASM Curator Emeritus, Zooarchaeology; Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences;
• Peter A. Strittmatter, Regents Professor Emeritus of Astronomy;
• Tom Swetnam, Regents’ Professor, Emeritus of Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research;
• Bruce E. Tabashnik, Regents’ Professor & Department Head of Entomology;
• Vicente Talanquer, University Distinguished Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry;
• Leslie Tolbert, Regents Professor Emerita of Neuroscience;
• Rebecca Tsosie, Regents Professor and Morris K. Udall Professor of Law;
• Todd Vanderah, Co-Director, MD/PhD Dual Degree Program; Department Head, Pharmacology; Director, Comprehensive Pain and Addiction Center; Professor of: Anesthesiology, BIO5 Institute, Neurology, Neuroscience – GIDP, Pharmacology and Physiological Sciences – GIDP;
• Marcela Vásquez-León, Professor, Anthropology; Research Anthropologist, Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology; Director, Center for Latin American Studies;
• Donata Vercelli, Regents Professor, Cellular and Molecular Medicine; Director, Arizona Center for the Biology of Complex Diseases; Associate Director, Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center; Professor of BIO5 Institute and Genetics GIDP;
• Robert A. Williams, Jr., Regents Professor, E. Thomas Sullivan Professor of Law;
• Rod Wing, Director of Arizona Genomics Institute; Professor, Plant Science; Bud Antle Endowed Chair For Excellence, Agriculture & Life Sciences; Professor of BIO5 Institute and Ecology & Evolutionary Biology;
• Connie Woodhouse, Regents Professor Emerita of Geography, Development, & Environment;
• Jiang Wu, Regents Professor of East Asian Studies;
• Dennis Zaritsky, Deputy Director, Steward Observatory; Regents Professor, Astronomy;
• Ofelia Zepeda, Professor, American Indian Studies and Linguistics; and
• Lucy M. Ziurys, Regents Professor, CBC and Astronomy

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