Arizona

Arizona Republican unveils bill to cut college presidents’ salaries amid waning state support

Published

1 year ago

February 5, 2025

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Arizona Republican unveils bill to cut college presidents’ salaries amid waning state support

An Arizona lawmaker introduced a bill that would cap university presidents’ base salaries at $500,000. The bill would also limit bonuses to 15% of the base salary.
All three of Arizona’s public university presidents currently earn more than $500,000 in base salary alone.
The bill comes as the universities grapple with budget constraints and students face rising tuition costs.

The leaders of Arizona’s public universities each receive more than a million dollars a year in salary, bonuses and other benefits combined. A bill introduced this week looks to change that.

Senate Bill 1453 from Sen. David Farnsworth, R-Mesa, proposes capping the base salary of university presidents at $500,000 and limiting all bonuses at 15% of that base salary. Those bonuses would only be for performance exceeding their “assigned duties” and must directly benefit the school’s students, staff or faculty.

All three presidents currently make more than that in their base salaries. Arizona State University’s Michael Crow earns $892,500 annually, while that figure stands at nearly $713,000 for Northern Arizona University’s José Cruz Rivera and $810,000 for the University of Arizona’s President Suresh Garimella. Each receives additional benefits and bonuses.

According to a 2023 analysis from The Chronicle of Higher Education of public universities, each of the leaders of Arizona’s three major universities is among the top 30 presidents nationwide based on pay.

Some of the schools are facing difficult choices in the face of financial pressures. The University of Arizona currently faces a more than $60 million budget deficit, compared to an overall budget of $1.3 billion. University officials said they have worked to keep the scope of cuts focused on administrative costs.

This semester, in-person students at Arizona State University received a $350 tuition surcharge on their bill. University leadership said the decision was made after careful consideration of how $24 million in state funding cuts would impact the school.

Conservative leaders at the state Legislature have discussed targeting university presidents in the past. Senate President Warren Petersen argued last fall the presidents could be “doing better for less.”

“Would you support a reduction/cap on their pay?,” Petersen wrote on X. “Sounds like a good bill to hear in our #DOGE committees.”

University presidents are often not the highest-paid employees at a school — with salaries for top coaches continuing to rise. Both of the head basketball coaches at ASU and UA make more than $2 million with opportunities for other bonuses. Sen. T.J. Shope, R-Coolidge, expressed interest late last year in making it easier for the Arizona Board of Regents to reach contract deals with coaches. His bill has yet to gain traction in the Legislature.

The bill is being introduced after several years of falling support from the Legislature. Arizona currently invests less than half of the national average per capita, according to the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association.

The issue is often a point of contention for higher education leaders. The Arizona Board of Regents, the body overseeing the state’s public university system, is calling for a considerable funding jump this year. They asked for $732 million more in funding to support its mission in providing higher education opportunities to Arizonans.

Students express frustration at increasing costs

Miranda Lopez of the Arizona Students’ Association, an advocacy group supporting the bill, said her peers have become increasingly frustrated over how money is spent at the schools.

She noted that pushing for legislation that would change the higher education landscape in the way they want has been difficult, noting the Republican majorities in Arizona’s House and Senate which have previously opted for conserving spend on higher education.

But this was something they agreed on.

“One thing that we can all agree on is that we think that these people who are in executive administrative positions, especially the president, are making too much money when they don’t need to be,” Lopez said.

She said the bill has received mixed feedback from lawmakers so far, with Democrats hesitant to support it. Lopez said Democrats have indicated that limiting presidents’ salaries feels too similar to a spending cut.

Lopez said their goal is not to cut support to higher education but to redirect money to issues they believe are more important.

“We’re not trying to cut the total amount, but rather, we’re trying to limit the amount that’s being given to one particular position,” she said.

Helen Rummel covers higher education for The Arizona Republic. Reach her at hrummel@azcentral.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @helenrummel.

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Arizona

Haitian man detained at Arizona ICE facility dies in US custody, brother says

Published

10 hours ago

March 5, 2026

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Haitian man detained at Arizona ICE facility dies in US custody, brother says

FLORENCE, AZ (AP) — A Haitian man confined at an Arizona immigration detention center for months died at a hospital Monday after a tooth infection was left untreated, the man’s brother said Wednesday.

Emmanuel Damas, 56, told medical personnel at the Florence Correctional Center that he had a toothache in mid-February, but he was not sent to a dentist, said Damas’ brother, Presly Nelson.

Nelson believes the staff at the facility did not take his brother’s complaints seriously, even though it was a treatable condition. Nelson said he would expect such a death in countries with less access to health care, but not in the United States.

“As a country — I’m an American now — I think we can do better than that,” Nelson said.

Damas is among at least nine people who have died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody this year.

The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment. ICE had said it hoped to issue a news release Wednesday.

Earlier Wednesday, ICE officials announced the death of Mexican national Alberto Gutierrez-Reyes, who had been in a California ICE detention center and died in the hospital Feb. 27 after reporting chest pain and shortness of breath.

Chandler City Council member Christine Ellis, a Haitian American who is a registered nurse, said she was contacted by Damas’ family after his death.

“As a medical person, I am absolutely appalled that there were medical-licensed people that were working there and allowed those things to happen,” Ellis said. “It does not make sense to me.”

A report from the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office listed Damas’ cause of death as “pending” as of Wednesday.

Damas was taken into ICE custody in September and was soon transferred to the medium-security Florence Correctional Center, where he was held for several months, including after his asylum application was denied, Ellis said.

CoreCivic, a for-profit corrections company that runs the Florence facility, did not respond to emails seeking comment.

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Arizona

3 men sentenced in Arizona for multi-million dollar scam against Amazon

Published

23 hours ago

March 4, 2026

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3 men sentenced in Arizona for multi-million dollar scam against Amazon

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Three Valley men have been sentenced for their roles in what prosecutors described as a “sophisticated fraud scheme” against an online shopping giant.

In a news release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Mughith Faisal, 29, of Glendale, was sentenced on Feb. 5 to 18 months in prison. His brother, Basheer Faisal, 28, of Glendale, was also recently ordered to spend 18 months in prison.

The feds said a third defendant in the case, Abdullah Alwan, 28, of Surprise, was sentenced to six months in prison after the trio pleaded guilty to wire fraud.

Prosecutors said the three were also each ordered to pay $1.5 million in restitution to Amazon.

According to federal officials, Alwan worked in Amazon’s logistics division and left the company in 2021 when he reportedly used his knowledge to manipulate rates for transportation deliveries assigned to Amazon’s third-party carriers.

The feds said Basheer and Mughith Faisal used “Blue Line Transport” to knowingly get to increased transport rates that Alwan would then input into Amazon’s system, ripping them off out of $4.5 million.

The FBI’s Phoenix Division helped in the investigation, which was then prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.

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Arizona

Arizona Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 results for March 3, 2026

Published

1 day ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Arizona Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 results for March 3, 2026

The Arizona Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at Tuesday, March 3, 2026 results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers

07-21-53-54-62, Mega Ball: 16

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers

2-0-8

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Fantasy 5 numbers

02-05-18-27-41

Check Fantasy 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Triple Twist numbers

11-14-17-19-23-24

Check Triple Twist payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news and results

What time is the Powerball drawing?

Powerball drawings are at 7:59 p.m. Arizona time on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

How much is a Powerball lottery ticket today?

In Arizona, Powerball tickets cost $2 per game, according to the Arizona Lottery.

How to play the Powerball

To play, select five numbers from 1 to 69 for the white balls, then select one number from 1 to 26 for the red Powerball.

You can choose your lucky numbers on a play slip or let the lottery terminal randomly pick your numbers.

To win, match one of the 9 Ways to Win:

5 white balls + 1 red Powerball = Grand prize.
5 white balls = $1 million.
4 white balls + 1 red Powerball = $50,000.
4 white balls = $100.
3 white balls + 1 red Powerball = $100.
3 white balls = $7.
2 white balls + 1 red Powerball = $7.
1 white ball + 1 red Powerball = $4.
1 red Powerball = $4.

There’s a chance to have your winnings increased two, three, four, five and 10 times through the Power Play for an additional $1 per play. Players can multiply non-jackpot wins up to 10 times when the jackpot is $150 million or less.

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Arizona Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $100 and may redeem winnings up to $599. For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Arizona Lottery offices. By mail, send a winner claim form, winning lottery ticket and a copy of a government-issued ID to P.O. Box 2913, Phoenix, AZ 85062.

To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a winner claim form and deliver the form, along with the ticket and government-issued ID to any of these locations:

Phoenix Arizona Lottery Office: 4740 E. University Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85034, 480-921-4400. Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

Tucson Arizona Lottery Office: 2955 E. Grant Road, Tucson, AZ 85716, 520-628-5107. Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

Phoenix Sky Harbor Lottery Office: Terminal 4 Baggage Claim, 3400 E. Sky Harbor Blvd., Phoenix, AZ 85034, 480-921-4424. Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Sunday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes up to $49,999.

Kingman Arizona Lottery Office: Inside Walmart, 3396 Stockton Hill Road, Kingman, AZ 86409, 928-753-8808. Hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes up to $49,999.

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at https://www.arizonalottery.com/.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Arizona Republic editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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