A layer of white is indeed a rare sight on the UA campus. But it did actually happen, inspiring many UA employees to leave their cozy offices so they could grab photos as snow fell on Friday. We share their shots in a photo gallery.

To help you get the most out of Tucson's signature literary event – now in its 11th year – we asked Melanie Morgan, the festival's executive director, for tools and tips that will make your festival-going experience as awesome as it can be. Morgan's advice includes preparing for the festival, timing your visit, picking the best events for children, and more.

While the recent weather might not be the best indicator that spring is near, the arrival of March is probably a good reminder. The month brings the return of the Tucson Festival of Books, TEDxUofA, cooking classes, a day of activities for kids at the Poetry Center, and much more.

The Office of Leadership and Organizational Development has two new programs: FourSight, which focuses on team dynamics, and Workplace We Want, which helps teams build a better office culture.

The recently updated UA Sustainability Map has three new layers: people, including faculty and students behind sustainability projects; events associated with sustainability efforts; and news about sustainability activities. "Really the idea is to make connections happen that allow people to get involved and accomplish their projects," says Grant McCormick, manager of the Enterprise Geographic Information System, a service that maps UA properties.

In addition to monetary donations, the campaign also inspired employees to contribute nearly 8,000 volunteer hours. The number of UA Cares ambassadors increased to 101 over the previous year's 76. "I really enjoyed seeing the collaboration between the alumni ambassadors – the ones that have been involved in the UA Cares campaign for 10, 15 years – and the ones that just began," says Karla Bernal Morales, senior program coordinator in Government and Community Relations.

Congratulations to these recent honorees: Felicia Goodrum, the College of Medicine – Tucson; Cecilia Rosales, the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health; James C. Wyant and Harrison H. Barrett, the College of Optical Sciences; Hubert M. Martin, Steward Observatory and the College of Optical Sciences; and Bradley Williams, Steward Observatory.

Cynthia Standley, a founding faculty member at the College of Medicine – Phoenix, knew she wanted to be a scientist or an artist. What she became is a medical educator who incorporates art into her career. "Medical students are taught to recognize patterns using diagnostic algorithms, to think very critically, with an eye toward details," says Standley, director of the college's Program of Art in Medicine. "Art in Medicine expands on this and provides them with opportunities to think more openly. Instead of listening with an ear toward a preconceived conclusion, we encourage listening for understanding, looking for the details that should capture their attention."

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter, whose mission is to engage people of all ages with Southern Arizona's clear and dark night skies and the natural world. "We want to dispel the notion that telescopes are just expensive toys for smart people to play with," says SkyCenter Director Alan Strauss. "People in Southern Arizona live in a place where the night sky is well-visible and understandable, and we want them to have access to the wonder and the science."

A new UA center is dedicated to helping students learn how to thrive during their college years – in and out of the classroom. With that mission in mind, it's no surprise how the Thrive Center got its name. "We really wanted to communicate that we want students to do more than just survive college – that we really want them to thrive during college," says Cynthia Demetriou, associate vice provost for student success and retention innovation. "That means that they're growing not just intellectually, but also socially, emotionally, and that they're building a network and planning a pathway so that they're thriving overall as individuals."