Finalist for 17th president of NAU touts supporting student success, listening to all stakeholders

By Frank X. Moraga — AmigosNAZ

While Northern Arizona University is on the verge of achieving a student population that would allow it to be considered an Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), José Luis Cruz believes emphasis should go to one particular area.

“What we need to focus on is the serving part, not just providing access, (to give them the help they need) to graduate on time,” Cruz, a finalist for the 17^th president of NAU, said during a virtual media conference held on Feb. 19.

The media conference followed a virtual and limited-audience community meeting held during his visit to the university. Cruz is awaiting final approval of contract terms during the next Arizona Board of Regents meeting where he will be officially appointed as the new NAU president.

As of late 2019, NAU had a Latinx/Hispanic population of 24.5 percent. By hitting the 25 percent mark, NAU could be considered for the HSI designation, which would bring additional funding support and resources. (Please see: NAU News — ¡Bienvenidos a la familia! How NAU’s University Admissions transformed resources for bilingual prospective Lumberjacks).

“I believe we will be hitting the mark soon,” Cruz said. “That will translate to tapping into new federal funds to help us support (Latinx/Hispanic) students at NAU.”

Cruz stressed the phrase “Hitting the ground learning” in his effort to meet with a wide diversity of community members, students groups and others to learn about the history of NAU and gain an understanding of the various views of the university’s place in the region.

NAU has come under the microscope for a number of issues in recent years, including the rapid growth of its student population, which has contributed to conflicts with student housing developers, criminal justice and other issues. (AmigosNAZ — Commentary: La Plaza Vieja begins to define itself).

Cruz said he is under no pressure from the Arizona Board of Regents to continue to expand the student population to meet enrollment goals for the university system.

“We need to provide as much access as possible to students, but we must be within the parameters of being a good stewart” of our place in the community, as he once again he stressed meeting with community stakeholders to resolve issues and chart a path forward.

Cruz also addressed the issue of NAU student concern about the way the past administration has dealt with the pandemic issue, including arbitrary campus return dates and an aborted student Coronavirus testing plan (Arizona Daily Sun — No COVID-19 test, no class for Northern Arizona students).

“I’ve already had discussions with students about what their concerns are and how we will try to build a collective way forward, whether virtually or physically, sharing the responsibility for health and safety,” Cruz said.