Public Addresses

11/19/2009 State of the University Address Thank you, Fred. You have been such a great leader for our university system. The people of Arizona owe you an enormous debt, as do I personally for your support. You are someone I count as a friend, but you are far more significantly a huge friend of this University, and I thank you for all that you have done for the U of A and our state.And thank you all for giving of your time this afternoon to ... (Read More)

6/5/2009 Statement from The University of Arizona The budget bill passed this week by the Arizona legislature clearly violates a major provision of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), and if enacted would disqualify Arizona from receiving nearly $1 billion in federal stimulus funds.The legislative budget, unlike the proposal brought forward earlier by Governor Brewer, attempts to seize funds from the auxiliaries of the state's ... (Read More)

2/13/2009 House Education Committee Field Hearing Representative Crandall, thank you for coming to Tucson to hold this hearing. It is extraordinary to have a committee chairman hold such hearings outside of Phoenix, especially during a legislative session – most especially during this of all legislative sessions.We value your time and we appreciate your interest, which is nothing new. Ever since you arrived in the Arizona Legislature, you h ... (Read More)

11/13/2008 State of the University Address Thank you all for being here this afternoon. It is an honor for me to be able to join with colleagues and friends from across our community and around the state to celebrate the tremendous accomplishments of The University of Arizona, and to reflect on the great future that we can shape by working together to make this institution one of the ten best public research universities in America.This is ... (Read More)

11/1/2008 NCURA Senior Summit Keynote Address Thank you so much for the honor of talking with you today. What a propitious time for us to be meeting this weekend: two days left before Election Day! And, the outcome of this particular Election Day - nationally, regionally, and locally - has enormous implications for our future, regardless of which political candidate you may be supporting. A feeling of great anticipation absolutely fills t ... (Read More)

10/30/2008 IdeaFunding 2008 Two years ago almost to this day, I delivered my inaugural address to The University of Arizona and the community at large. I shared my vision for the UA as an institution on the march to being one of America's 10 best public research universities. I set the University on this course because I believed then, as I do now, that our very future as a research university rests on our capacity to b ... (Read More)

8/22/2008 All College Day  I appreciate having the opportunity to talk with you this week – at a time when the partnership between The University of Arizona and Pima Community College is at its most vibrant and visible. After all, next week 37,000 UA students and 74,000 Pima students will start fall classes, in an annual rite we all cherish. With more than 100,000 students enrolling in our two institutions ... (Read More)

5/5/2008 Friends of the UA Libraries Many thanks to each of you for your support of the University of Arizona Libraries. There are so many worthy causes on the UA campus and beyond that compete for your attention. I appreciate your dedication to our library system. It is at the heart of our academic enterprise.And my thanks to Dean Carla Stoffle, who has become an admired fixture on the UA campus for her progressive leadership of thi ... (Read More)

3/12/2008 Testimony Before the Arizona Senate Higher Education Committee Mr. Chairman, members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today. I have been asked to speak to The University of Arizona's experience in using bond issuance to finance capital construction, and I am happy to provide to you an overview. As you grapple with one of the most serious budget conundrums in Arizona history, I hope you will find the UA experience to be ... (Read More)

11/6/2007 State of the University Address Thank you, Wanda, for the lovely introduction. And thank you all for joining me today for my first State of the University address. I very much appreciate your taking the time to be here and will try to use this time wisely. Please know that I will not be offended if a few folks glance at their watches along the way, but I am determined to avoid the spectacle of too many of you actually shaking th ... (Read More)

4/25/2007 Address to the Tucson Rotary Club Have you read the New York Post lately? If you had read it yesterday, you'd have gotten a glimpse into why the greater Tucson area recently topped the 1-million-person mark.The Post, never one to shy away from boastful language about anything, trumpeted Tucson as the greatest city in the Southwest. You'll like the first reason the writer gives: It's nothing like Phoenix.As this region ... (Read More)

4/20/2007 UA President's Club Luncheon As always, I want to thank you for being here, and for doing what you do to be a part of the President's Club. The UA simply could not do what it does without your support. People in this room have helped us build cutting-edge research facilities and modern classrooms.You have endowed research endeavors that are changing the world around us. And you have provided the means for brilliant young ... (Read More)

3/4/2007 Future Challenges of Higher Education Thanks to Jack Jewett for that warm introduction. Arizona has been very fortunate to have the talents and dedication of Jack Jewett.As a former legislator, hospital administrator and leader of the Arizona Board of Regents, Jack has been a thoughtful leader very committed to building a bright future for Arizona.Recently, Gov. Napolitano appointed him to the voter-created Arizona Board of Early Chil ... (Read More)

11/2/2006 IdeaFunding 2006 Invention to Venture Workshop I have been on the job in Tucson for just over four months now, and it has been an exciting time. As you may know, I came here from Chapel Hill, one corner of the Research Triangle that has helped to transform North Carolina's modern economy.I see a lot of signs of economic transformation here that look very familiar.Tucson is known as a top 10 city for things like business entrepreneurship, h ... (Read More)

10/26/2006 Inaugural Address Governor Napolitano, Mayor Walkup, Mayor Gordon, members of the Arizona Board of Regents, UA presidents emeriti, fellow university presidents, members of the UA faculty, the student body, classified staff and appointed professionals, honored guests, community members, and my family: Thank you for your warm welcome to The University of Arizona and Tucson. And thank you to Jory Hancock, dir ... (Read More)

10/10/2006 College of Medicine-Phoenix Dedication Good morning!It gives me a tremendous amount of pride to report to the citizens of Phoenix, of Maricopa County, and of the state of Arizona that the downtown Phoenix campus of The University of Arizona College of Medicine is open for business.Mayor Gordon, we are ready to be partners in downtown revitalization. Gov. Napolitano, we are proud to have a role in preparing for a healthy and vibrant Ari ... (Read More)

10/4/2006 "UAdiscusses... Inclusion" Kickoff Address It is a privilege for me to be with you to launch this discussion on two complementary topics of inclusiveness and diversity - two topics that are extremely near and dear to me and to this institution. I want to take a moment before my remarks to thank Dr. Rhys, to thank my good colleague in the president's office, Edie Auslander, to acknowledge the presence of Regent Boyce, who is here and wh ... (Read More)

9/8/2006 Arizona Town Hall Board Retreat It's a pleasure to know that as president of The University of Arizona, I serve as an ex-officio member of your board. Arizona Town Hall is a unique institution for public discourse in Arizona, and I am eager to participate.Tonight, you have allowed me to do some musing about the future of the UA. Granted, though I'm a native of Phoenix, I'm still pretty new to the UA and Tucson, so my ... (Read More)

8/20/2006 Freshman Convocation As president of The University of Arizona, it is my privilege to welcome you to this great university. You are now members of the Wildcat Family! You are a special class for me, because I am also a newcomer here, having started this job on July 1. So, in a sense, I'm a freshman, too. Because we're in this experience together, allow me a moment to share some thoughts about the college ex ... (Read More)