The Future of NAU

NEWS ANNIKA TOMLIN • COLLEGE TIMES As incoming NAU president, DR. JOSÉ LUIS CRUZ TAKES ON NEW ROLE JUNE 14 college in the Bronx, and was later elevated by the Board of Trustees to the role of executive vice Dr. José Luis Cruz chancellor and university provost feels like he’s spent for the 25-campus system in 2019. a lifetime preparing Cruz received a vague call in for this role. December 2020 saying a leadership He began his position was going to soon be career as a faculty member in available. He didn’t know the engineering at the University of position was for the new NAU Puerto Rico, Mayagüez, rising president. through the ranks and serving as “I wasn’t particularly in the chair of the electrical and computer market at that particular point in engineering department and dean time,” Cruz says. “I’m listening, and of academic affairs. He is a former they say it’s for Northern Arizona vice president of higher education University, and I was like, ‘I know policy and practice at The NAU. I’ve heard of NAU and it’s in Education Trust in Washington, Flagstaff.’ My wife (Rima) and I had D.C., and a former chief student taken a trip to the Grand Canyon affairs offi cer for the University of and Sedona. That was our fi rst trip Puerto Rico system. Previously, Dr. as a couple 15 to 16 years ago.” Cruz served as provost of California Cruz and his wife have a photo State University, Fullerton. of themselves at the Grand Cnayon

“When you put it all together, that they keep on the living room it’s been like I’ve been on the job shelf. Going back there “has been a training for it for NAU for 25 part of our imagination for a very years,” Cruz says. “I feel fortunate long time, so we are very excited” and privileged to be given this about moving to Arizona. opportunity.” “If we could be there tomorrow,

The Arizona Board of Regents we would be there tomorrow,” approved Cruz as the 17th NAU Cruz says. He and his family are in president on March 10. Cruz Puerto Rico doing what he needs opportunity in Arizona.” “Generally speaking, my earned his bachelor’s degree to “transition out of my current He discussed how NAU as an aspirations for NAU are in a in electrical engineering at position in a responsible way.” institution has seen an upward very short amount of time to the University of Puerto Rico, Throughout the process of trend “in the percentage of make it a nationally recognized Mayagüez, and then completed his becoming the new NAU president, Hispanic students” and how it model, comprehensive university master’s and doctorate at Georgia Cruz and his family have made should now be looking toward for its ability to expand access, Institute of Technology, both in several trips to Arizona, NAU and “what a Hispanic-serving enhance learning, increase student electrical engineering. the surrounding area. institution really means and how to outcomes, push the frontiers of

“Upon being close to graduating Cruz hopes to have two weeks adapt to that.” knowledge and better serve their (with my bachelor’s) I accepted a job between his fi nal day at CUNY and Cruz also touched on the communities even when facing offer with a research company in his start date at NAU to check out institution’s commitment to “Native tough fi scal conditions and public Princeton, New Jersey,” Cruz says. the sights in Arizona. American success and fi rst- health emergencies. How do we

“A faculty member who I admire “It’s obviously one of the larger generation student success.” do things not only do things so very much stopped me one day in states in the country in terms of “The more I learned about where well for our students that we the hallway and said, ‘I know you geographic area so we will probably the university had been and get recognized, but that in being took this job, but why don’t you get not be going to see but a fraction of where it aspires to be, the more I recognized we are helping other a doctorate instead and come back it in those couple weeks but that is thought that I would want to be institutions across the country do and teach?’” certainly our hope,” Cruz says. part of that,” Cruz says. “A part of the same for their students?”

That is exactly what Cruz did. “We also have a lot of interest the faculty and the staff and the The process has been a

“I applied to grad school, did my in getting to know the community community that went from where whirlwind and Cruz is just trying doctorate at Georgia Tech in Atlanta that we serve because we have a lot we are to where we want to be.” to stay focused. and went back to Puerto Rico to of Native American students,” he He talked about how several new “I would just say that we are not teach at my alumna mater,” Cruz says. policies and practice have been only excited about the opportunity says. “It’s at the top of our list to visit put in place during the COVID-19 but have also been very pleasantly

“I did that for several years those Native nations in whatever pandemic to continue education. surprised by the gracious welcome but early on, I got into the capacity.” “I really think that higher ed, we have been receiving from administrative track, which is really what ultimately led to NAU.” FUTURE OF NAU in general now, is undergoing a real reckoning of what it should Flagstaff and NAU and the Arizona Board of Regents system and

Cruz’s most recent role was as Before Cruz accepted the NAU look like, not only post-pandemic community,” Cruz says. the executive vice chancellor and position, he met with many people — if we can call it that — but more “I have gotten to talk to so many university provost at The City at the school. toward the future in general and people and exchange so many ideas University of New York (CUNY). “It was a cumulative learning that how we can leverage what we have and we really feel that it is the He began his tenure at CUNY occurred at that time when I was learned in the past year through right place for us to be part of that in 2016 as the third president of getting to know an institution that the pandemic to forage that future,” community and I am very much Lehman College, the only senior has a 120-year legacy of expanding Cruz says. looking forward to it.” CT