Dr. Suresh Garimella speaks at a press conference announcing him as the next President of the University of Arizona on Friday, Aug. 9, 2024 in Tucson, Ariz.
Story updated at 4:45 pm
Dr. Suresh Garimella will be the new President of the University of Arizona after a unanimous vote by the Board of Regents Friday morning.
At a press conference announcing his new position, Garimella said he’s aiming for stability even as the University undergoes significant changes in senior leadership.
“I will very much look forward to bringing some stability to the team. You should expect to see some trust-building, some confidence-building, conversations with the governance groups, Faculty Senate, Staff Council, student government, associations, and such. Things will settle soon.”
UA has a new Provost, Joseph Glover, who began on July 1. They’re also actively looking for a new Vice President of Research, Garimella said.
Amid continued fallout from the UofA’s financial crisis late last year, ABOR Treasurer and member of the presidential search committee Fred DuVal said the search process was “a tool for healing.”
“It’s a tool for building the consensus and the runway that a new president needs to succeed in the long term,” DuVal said.
Garimella said he’s optimistic about his ability to handle the U of A’s financial challenges.
“It's a question of looking at your expenses carefully and trying to diversify your revenue and grow your revenue. I feel that my background gives me enough confidence that we will be able to get past this moment rather quickly, and I hope that at a press conference to come soon, we'll be talking about big, beautiful future things,” he said.
Although the process of replacing current President Robert Robbins began with a five-month search with a presidential search committee, Garimella was the only candidate interviewed by the board, just two days after they moved to enter the interview process. The interview portion of the meeting was not open to the public. A video statement from Garimella and University press releases went out just a few minutes after the official vote.
Current President Robert Robbins was not present at the press conference announcing Garimella as his successor. Robbins announced this spring that he would step down as soon as the board approved a new president amid fallout from the University’s financial crisis last year.
UofA Leadership said Garimella’s previous role as President of the University of Vermont, another land grant institution, was a benefit.
“I certainly understand the awesome responsibility of leading a land grant university, and to me, it means we have to provide access to a world-class education to our students and make it as affordable, as accessible as possible,” Garimella said.
According to a University press release, the board will now start contract negotiations. He still needs to negotiate his exit from the University of Vermont, and university officials said Garimella’s term is likely to begin “later this fall.”
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