This week brought UArizona faculty and administrators to Washington to advocate for the University’s priorities in the Fiscal Year 2021 Appropriations process. Dean Julie Funk and Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, Jamie Boehmer, of the College of Veterinary Medicine were on the Hill to discuss the UA’s newest college, the nation’s veterinary workforce, and the V-V Ranch land exchange.  

State Relations, the University of Arizona Alumni Association, and Associated Students of the University of Arizona jointly hosted the annual Cats at the Capitol event on March 2nd.  Cats at the Capitol is an opportunity for the UArizona community to thank legislators and staff for their public service and tout the significant impact the university has on Arizona.

This year, GCR spearheaded an effort with our campus partners to support early childhood literacy.  Every year the United Way of Southern Arizona invites the community to their Annual Business Breakfast, which highlights the need for literacy programs, and the year, through our combined efforts, we sponsored the Literacy Champion Award.

This week President Robbins, along with President Crow and President Cheng, participated in the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce’s annual Valley Voices event. The three Presidents discussed the “State of Higher Education” in Arizona and shared the vision and priorities for their respective institutions.

In 2015, the University of Arizona joined with the City of Tucson, Pima County, and the Southern Arizona VA Health Center as participants in the Air Force Community Partnership program.  The program is a framework through which military and community leaders can identify creative ways to leverage their capabilities and resources to focus on achieving reduced costs by finding shared value. 

On January 29, the House of Representatives’ Women in STEM Caucus was launched with Arizona’s Representative Debbie Lesko as one of four co-chairs. The caucus is challenged with bringing public and congressional awareness to policies and initiatives that support women in STEM fields. The reception for the caucus’s launch was standing-room-only, evidence of the strong support for this bipartisan effort.

The Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) held several committee meetings and a special board meeting on Thursday, January 30th at ASU where several big UArizona items were covered. The February ABOR meeting will be held at ASU on February 13-14.

On January 13, 2020 Arizona’s Fifty-fourth legislature began the session.  President Robbins attended the opening day ceremony as a guest of House Speaker Rusty Bowers.  Later in the week Governor Ducey released his Executive Budget Proposal for FY21.

The final Community Partner Breakfast of 2019 was a spectacular one!  Held on stage at Centennial Hall, before a large group of captivated community leaders, Arizona Arts presented an overview of the ways they engage with the community and how they are carrying out the reimagined vision for the arts.

The Congressional appropriations process for FY21 is kicking off in the next few weeks, with the release of the President’s Budget Request expected the week of February 10th. While FY20’s budget saw growth for the majority of research funding and student aid accounts, FY21 is expected to be a leaner year for appropriations.