NEWS | October 21, 2003

Administration
Finalists to hold open forums
The first candidate to meet the university community will be here today and tomorrow.

By Kate Bolen
The Shorthorn staff

The presidential finalists’ campus visits begin today with Bob Smith, who will meet with university representatives.

Dr. Smith, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Arkansas, will spend today and Wednesday attending meetings and forums answering questions from the UTA community. Smith will meet vice presidents, deans, directors, chairs and students.

Each candidate will hold open forums on the second day of his visit.

Smith’s open forum is called “Helping to Guide the Ascent of the University of Texas at Arlington Through 2010.” He said the discussion will break into three areas: inspiring students, faculty and staff, guiding this plan and representing the institution to its constituents.

Tabitha Padilla, Student Congress vice president, said Smith’s meeting with congress will give senators an opportunity to discuss personal issues with him.

“We want to know how involved the candidates plan to be in Student Congress issues,” Padilla said.

Smith will also attend a Faculty Senate meeting chaired by Dennis Reinhartz. Dr. Reinhartz said Smith will make a brief statement followed by a question-and-answer session.

“The meeting is open to the Faculty Senate, but if other faculty members show up, they will not be turned away,” he said. The meeting will begin at 3:15 p.m. in the University Center Bluebonnet Ballroom.

Although questions are up to the individual, he said, one of the main topics that will be discussed is shared governance within the university.

Kim LaFontaine, chairwoman of the Association of Academic Directors and Department Chairs, said issues such as budget, hiring new faculty and salaries will be discussed during Smith’s meeting with the association.

LaFontaine said he believes the directors and chairs are the middle management of the university and that the meeting will allow them to see Smith’s stand on issues that affect them, he said.

Michael Moore, assistant vice president of academic affairs, will introduce Smith at the administrator meeting. Dr. Moore said the discussion will be open, allowing attendees to ask Smith questions.

“We will try to learn about him just as he will try to learn about us,” Moore said.

— Staff reporter Danny Woodward contributed to this article.

CORRECTION

A box accompanying this story misspelled the first name of Arthur Vailas, one of five remaining candidates for the university’s presidency.

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