President Garimella outlines the university's financial turnaround, regional economic impact and commitment to student success in recent op-eds

In a column published Aug. 26 in The Arizona Republic, Garimella wrote "We have re-envisioned how we operate and restored balance to our finances," positioning the university to fulfill its land-grant mission. He explained the process to achieve a balanced budget, which also provides raises for faculty and staff and holds tuition flat for resident undergraduate students.

"We approached the process with purpose, emphasizing transparency and accountability, while providing regular updates to rebuild trust throughout our university community," he wrote.

Garimella thanked the deans, faculty, staff and administrative leaders who collaborated on the process, and he outlined the five strategies that anchored the turnaround: operational efficiency, revenue growth, modernized athletics operations, careful financial management and improved organizational performance.

Eliminating the deficit is not the conclusion of the process, but the "end of one chapter and the beginning of a brighter one," Garimella wrote. 

This financial stability, he noted, enables the university to "boldly invest in our students and programs that engage every county across Arizona" and strengthen its role as a driver of economic development statewide.

Building on the theme of statewide impact, Garimella explored the university's broader community partnerships in a separate opinion column that appeared Aug. 18 in the Sonoran Journal, the official magazine of the Southern Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

In the column, Garimella discussed the university's shared commitment to "building a better future for all who call the Sonoran Desert home." He shared how the university strengthens the local economy, providing access to a skilled workforce, research capacity and innovation ecosystems that are critical to a region's overall economic competitiveness. He underscored the importance of building a better "front door" to the U of A to connect entrepreneurs and organizations with the university's people and programs.

"That's why we invest in cultivating internships, job-shadowing and work-based learning opportunities across campus and throughout the community," Garimella wrote. "From our Career Development programs to our research and commercialization engine, we're connecting students to real-world experience and partnering with local employers to grow a stronger workforce pipeline."

In the piece, he reinforced the U of A's commitment to the strategic imperative of student success, which he called "our North Star," noting the university wants each graduate to leave campus with more than a degree and to pursue a path of lifelong learning and success.

More on the university's strategic imperatives, "Delivering On Our Promise," is available on the Office of the President website.