The state budget for the next fiscal year signed by Governor Doug Ducey includes more than $100 million in cuts to Arizona’s three public universities.

One of the loudest critics of this has been Mark Killian, chair of the Arizona Board of Regents. He even told us that the legislature’s proposed cuts —which were approved by the governor — were some of the craziest things he’s seen in his decades of involvement in Arizona government.

Then last week, Killian was appointed by Governor Ducey to be the director of Arizona’s Department of Agriculture.

Some people say Killian is a great choice, but others wonder about the timing.

We talked about the political perception with Chris Herstam, former legislative leader and also former member of the Board of Regents.