Reflecting on progress and momentum: A Q&A with President Garimella and Provost Prelock
By Andy Ober, University Communications
President Garimella (center-right, with scissors) and Provost Prelock (third from right) helped announce a partnership between the College of Medicine – Phoenix and Onvida Health to launch Arizona's first rural regional medical school branch.
As thousands of students gather to celebrate the university's 162nd Commencement on May 15 at Casino Del Sol Stadium, the ceremony will mark the culmination of an academic journey that has prepared them to take on challenges beyond campus.
The university's three strategic imperatives – Success for Every Student, Research that Shapes the Future, and Engagement with Our Communities to Create Opportunity – have shaped their experience at the U of A. As graduating students leave and incoming students join the Wildcat community, that framework continues to guide the work of faculty and staff at the university.
In this Q&A, University President Suresh Garimella and Provost and Chief Academic Officer Patricia Prelock discuss how the university is advancing the strategic imperatives and the Academic Success Goals that support their implementation across colleges and divisions.
As we close out the academic year, can you share the progress we are making with our strategic imperatives?
Garimella: I have been impressed with the meaningful progress made across our three strategic imperatives, always with student success as the North Star guiding our work.
Our latest enrollment data reflects a commitment to Arizona students, and we have improved the student experience by creating clearer pathways and more coordinated support from enrollment through graduation.
At the same time, we're building momentum in our strategic research initiatives, areas where the U of A has historic strength. Our researchers and their students are working across disciplines to create innovative solutions to real-world problems.
We are also building academic and industry partnerships across Arizona and working more closely with our communities. A great example of that is our partnership with Onvida Health in Yuma to address the severe physician shortage in rural Arizona.
University President Suresh Garimella toured the Yuma Agricultural Center's facility, farm and labs in 2025.
Where are we making the most meaningful progress and what's driving that success?
Garimella: The university has moved from a period of financial uncertainty to a more stable foundation, with a balanced budget in 2026. We've closed the deficit without raising tuition for in-state students for the third year in a row, while providing raises for our employees.
In our research enterprise, we've reached $1 billion in total activity. We're building on our strengths and working across disciplines and investing in the areas that matter most. You can see this in efforts like the Big Idea Challenge, where teams from across the university come together to take on real-world problems with cutting-edge research.
We're also strengthening our leadership in these areas by bringing in individuals with deep expertise to guide our work, in AI and data science, fusion energy, national security, and mining and critical resources.
And part of being successful means taking every opportunity to celebrate and show appreciation for our faculty and staff, as with our inaugural Convergence Awards, where we honored more than a dozen colleagues and groups for the excellence of their research and creative work, and with our Second Annual Staff Social on the Mall.
Provost and Chief Academic Officer Patricia Prelock talks with employees at the second annual Staff Social in March.
How are the Academic Success Goals playing into the university's broader strategy? What is being done to move them forward?
Prelock: The Academic Success Goals are really how we turn the university's momentum into action for student success. They guide how we advance our academic mission.
We spent several months consulting with faculty, staff, students and community partners to put those goals together. Throughout those conversations, what we heard again and again is that there is a lot of impactful work being done on campus, but it doesn't always feel as connected as it could be. That's where the Provost Fellows for Academic Success Goals come in. They're helping connect efforts that may align with different strategic imperatives but are closely connected in practice across campus.
We are doubling down on student experiential learning including internships, study abroad, field experiences, practicums, and research in the community which not only engage our community but advance our research mission and play a big role in student success. You can also see efforts in supporting student success in our Graduation Project that is designed to remove barriers for students close to graduation. We work to make adjustments where students get stuck, such as required courses not being offered when they need them. It's already leading to higher graduation rates.
And administrative units play a role in this too. They shape the student experience at every stage, whether it's helping them access the resources or creating safe and welcoming spaces for them to learn and connect. They also provide support and resources to colleges and the community.
How will we measure success as the Academic Success Goals move forward? What should the campus community be looking for?
Prelock: For us, success means that students are progressing in their programs, graduating on time and leaving the university prepared for meaningful careers with as little debt as possible. That's always our starting point. We'll measure this through indicators like retention and graduation rates, career outcomes and students' sense of belonging and connection to U of A as a 'Wildcat' for life.
President Garimella greets employees at the Staff Social, which drew over 2,000 people to the Mall.
What is just as important is how we achieve these results.
It's a shared effort. Student success happens in classrooms, but also in advising conversations, research experiences and the interactions faculty and staff have with students every day. And it's important to note that the Academic Success Goals is a living document. As we continue to learn from our students and colleagues, we will keep refining this work.
What challenges have we encountered and how are we addressing them?
Garimella: Like many universities, we're operating in a complex environment. There's uncertainty across higher education about funding, public perception and the evolving world around us.
In research, we have launched many internal funding opportunities as a way to either ease outside disruptions to funding, as with our Bridge Funding Investment Program, or provide one-time seed funds so that our researchers are better positioned for external funding, like our new Catalyst Grants. We're also bringing a focus on private partnerships. For example, more than $10 billion in venture capital has been invested in fusion energy in mostly U.S.-based startups. With fusion energy as one of our research priorities, we plan to attract these companies to locate in our tech park.
As we approach Commencement, can you share your perspective on how the University of Arizona has equipped the Class of 2026 to change the world?
Prelock: As a premier land-grant university, our responsibility is not only to educate students but prepare them to contribute to their communities. We've prepared our students to be citizens of the world. While they're here, they engage through their classes and clubs, experiential learning throughout the community, and research activities. We offer all students plenty of opportunities to volunteer, whether it's campus food and blood drives, neighborhood cleanups, or the chance to take their engagement global through Study Abroad or global service through our CIELO program.
The U of A allows students to engage with real-world challenges while they're here. That's a critical part of their preparation. I am grateful for our dedicated faculty and staff who have mentored our students, and I'm confident our Wildcats will make a meaningful impact in Arizona and far beyond.