Letter to Alumni from President Robert
Shelton
Dear Alumni,
I
had no idea how special it would be to arrive in Wildcat Country until
my first day on the job.
On July 3, my wife, Adrian, and I were met in our driveway by a
gathering of students, a contingent of the Alumni Band, and even Wilma
Wildcat. They welcomed us to Tucson, cheered us on, and accompanied us
on a ride to campus in a new CatTran shuttle.
There, we were greeted by several hundred students and employees of
The University of Arizona, who gave us just about the warmest welcome
anyone could ever hope for.
Since then, Adrian and I have been overwhelmed by the warmth and
generosity extended to us by the campus community, by Tucson, and of
course by the wonderful alumni of this great institution. We couldn’t be
more pleased to be here.
It’s clear that the UA is a very special place to many people
throughout Arizona and around the country. In particular, it is rapidly
emerging as an important source of solutions to some of this world’s
most pressing problems. How will humanity feed itself as the planet gets
more crowded and less arable? What are the full planetary impacts of
global warming, and how do we respond? Can we find that elusive cure for
cancer? What lies beneath the surface of Mars?
All over campus researchers -- often with graduate and undergraduate
student involvement -- are chasing down these answers, determined to use
their intellectual power to make this world a better place. At the
center of all these grand pursuits are students. In fact, 65 percent of
undergraduates in the College of Science are directly involved in
research projects. Realities like that have earned the UA it’s
reputation as a student-centered research institution.
And just who are today’s UA students?
This year’s freshman class, 6,000 strong, is a promising group:
It is a special privilege to serve as president of the university
they chose to attend. For starters, I inherited a rich history of risk,
reward, and accomplishment that has made the UA one of America’s finest
universities. Add to that a vibrant alumni base and a generous family of
donors, and it becomes clear why I competed so vigorously for this job.
I am devoted to building on the UA’s history and accomplishments to
make this institution one of the very best universities in the country.
I am passionate about widening access to the university, and about
investing in endeavors that will make the UA known worldwide as the
university that solved a number of key problems facing humanity.
For our local community, I want the UA to be the university of choice
for every college-bound student in Tucson and southern Arizona. They
deserve to know that their hometown university is not only open to them,
but sincerely wants them to enroll and start their career development
here.
Beyond Tucson, the UA should be a beacon of opportunity for every
student with the gumption to seek a college education of a quality that
is unrivaled in the American Southwest. In fact, students from all walks
of life, from Chandler to Chinle, should be assured that a world-class
education need not be an out-of-state experience.
That world-class education awaits them in Tucson, just as it awaited
you. I am devoting my presidency to keeping this promise to every
Arizona student with the drive to go to college and the potential to be
a UA alum of the 21st century.
