Wildcat for Life: Savannah Guthrie returns to campus for 'Today' show segment

It had been more than a decade since Savannah Guthrie stepped foot on the University of Arizona campus – 14 years, five months and four days, to be exact.

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Since delivering a spirited U of A Commencement address on May 14, 2011, Guthrie had not returned to campus until filming a rollicking "Today" show segment for NBC with dozens of sorority members, pep band participants, cheerleaders and several students, faculty and staff on Oct. 17. Many aspects of campus remained how she remembered them, but something specific stuck out in her whirlwind two-hour tour.

"Everything looks greener, fresher, prettier," Guthrie said. "I feel like everything has gotten a big glow-up. I don't know if it's so different or if it's just because I missed it … but being back is really exciting."

Guthrie, a 1993 graduate of the School of Journalism in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, returned to campus as part of the show's tour of their anchors' origin stories – the formative experiences and memorable mentors that helped shape their exceptional successes. In partnership with Visit Tucson, Guthrie also visited the Desert Museum, enjoyed lunch with her family at El Charro Café, helped paint a mural with renown local artist Joe Pagac and took in the sights of a town she will always call "home."

Guthrie, a 2018 inductee into the School of Journalism Hall of Fame, kickstarted her career with feature stories in the Arizona Daily Wildcat, Arizona Public Media, the Tombstone Epitaph and KVOA, Tucson's NBC affiliate that spent much of Oct. 17 filming behind-the-scenes coverage of Guthrie's return to Tucson.

View highlights of Guthrie's visit by watching the video below.

Starting strong as a student

Guthrie has seen and done just about everything a journalist can do in a three-plus decade career – moderate presidential candidate town halls, host several Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parades, interview Tom Hanks multiple times, have Kate McKinnon impersonate her on Saturday Night Live – but it's her experiences as a student journalist that she sees as the springboard that launched her on this remarkable professional trajectory.

"I had this amazing professor – Jacqueline Sharkey – who was the first professor to encourage me and tell me I had this gift for writing and that I should keep up with it," Guthrie said. "This was a formative place for me."

Born in Melbourne, Australia, Guthrie's family relocated to Tucson when she was two years old. A proud graduate of Amphitheater High School, Guthrie chose to stay close to family and attend the U of A, living at home through her undergraduate studies to save money. She chose to join the Pi Beta Phi sorority as a way to "meet new people" and enjoy a more robust college experience.

In fact, it was the Greek Life connection that led Guthrie back to campus this fall.

"Today" producer Jennifer Long contacted Marcos Guzman, associate dean of students and director of Fraternity & Sorority Programs, to see about the possibility of filming a reunion segment with Guthrie and current Pi Beta Phi members. Guzman immediately sent a screenshot of the email to Greer Vinall, associate director of community development.

"He asked me, 'Do you think this is legit?'" Vinall said.

After the shock wore off, the planning began.

Guthrie filmed segments with the sorority, the pom line, members of the cheerleading squad, the pep band and student body president Adriana Grijalva.

"Savannah has such a great energy about her," Grijalva said. "She made everything so easy and casual. It's an experience I'll always remember."

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Guthrie also took a moment to pop into Old Main to visit with U of A President Suresh Garimella, who took part in one of the segment's key sequences.

"We are proud of Savannah and what she has accomplished," Garimella said. "She sets a great example for our current students and is a wonderful global ambassador for the University of Arizona. Having her back on campus was a thrill for us."

No spoilers on the finished product – the segment airs Nov. 5 – but there are a handful of moments no Wildcat fan will want to miss.

"It's just so cool to have her back on campus," said Amanda Kraus, vice president for student affairs and an audience member for one particularly memorable sequence along the U of A Mall. "It's incredible how she takes a moment for every single person who wants to take a selfie or has a story to tell her."

In the days prior to her Tucson trip, Guthrie filmed a "Today" segment with legendary actor Richard Gere, who was disappointed to learn that she would be traveling to Tucson instead of attending a screening of his new film, "Wisdom of Happiness."

Our apologies, Mr. Gere. The U of A would be happy to host a tour for you to help you understand why Guthrie will always be a Wildcat for Life.