Garimella praises U of A's 'vibrant, resilient' community in his inaugural letter
The president's first-year message highlighted strategic imperatives, financial stability and research growth while looking ahead to new opportunities.
President Suresh Garimella marked what he called "an amazing first year" at the University of Arizona with his inaugural letter to the university community. He expressed gratitude, highlighted achievements and outlined a vision for the future.
In the letter, Garimella wrote, "At every step the U of A has surpassed its excellent reputation, and I am very happy to report here in my first annual letter that the University of Arizona today is vibrant, resilient and ready for a bright future of leadership and impact."
University of Arizona President Suresh Garimella
Bold vision, strong foundation
Garimella began by outlining two central priorities from his first year: developing strategic imperatives to guide the university's vision and restoring financial stability. He said he was "energized" by how faculty, staff, students and community partners came together to develop "Delivering on Our Promise," which includes the strategic imperatives of success for every student, research that shapes the future and engagement with our communities to create opportunity.
He said the university is primed for success with the imperatives because of the work done to create financial stability by eliminating a $177 million structural deficit without raising tuition for in-state students and providing raises for employees.
Garimella also emphasized the university's land-grant mission, including its presence in all 15 Arizona counties and partnerships with its 22 Native Nations.
"In this coming year, we will double down on this part of our mission, looking to expand on the example set by Extension and its support for the agricultural industry, for the health and wellness of families and communities, and the education and training the mission provides," he wrote.
Other highlights from the letter
Faculty, staff and programs earned national and international recognition. Honors include National Academy elections and the Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization, one year after a record-setting 17 Fulbright faculty scholars.
Athletics has achieved on-field and off-field success. The Wildcats women's triathlon and the men's wheelchair basketball teams won national championships, while the men's tennis, women's golf and baseball teams won Big 12 titles. Student-athletes also achieved a record-breaking GPA across all sports in fall 2024, then broke that record again in the spring.
Arizona Arts serves as a cultural bridge between the university and the broader community. "We are committed to the role that this organization plays in our community, as both an entry point to the university and a democratizing force for culture and creative expression," Garimella wrote.
Arizona Arts provides "an entry point to the university and a democratizing force for culture and creative expression," wrote President Garimella.
Taylor Noel Photography
New offerings are strengthening the university's workforce development efforts. The university is fulfilling its responsibility to help sustain Arizona's workforce by offering new programs, including a 1-year MBA, a 3-year medical degree program and a Master of Science in Midwifery program.
A successful fundraising year has brought the university close to its $3 billion campaign goal. Examples include a gift from Pat Gerleman for scholarships for the Pre-Medical Admissions Pathway and a mining education and research gift from Tim and Rhonda Snider.
Driving research and discovery
Garimella said the university will continue to strengthen its research enterprise and "the transformative impact of this work in advancing knowledge and helping our communities."
"The U of A is among the top 20 public universities nationally, reaching over $1 billion in annual research expenditures in 2024 and overcoming significant headwinds to grow again by 3.5% this past year, thanks to our faculty, staff and students," he wrote.
Garimella said the university will continue to strengthen its research enterprise, which reached over $1 billion in annual expenditures in 2024.
Highlights of the university's research activity over the last year include:
- Analyzing OSIRIS-REx samples of asteroid Bennu
- Developing treatments for diseases related to PFAS, or "forever chemicals" and using precision medicine to understand and treat chronic pain
- Developing technology that could lead to processing speeds in the petahertz range – over 1,000 times faster than modern computer chips
- Protecting the food supply by staying ahead of insects' resistance to strategies used to control them
- Rewriting the history of humanity's relationship with dogs
- Looking at the psychology of coolness
In his closing, Garimella looked to the year ahead, acknowledging that challenges and uncertainty remain, but emphasized that the university's resilience and the community support will position it for success.
"We will continue to explore and innovate," Garimella wrote, "and we will continue to find strength of purpose and common cause in our shared work to deliver on our promise."