Dr. Heather Lattimer, the newly appointed provost and vice president of academic affairs, is making the rounds on campus visiting the various colleges and hearing from students and faculty on their top issues.
Lattimer spent her 14th day in her new role with a visit to the College of Arts & Letters on Thursday, March 20, answering questions from the audience and discussing her goals as provost.
Audience members shared concerns of class sizes, the need for more student assistants, and anxiety about looming budget cuts which could impact many arts programs. Members also thanked the provost for hosting the recent meetings and her transparency and receptiveness to tough questions.
“This is day 14 for me, so I’m still learning a lot,” Lattimer said to the audience at the meeting’s end. “I appreciate you sharing your hopes, your dreams, your concerns, your experiences, as we think about what I need to know in order to be able to do my job well.”
According to the university website, the Provost has oversight of the eight colleges at Cal State LA and the University Library, and is responsible for the academic and budgetary affairs of the university. Lattimer was appointed to the position at the beginning of the month, and has been in the CSU system since 2018, previously serving as Dean of the Connie L. Lurie College of Education at San Jose State University.
Martin Alexander, a first-year MFA sculpture student, asked Lattimer about the implementation of artificial intelligence in the classroom and the potential results on academia, referencing the recent CSU AI initiative that was announced last month.
Alexander told the University Times he is concerned with the scope of the AI initiative’s implementation and its potential environmental and monetary impact as core programs at Cal State LA face uncertainty.
“What the students need now is reduced tuition,” Alexander said. “What we need is an increase in material needs being met.”
He said he was glad that Lattimer held the meeting and made an effort in a direct line of communication to the student body, and hopes to hear more about the university’s approach to the AI initiative in the future.
“I’m interested to what she might say at a later time,” he said. “She’s new, it’s her fourteenth day, I’ll give her that leeway.”
Lattimer encouraged the audience to contact her with any questions or concerns, adding that she looks forward to being more transparent.
“I don’t have a magic wand, and I want to be really clear about that, but I will tell you what my priorities are,” Lattimer said. “To make sure that as we work with your faculty, your chairs, your associate team, with your dean, that we are ensuring that you have the opportunities that get you to graduation.”
