Letter from President Robert C. Robbins, M.D.
If you have not been on campus lately, you might be surprised by transformations underway.
A new, permanent “Bear Down” sign in front of the Main Library is a representation of our core value of Determination, the essence of our enduring Bear Down spirit. In recent months, we broke ground on two incredible buildings designed to support and grow our $790 million research enterprise. The first parts of the Student Success District, a nine-acre constellation of buildings that aim to transform the way students learn and prepare for their futures, opened this fall. Construction is underway on multiple arts district projects that will be worthy of the quality and vibrancy of creative expression on campus. Finally, new signage signals a new era for two colleges — the R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy and the W.A. Franke Honors College, both of which are poised to exponentially increase their service, impact and prestige, thanks to the philanthropic investment of some of our greatest champions.
It is a good time to be a Wildcat. Behind every statistic and accomplishment, every ranking and capital project, are people who care deeply about the vital mission the university undertakes to serve our community, our state, our nation and the world.
In this issue of Arizona Alumni Magazine, you will find many of their stories — how Regents Professor Roberta Brinton is commercializing a new treatment for Alzheimer’s patients. How Regents Professor Marcia Rieke aims to see deep into the history of the universe as a principal investigator for the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) on the James Webb Space Telescope. How Tommy Lloyd is pouring everything he has into our men’s basketball program. And how the “fierce grandma love” of the Tucson community nourishes our Latinx/Hispanic students.
As we welcome 2022, I want to thank you for ongoing support of the university. Your success is our success, and I encourage you to renew your Wildcat ties in ways that are meaningful to you — from reaching out to update a professor who cared, to joining the Bear Down Network and mentoring students, to showing your love on Giving Day, February 14.
Bear Down and Go Cats!
Robert C. Robbins, M.D.
President
The University of Arizona