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As part of a program known as the UA design lab, a dozen enterprising undergraduate students are taking part in an internship that seeks to bridge the gaps among students, faculty and staff with one of campus's most valuable resources – rich, detailed and authentic student feedback. One of the groups of interns, called La Mariposa, or "the butterfly" in Spanish – is looking at how UA Global can more effectively reach all student populations, while understanding the unique experiences of international and study abroad students.

With funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the University of Arizona's Confluencenter for Creative Inquiry will launch a program focused on exploring the narratives of those who live at and journey across the U.S.-Mexico border. Fronteridades is part of the UA's aim to become the leading institution for borderlands scholarship, referred to as the Border Lab Initiative. The goal of this initiative is to make the UA the leader in the field of border studies. This grant is one important first step in that direction.

This morning, I was honored to represent the collective voice of the University of Arizona as I presented our new strategic plan to the Arizona Board of Regents. Now, I want to take a moment to say THANK YOU, because this plan would not exist without you.

In a Q&A with the Appointed Professionals Advisory Council, UA President Robert C. Robbins encouraged employees to share their thoughts on the strategic plan and to complete the organizational health index survey. "I would encourage everybody to lean into the strategic plan," he said. "There are plenty of opportunities to get your thoughts known."

I continue to be impressed by the collective campus response at every stage in our strategic planning process.

Dr. Robbins discusses the Strategic Plan with BizTucson.

Members of the Faculty Senate were updated on strategic planning, senior-level searches and the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings. Breaking into the top 50 public universities "is a good thing for the University because there are plenty of prospective students and their families that are looking at these rankings," UA President Robert C. Robbins said.

Daily Wildcat editor-in-chief Jasmine Demers spoke with President Dr. Robert Robbins about the upcoming school year and his advice for students who are just beginning their journey at the University of Arizona. Their conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Strategic plan in the works, the university president is emphasizing student success rather than number of students.

Jeffrey Jones, a senior information technology support analyst in UITS, will take over as chair of the Classified Staff Council on July 1. He says he wants to be a voice for classified staff amid efforts such as the University Career Architecture Project and the strategic plan. "It seems like there are a lot of really positive movements happening, and I would just like to see them continue – and spread the word on them even more and get more people involved and participating," Jones says.

With a total of five phases, including discovery, ideation, testing, development and implementation, the strategic plan is currently in the testing phase, which aims to solidify a set of initiatives that are prioritized most by the campus community.

Nearly 200 people shared their thoughts about the UA's future during an interactive strategic planning event held on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus last week. The event included a Q&A with President Robert C. Robbins and the co-chairs of the strategic plan.