VIEW LARGER Wildcats4DEIA held a protest in front of the University of Arizona administration building on Thursday, March 27, 2025. The University of Arizona ended the school year with two major shake ups in faculty and administrative structure, citing declining enrollment projections and as schools nationwide continue to deal with new scrutiny towards diversity, equity and inclusion.
Campus Community Connections, a new unit under the office of the Provost, was announced in a campus-wide email Tuesday afternoon. The UA’s seven cultural resource centers will be absorbed into the Student Culture and Engagement Hub under the new unit.
The Hub will be led by two directors and one executive director, who will report to Vice Provost Jenna Hatcher. New Provost Patricia Prelock took over earlier this month.
“A central component of the unit will be a new Student Culture and Engagement Hub, which will integrate the university's existing cultural centers into a unified model while continuing to provide activities, physical spaces, and embedded counselors,” the statement reads.
Native American Student Affairs will also be absorbed by the Office of Native American Initiatives. Julian Juan announced he had been laid off from his position as Director of Native American Student Affairs on the group’s Instagram page.
“Native American Student Affairs is becoming part of the Office of Native American Initiatives, under the oversight of Tessa Dysart, Assistant Vice Provost for Native American Initiatives. Professor Dysart, a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, will work closely with U of A Provost Patricia Prelock and Senior Vice President for Native American Advancement and Tribal Engagement Levi Esquerra to support Native American student engagement and success,” said University spokesman Mitch Zak in an email to AZPM.
Zak said the University will not comment further on personnel matters related to the Cultural Resource Centers or Native American student affairs.
The move comes after several months of protests from students and faculty, in response to the Trump Administration’s executive orders related to DEI in higher education. A March petition put forward by advocates of CRCs and DEIA policies to President Suresh Garimella received over 3,000 signatures.
Campus activist Liz Gerena, Vice Chair of the United Campus Workers union, said they were expecting the changes.
“We've known for a while that U of A was most likely not going to keep the centers around as they are,” Gerena said. “It's very frustrating to do all these things and try your hardest to make these people pay attention, but just knowing at the end of the day that they don't actually care about you, and all they care about is their paycheck, which comes out of your money.”
According to the statement, current student employees and coordinators will keep their positions through the upcoming academic year. The Office of the Provost is also in the process of deciding “the best permanent structure for the Student Culture and Engagement Hub,” and will seek community feedback.
Writing program cuts
First reported by the Tucson Sentinel, the University of Arizona laid off a significant portion of its Writing program, a part of the English department in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.
Matt Erickson was one of an estimated ten faculty members that were told their contract would not be renewed for the next year. He and his other career-track lecturers said they expect to teach every year.
“Usually, that's kind of just a perfunctory thing you teach every year, and you get a contract in the fall, you sign it, and you just keep going. But there's always that kind of threat in the back of our heads, like, oh, maybe, maybe this will be the spring where I don't get a renewal,” he said.
Career-track lecturers are given annual contracts, as opposed to adjuncts who are often offered classes on a semester by semester basis.
Erickson said he was concerned for his colleagues when he found out, and questioned the university’s priorities.
“If anyone at the university has research to support that bigger class sizes and instructors teaching more classes somehow helps students success, I'd love to see it. But pretty much every piece of research that's been published about this, says the opposite, smaller class sizes, instructors teaching fewer classes, is better for student success,” he said.
Zak said faculty levels are adjusted based on projected student enrollment and course demand.
“As part of this year’s process, some contracts have not been renewed. We recognize the impact this has on the individuals affected and remain committed to supporting our faculty and advancing student success. If enrollment and student demand increase, we can hire additional instructors. I would note that these decisions are not a function of the university's budget process,” he said in a statement.
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