News

Through an inclusive process that involved faculty, staff, students, alumni, community members and others, the University of Arizona has identified a core purpose and values, which articulate why the University exists and what it stands for. 

The College of Engineering's new leader says he is excited to be at a university where the mission matches up perfectly with his vision for engineering education. "The University of Arizona has so much positive change going on right now, with a new provost, new deans and a new, visionary president," David Hahn says. 

To help new students navigate the academic landscape of the UA, the Advising Resource Center is introducing a new initiative called Wayfinders. It's a network of academic advisers who, in addition to their regular positions in their respective colleges, will serve as campuswide advising experts for first-year students. 

MSE assistant professor Zheshen Zhang is leading the construction of the Interdisciplinary Quantum Information Research and Engineering instrument, known as Inquire, at the UA. Inquire is the world's first shared research and training instrument to help researchers in diverse fields – including those with no expertise in quantum information science – benefit from quantum resources.

A project in the honors college that will  help to inform UA Strategic Initiative 1.1B5 Design a new Gen Ed curriculum is underway. The project is part of the university-wide CUES (Center for University Education Scholarship) Program. In this pilot, professors from three different disciplines are cooperatively teaching a diverse group of mainly freshmen students who, like their professors, come from across the intellectual spectrum.

According to UA policy, every employee traveling more than 35 miles from their “duty post” needs a travel authorization to get reimbursed for costs. As many as 4,000 travel authorizations are approved each year by the university. Until recently, that meant pushing a whole lot of paper. But in December 2018, things changed thanks to the UA's adoption of electronic travel authorization forms. The new system is part of the UA Strategic Plan Initiative 5.2A Optimize business process and ways of working.  

The UA GlobalReach magazine, 2019, Vol 17, outlines UA Global's vision for the future. UA Global serves as a central hub for global engagement - the result of a university-wide planning process. Working with partners in Arizona and across the world, UA Global aims to set the standard for a global university.  The vision centers around the many key commitments and initiatives including: Global Citizens, Global Presence, Global Pathways, Global Skills Provider, Global Student Body and Global Impact.

The UA Alumni Association recently introduced the Bear Down Network, a new online community exclusive to Wildcats. The Bear Down Network promotes alumni's lifelong connections to the UA by strengthening the alumni network through increased communication, targeted, meaningful programming and valuable experiences which build life long affinity to the UA. Through the Bear Down Network, alumni have networking and career development opportunities at their fingertips.

The University of Arizona has launched a Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) initiative, a key component of the UA Strategic Plan, which will enable the university to achieve its bold vision and goals for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The UA-branded CRM program, Trellis, aims to support and strengthen the university’s relationships by providing a 360-degree comprehensive view of constituents to deliver a modern, more personalized digital experience.  

A series of Campus Climate Praxis Workshops were conducted in March - May 2019 with sessions on main campus, in Phoenix and at the UA South campus in Sierra Vista. The workshops served as a follow-up to the Occupational Health Index survey conducted last fall, and were organized by Andrea Romero and Sara Knepper, Co-Owners for the Reinforcing Our Cultural Aspirations initiative which is part of Pillar 5: Institutional Excellence.