Famous faces, balanced budgets and big ideas: Top U of A stories of 2025

By Logan Burtch-Buus, University Communications

Dec. 16, 2025

A historic brick building stands behind a garden filled with blooming red and purple flowers, tall cacti, and a fountain spraying arcs of water. Palm trees frame the scene as warm late-afternoon sunlight casts long shadows across the walkway. — From discoveries in space to breakthroughs on Earth, University of Arizona faculty, staff and students created ripples felt across the state and around the world in 2025. But which stories made waves this year?

Chris Richards/University Communications

The University of Arizona was home to countless research discoveries, programmatic successes and other historic milestones throughout 2025. No matter the time, space or place, University Communications was there to capture to moment.

Here is a selection of the university's most impactful news stories of the year.

A new era at the University of Arizona: Delivering on Our Promise: March 25

President Suresh Garimella hosted the inaugural Staff Social on the Mall, welcoming around 1,500 employees to catch up and meet face-to-face with colleagues on March 10.

Chris Richards/University Communications

Like a saguaro blooming in spring, a renaissance of institutional excellence took place across the U of A this year – epitomized in the phrase "Delivering on Our Promise" and collected in the university's new strategic imperatives: success for every student, research that shapes the future and engagement with communities to create opportunity. President Suresh Garimella encapsulated that mission during his installation ceremony, asking the community to "help this wonderful institution claim its place as a true force for good."

Supporting Garimella is Provost and Chief Academic Officer Patricia Prelock, who joined the U of A's academic enterprise May 19 and immediately developed a roadmap to success for all Wildcats. This year's accomplishments included balancing the budget while providing raises for faculty and staff and flat tuition for resident undergraduate students, and changing enrollment strategies to better focus on student success.

Savannah Guthrie visits the U of A campus: Oct. 27

With a dash of TV magic – and a clamoring of excited students and faculty in-tow – U of A alumna and internationally recognized television journalist Savannah Guthrie returned to campus after more than 14 years to film a segment for NBC's "Today" show. As part of the program's tour of anchors' hometowns, Guthrie and her crew visited President Garimella, student body president Adriana Gijalva, cheerleaders, band and Pomlime performers, and surprised members of the Pi Beta Phi sorority – of which Guthrie was a member as a student.

In partnership with Visit Tucson, Guthrie also visited the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, enjoyed lunch with her family at El Charro Café and helped paint a mural with local artist Joe Pagac.

The image shows a view of Earth from space with a portion of a satellite or spacecraft in the foreground. Earth occupies the upper half, with white clouds forming intricate patterns over a blue ocean. The planet looks partially illuminated. In contrast, the foreground includes a variety of metallic surfaces and components, some covered with a dark, reflective material. — A photo of the Earth taken by OSIRIS-APEX as the spacecraft flew by the planet in September on its way to study the asteroid, Apophis.

NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona/Lockheed Martin

OSIRIS-REx sample contains ingredients of life: Jan. 29

The OSIRIS-REx sample and ongoing OSIRIS-APEX mission continued to impress professional scientists and amateur astronomers alike throughout the year. The OSIRIS-REx mission, led by U of A Regents Professor of planetary science and cosmochemistry Dante Lauretta, returned a sample from asteroid Bennu in 2023. Following months of in-depth analyses in labs across the globe, researchers concluded that conditions and ingredients on the asteroid may have been common across the solar system, increasing the odds of life forming on other planets and moons.

The same spacecraft is now leading the OSIRIS-APEX mission to study near-Earth asteroid Apophis. In September, the craft passed by Earth before heading into deep space for another trip around the sun. During its flight, the craft looked towards home using a suite of three U of A-built cameras to capture images and data of Earth to help calibrate its instruments.

U of A-led team discovers large ritual constructions by early Mesoamericans: Nov. 5

A study led by Regents Professor of anthropology Takeshi Inomata revealed that Aguada Fénix – a monumental site near Mexico's southeastern border discovered by Inomata and his colleagues in 2020 – functioned as a cosmogram, a symbolic model of the universe also seen at other Maya sites.

A roughly hewn square stone sits partially buried in the earth, surrounded by brown dirt and clay. On the top of stone are three colored pigments, each sitting along an edge of the stone: blue on the top, green on the side and yellow on the bottom . — Mineral pigments in the Aguada Fénix cruciform cache were arranged to correspond with cardinal directions, according to recorded rituals: Blue azurite to the north, green malachite to the east and yellow ochre with geothite to the south. The western side of the cache included soil and likely other material that began as red and faded over time.

Takeshi Inomata/University of Arizona

Among the latest excavation were jade axes and ornaments, and a cache of mineral pigments associated with cardinal directions. The builders, researchers suspect, arranged the pigments and other materials as an offering, then filled it in with sand and soil. Radiocarbon dating estimates the cache dates to 900-845 B.C. People likely returned to the site for later rituals to leave behind the jade objects.

A November to remember: Arizona Athletics and Casino Del Sol announce stadium naming rights partnership: Nov. 17

The U of A and Casino Del Sol, an enterprise of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, announced a landmark, 20-year naming rights agreement for Arizona Stadium, valued at more than $60 million. The largest such agreement in the history of the Big 12 Conference, the deal brings with it a new name: Casino Del Sol Stadium.

That partnership was the crowning achievement of an impressive month for Arizona Athletics: U of A football, men's basketball and women's basketball teams combined to win all 18 of their games in November, including victories over nationally ranked opponents and decades-long rivals – and the women's triathlon team won its second straight national championship.

After an impressive finish to the season that saw the return of the Territorial Cup to Tucson, Arizona Football was selected to face SMU in the 46th annual Holiday Bowl. Held Jan. 2 at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, the game is the Wildcats' first bowl appearance since 2023, and the program's third appearance in the Holiday Bowl.

The Wildcats have also achieved unprecedented success in the classroom, according to the latest graduation success rate information released by the NCAA. Arizona posted a score of 92% in the data released, setting a new department record for the fourth consecutive year.

A group of people under a shade structure made of black netting are working with wooden frames filled with soil and debris, sifting through the material. Each person is wearing gloves, and most are dressed in casual attire suitable for outdoor work. The setting is a field with golden crops in the background, and several black buckets and striped tarps are positioned on the ground. — From left to right: University of Arizona Army ROTC cadets Jonny Ellwanger, Zach Ellwanger and Carson Criswell sift mud through screens on a farm in southwestern Poland. The students spent a month of their summer working alongside an archeological crew to carefully excavate a B-17G "Flying Fortress" bomber.

University of Arizona Army ROTC

Bringing soldiers home: U of A students assist in World War II-era recovery mission: Aug. 20

What do three University of Arizona Army ROTC cadets, an anthropology student and a team of professional archeologists have in common? They all spent a month of the summer participating in a years-long mission to recover the remains of a B-17G "Flying Fortress" bomber that crashed in southern Poland during the final months of World War II. A collaborative effort with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, the troupe of Wildcats helped find a variety of materials at the site, including aluminum from the plane and a Roman-era coin.

A week after the students began their work, the government agency announced the first crew member was identified from remains recovered there.

What makes someone cool? A U of A researcher has the answers: July 9

From the clothes we buy to the movies we watch – and even the food we eat – people base many of their life choices on more than personal preference. Sometimes, we just want to be cool. Digging into the psychology of this phenomenon was Caleb Warren, professor in the Eller College of Management and the Robert A. Eckert Endowed Chair in Marketing. Working alongside a team of international researchers, Warren surveyed more than 5,000 people in 12 countries to better understand the values and personality traits most associated with cool people.

Scientists uncovered six traits consistently identified as cool: extroversion, hedonism, power, adventurousness, openness and autonomy. Their conclusion? Authenticity matters, because people can tell when you're trying a little too hard.

New U of A 3-year medical degree program receives ABOR approval: June 18

Physicians trained at the College of Medicine – Tucson and the College of Medicine – Phoenix can enter the workforce one year earlier than graduates of traditional four-year programs after the Arizona Board of Regents approved a three-year pathway to medical degrees at the U of A's two separately accredited medical schools. Within the next three years, the two schools hope to enroll a combined 36 medical students in the three-year program that enrolls its first cohort this fall.

The three-year program is intended the increase the number of graduates practicing primary care in Arizona, particularly in rural and tribal areas. The two programs are part of a larger health care workforce development initiative that promotes student success and health benefits for Arizona residents.

A small rectangular fish tank, partially filled with clear water, containing several small fish. The tank is transparent, with black edges, and positioned on a surface. Inside the tank, a white device with an attached clear tube leads into the water, producing small air bubbles. The fish are small, with varying shades of light brown and silver scales. — After arriving at Biosphere 2, Sonoyta pupfish await their release into the stream at the Desert Biome habitat

Chris Richards/University Communications

Endangered desert fish find new home at Biosphere 2: Oct. 24

Cascading down a slope into Biosphere 2's Desert Biome, a group of four dozen Sonoyta pupfish recently began a journey that marked a new beginning for the critically endangered species.

The fish are direct descendants of the only remaining natural population of this guppy-like species in Quitobaquito Springs – a natural, artesian well in the southwestern portion of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in Southern Arizona near the U.S.-Mexico border.

The Desert Biome stream is the result of a collaboration between the U of A, the Arizona Game and Fish Department and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which allows individuals and organizations to keep and maintain populations of endangered species.

Six teams selected as awardees of the inaugural University of Arizona Big Idea Challenge: May 30

Wildcats from undergraduates to senior faculty submitted more than 70 proposals to the 2025 Big Idea Challenge, an initiative designed to tackle urgent needs from community resilience to national security while creating growth opportunities for industry and governments partners.

Six transdisciplinary teams were selected as awardees of the inaugural challenge, their work covering six overarching focus areas: data, information systems and artificial intelligence; defense and national security; energy and environmental sustainability; the future of health and biomedical sciences; the human experience; and space sciences. The Office of Research and Partnerships administered the challenge and will provide strategic guidance and $250,000 over two years to the winners to support their research.

The following stories also generated significant interest throughout the year: