Quick hiring of new UA president left no time for public scrutiny of his record, group tells ABOR

With just 26 hours of public notice before a vote to approve a new University of Arizona president, a local group said it didn’t have enough time to raise a red flag about how finalist Suresh Garimella handled antisemitic harassment of Jewish students at his previous job.

In a letter sent to the Arizona Board of Regents this week, the Anti-Defamation League of Arizona, a chapter of the prominent Jewish advocacy group founded in 1913, expressed concern at how quickly Garimella was approved as the new president after the board announced he was the only finalist.

“In response to that announcement, ADL immediately began preparing a submission for the Board’s consideration that addressed Dr. Garimella’s serious shortcomings in addressing antisemitism during his tenure as the president of the University of Vermont (UVM),” Regional Director Jolie Brislin and Deputy Director Sarah Kader, wrote in a letter Tuesday, referencing a 2021 investigation.

Chad Sampson, the executive director of the Arizona Board of Regents, responded to the ADL’s letter Wednesday, stating that “UVM took actions to address allegations of antisemitism.”

But, the ADL said, they were “surprised” when Garimella was hired almost immediately after his interview announcement.

The board announced at 6:53 a.m. on Aug. 8 that it would interview Garimella  during a private executive session at 7 a.m. on Aug. 9. They voted to hire him during a public portion of that meeting at 9:19 a.m. — about 26 hours from start to finish. And all while much of the UA community was off for summer break. The semester begins Aug. 26.

The board is in salary negotiations with Garimella and continuing to take public comment on the search via email at UArizonaPresidentialSearch@azregents.edu , according to an email from Megan Gilbertson, the board’s associate vice president of public affairs.

Garimella is set to replace Robert Robbins, who announced his planned resignation in April after repeated calls for him to step down in the midst of the school’s financial crisis.

For nine months, UA faculty, staff and students have expressed outrage and scathing criticism of the Arizona Board of Regents, Robbins and other university leaders and their lack of transparency as the university dealt with a financial crisis.

The UA is the state’s second biggest public university and Southern Arizona’s largest employer.

Search timeline was accelerated

The hiring process lasted five months and included the UA Presidential Search Committee , an 18-member group of regents and campus community members, which held listening sessions, collected feedback from faculty, staff and students, created a profile for the position and established criteria for potential candidates.

Haste has been a concern since the search began. Caleb Hayter, a UA law student, asked the committee to slow down during a presidential town hall on April 24 .

“With respect, I think you should be moving slowly. The choice you are going to be making is going to be immensely impactful,” Hayter said. “Please take your time.”

While Regent Fred DuVal said the search committee unanimously recommended Garimella, six of the 18 members were absent for the final vote on July 27, according to records from the board of regents. The absent members were Tobi Adigun, the only student on the committee, Marla Franco, David Hahn, Erin Hart, Humberto Lopez and Stephen Roe Lewis, governor of the Gila River Indian Community.

The regents used a seemingly different process to hire Garimella than it used to hire Robbins. Robbins was one of two candidates considered for the position in 2017. The process lasted almost a year and Robbins held a question and answer session with UA students and staff after he was chosen as the finalist.

Ted Downing, a UA Faculty Senate member and professor of social development, said he has been at the university through 10 presidents and the process was different with Garimella.

“In the earlier [presidential searches], we actually had three candidates that came in,” he recalled.

He said potential candidates also had to visit the campus, interview with faculty and hold public meetings.

‘A hostile environment’

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights investigated complaints about multiple incidents of antisemitism at the UVM campus in 2021.

Among many concerns, the civil rights office called out Garimella’s response to the incidents as worrisome.

“OCR is also concerned that the President’s initial letter to the UVM community in response to OCR’s investigation may have perpetuated a hostile environment,” the office wrote in the letter.

The investigation ended when the school settled the complaint in 2023, issued a statement condemning antisemitism, and agreed to harassment training for leadership, staff and students.

Matt Vogel, executive director of University of Vermont Hillel, wrote in an opinion article for VTDigger that “Jewish life at the University of Vermont has improved remarkably” after the OCR investigation.

“There has been a remarkable evolution in visible support for Jewish students, updated policies, and improved systems and processes for bias reporting,” he continued.

In their letter, the ADL leaders asked whether Garimella’s response to the antisemitism was considered during the hiring process and said the community should have had time to discuss it.

The board and committee reviewed “all relevant information” as they vetted Garimella’s background and experience, according to the board spokesperson, Gilbertson.

Marla Franco, the UA’s vice president of Hispanic Serving Institution Initiatives and UA presidential search committee member, reinforced Gilbertson’s response and further expressed her support for Garimella in a statement to Arizona Luminaria

“The University of Arizona appreciates President-Designate Suresh Garimella’s leadership in combating antisemitism and promoting an inclusive campus environment.”

She added that his work to “foster a safe and supportive atmosphere where all students feel free to express themselves” during his time in Vermont were reflective of the UA’s “core values.”

“How do you intend to ensure that the grievous errors made at the University of Vermont will not carry over to the University of Arizona?” they wrote. “What steps are you planning to take to ensure a safe and welcoming environment for Jewish students who are starting campus next week and will understandably be impacted by this decision?”

The ADL did not respond to Arizona Luminaria’s questions about the responses from ABOR.

Courage to listen

Garimella broached the subject of antisemitism during his first press conference at the UA on Aug. 9.

“Antisemitisim, Islamophobia, Israel-Gaza conflict, it is truly a complex and challenging time. The answer to this is not to go more into our corners but to come together and to be able to talk across differences and have the courage to express and listen to others’ views,” he said.

UA Hillel, a prominent Jewish community on campus, responded to questions about whether there was enough time to provide feedback on Garimella and about the ADL’s letter in a statement to Arizona Luminaria.

“UA Hillel is excited for the opportunity to establish a meaningful and productive relationship with Dr. Garimella, as he embarks on his presidency at the University of Arizona. We wish him tremendous success in the new role, and look forward to continuing to cultivate a vibrant Jewish community on campus during his tenure.”

The UA and many other universities have recently seen protests around the war in Gaza. Garimella received criticism amid Pro-Palestinian protests during his time as UVM president, as did Robbins and university presidents across the country.

The criticism at UVM was mainly about the school administration and Division of Safety and Compliance canceling a talk by prominent Palestinian writer Mohammed El-Kurd in October 2023.

The Student Government Association at UVM wrote in a resolution that they were not satisfied with the university’s initial response because the cancelation of the event “effectively alienates and silences Palestinian and Arab voices and perpetuates anti-Arab and Islamophobic tropes.”

The safety division said it could not “adequately provide safety and security” for the event, leading to the cancelation, according to VTDigger .

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