Take Action on Threat to Planning Program at U of A

In response to budget reductions by the State of Arizona, officials at the University of Arizona (UA) in Tucson announced on January 14, 2003, a proposal to eliminate 16 academic programs including the School of Planning and the School of Landscape Architecture.

Closing the University of Arizona School of Planning will shortchange not just the university, but all communities in Arizona.

The criteria used to determine whether a program was recommended for continuation or not were educational excellence, research and creative excellence, student demand, vital public impact, revenue generation, and interdisciplinary need.

APA finds that the UA School of Planning not only meets all six criteria, but that it plays a vital economic role locally, regionally and statewide.

Your letters are needed

To ensure the School of Planning is not closed, APA is asking planners and communities not only in Arizona but throughout the country to write letters to University of Arizona President Peter Likins and the Arizona Board of Regents asking that they not close the schools of planning or landscape architecture. To ensure your letters are considered, send them before the 105-day public comment closes April 29, 2003.

A final decision on whether to close the schools of planning and landscape architecture will be made at the Arizona Board of Regents meeting June 19-20, 2003. The Regents, however, will be meeting two more times before then: March 6-7 and April 24-25.

Writing to the university

Click here to read letters to the university's president and the Arizona Board of Regents from APA President Bruce McClendon, FAICP, and AICP President Sam Casella, FAICP, and a guest commentary by APA Executive Director Paul Farmer, AICP, that appeared February 13, 2003 in the Tucson Citizen.

• Click here for a list of addresses for University of Arizona President Peter Likins and the Arizona Board of Regents.
• You may also send your comments to focus@email.arizona.edu whereupon they will be directed to administrators and committees that will make further recommendations to UA President Peter Likins and UA Provost George Davis about the proposed closures.
• Please send copies of your letters to UA School of Planning Director Barbara Becker by e-mail, bbecker@u.arizona.edu, or by regular mail: Dr. Barbara Becker, Director, UA School of Planning, P.O. Box 210075, Tucson, AZ 85721-0075.

Important points to mention in your letters to the university:

• The School of Planning is vital to the University of Arizona's central mission. The school plays a crucial role in the university's community outreach, and helping meet its student and faculty diversity goals.
• Planning programs help attract federal research funds, which among just the Federal Highway Administration, Department of Agriculture and Environmental Protection Agency exceed $200 million a year.
• It offers an innovative, award-winning curriculum that compliments — not duplicates — the planning program offered at Arizona State. The planning program at the University of Arizona builds on the unique environment of the region and close proximity to Mexico.
• Under the leadership of school director Barbara Becker, the School of Planning has grown steadily during the past five years and now has nearly 60 students. Although most students come from out-of-state, approximately half take jobs in Arizona after graduating.
• The National Planning Accreditation Board has recognized the program for having made "great strides" and noted that the school is "poised to assume national leadership in planning education."

Writing letters to the editor

Letters to the editor should be sent to the Tucson Citizen (letters@tucsoncitizen.com; Attention: Jill Blondin) expressing your concerns that the adverse impacts of this proposal go far beyond the University of Arizona campus.

Please send copies of your letters to UA School of Planning Director Barbara Becker by e-mail, bbecker@u.arizona.edu, or by regular mail: Dr. Barbara Becker, Director, UA School of Planning, P.O. Box 210075, Tucson, AZ 85721-0075.

Important points to include in your letters to the editor:

• Planning plays an important role in state, regional and local economies. Corridor plans done by University of Arizona planning students help South Tucson secure $13 million in local, state and federal funds to redevelop 4th and 6th Avenues and 29th Street.
• Small and Native American communities in the state do not have the expertise or funds to hire such professionals to develop comprehensive or other types of plans. The University of Arizona School of Planning has a proven track record of providing such help to communities throughout the state.
• Arizona's population continues to grow. Guiding growth so the state's quality of life is not compromised requires planning. The professional planners who have studied and trained in the state are better prepared to handle the unique challenges Arizona communities face.

Thank you for your help. Working together, we can make a difference.