The Daily Agenda: Smoke and mirrors at the UA

The University of Arizona's chief financial officer resigned last month in the wake of a multimillion-dollar "miscalculation" ... Or did she? ... Legislative session kicks off.

In case you thought last month’s resignation of the University of Arizona’s Chief Financial Officer Lisa Rulney meant she was out of a job, we’ve got news for you.

We received a tip yesterday that Rulney — the person in charge of finances when the UA reported a $240 million miscalculation — had been rehired, which seemed to be confirmed by the school’s campus directory.

But when we asked the UA, we were surprised to learn that she never actually left.

“At the time of her resignation from the position of senior vice president for business affairs and chief financial officer, President Robbins asked that she continue serving the University during this transition to support the financial mitigation plan implementation as well as assist with operations within the Division of Business Affairs,” UA spokesman Nick Prevenas told us in an email sent late yesterday.

But this new position was news to us. Rulney’s resignation was the high-profile ousting that signaled that the UA was taking the financial crisis seriously. So we reviewed UA President Robert C. Robbins’ statements to staff and the media in the wake of her resignation.

“I want to thank Lisa for her exceptional professionalism and dedication during many years of service to the University,” Robbins wrote in a Dec. 13 email to faculty and staff announcing her resignation. He went on to say, “and I wish her well.”

Our local media colleagues also made no mention in their reporting that Rulney continued to be employed at the UA. We didn’t, either.

Why would we?

When Robbins announced her resignation at a special meeting of the Arizona Board of Regents, he never gave any indication she would be staying on in another capacity.

Quite the opposite. At the Dec. 13 special meeting called to discuss the UA’s financial crisis, Robbins cast Rulney’s resignation as a somber step, one of the “very difficult decisions” the financial crisis had forced UA administrators to make.

“This work will take some time, but it will begin immediately. In fact, it already has begun with a change in financial leadership at the university,” Robbins said. “Earlier today, I accepted the resignation of Senior Vice President for Business Affairs and Chief Financial Officer Lisa Rulney. I want to acknowledge … her work and dedication to this great university over the past 22 years.” 

That was it.

He then immediately started talking about her replacement, ABOR Executive Director John Arnold, who would work “for the next few months as the University of Arizona’s interim Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President for Business Affairs.”

The news coverage that followed Robbins’ announcement echoed what he said at the meeting and in the email.

Rulney is indeed no longer CFO or vice president of business affairs, but she’s now the UA’s senior advisor for business operations, which spokesman Prevenas told us “recognizes her background and extensive professional experience, as well as her primary duties.”

“This temporary role is intended to provide critical support to the University at this important time,” he said. “She currently receives her existing rate of pay and reports to Interim (Senior Vice President of Business Affairs) and CFO (and regent) John Arnold.”

The Star’s Ellie Wolfe reported that Rulney’s salary at the time of her resignation was nearly $500,000.

While Prevenas said Rulney’s previous position of CFO is critical for the university, he added that there’s no timeline to find a permanent replacement.

But with spring semester classes starting tomorrow and the UA’s financial outlook still uncertain, we’ll be paying close attention to what Robbins says from here on out.

We talk a lot about transparency in journalism, and these are the kind of situations that give us pause. But what do you think? Let us know in a letter to the editor. Email Curt at curt@tucsonagenda.com.

News about public officials involves the whole community. Send your tips to Curt or Caitlin at caitlin@tucsonagenda.com.

Insider view: From water to housing to abortion and more, Capitol Media Services’ Howard Fischer gives readers the lay of the land as Arizona’s legislative session begins. Fischer lays out the problems and takes readers through the different fixes proposed by officials from both major parties. This is definitely worth a read for those who want to know what to expect from the Legislature this year. 

Muerto Peñasco: The Lukeville port of entry opened last week after a month-long closure, but the economic impact is still rippling through Sonora and Arizona, Alisa Reznick and Wayne Schutsky at KJZZ’s Fronteras Desk report. Commerce between Phoenix and Mexico was stifled and the Mexican resort town, Puerto Peñasco, was hit particularly hard. 

“It’s called Muerto Peñasco right now, instead of Puerto Peñasco, because nobody is there,” Pima County Supervisor Adelita Grijalva said.

Pulling together: Behind the scenes, another “chaotic miracle” is playing out as Tucsonans rally to help thousands of asylum seekers, Arizona Daily Star columnist Tim Steller writes. The miracle back in 2019 involved local volunteers coming out of the woodwork to help a couple hundred asylum seekers every day, often at the former Benedictine Monastery. Today, “Tucson is reliving the spirit of 2019, less visibly but on a greater scale,” as the Casa Alitas shelter and the Border Patrol do their best to coordinate the arrival of 1,500 people daily for the past few weeks. 

Waste not, want not: A new study out of the UA explores how marketing faculty can help educate students about the impact of climate change and overconsumption, UA News’ Mikayla Mace Kelley writes. The study surveyed marketing educators from 42 countries to gauge if and how they’re integrating climate change into their curricula. It found that more than one-third of educators actively integrate sustainability and climate change into their classrooms. Half of the respondents said they recognize the need for change, but feel stuck teaching “business as usual” curricula.

Aid costs money: The federal funds that pay for the chaotic miracle Steller described could run out as soon as next month, Tucson Mayor Regina Romero and Grijalva wrote in a guest opinion in the Star. If the federal dollars dry up, local governments will be faced with a humanitarian crisis. 

“Who will help these asylum seekers with language barriers make flight or bus reservations? Where will they get food and water? Where will they go to the bathroom? Where will they sleep? As the 500 released today struggle to figure out how to move on, they will be joined by another 500 tomorrow. And another 500 the day after that, and another, and another, day after day until there are thousands of desperate people on the street just trying to survive, let alone book a flight out of town,” Romero and Grijalva wrote. 

97: The number of days of cash the UA said it had on hand on November 2. Using that math and with no interventions, the UA will be running out of money by mid-February.