As the next president of the University of Arizona, Suresh Garimella says he will focus on students above all else. 

"Throughout my career, I think you'll see I've had one mission as my primary driving force, and that is to serve our students," Garimella said Friday during a news conference after he was appointed the 23rd U of A president by the Arizona Board of Regents.

"Students are the heartbeat of any university ... so, you will see me focused on students much more than anything else," he said.   

The Arizona Board of Regents voted unanimously Friday to appoint Garimella as the university's next president. Since 2019, he has served as 27th president of the University of Vermont, which, like the University of Arizona, is a land-grant university. 

"I certainty understand the responsibility – the awesome responsibility – of leading a land-grant university, and to me, the primary thing it means is that we have to provide access to a word-class education to our students and make it as affordable, as accessible as possible, so that students from Southern Arizona, from Tucson, from all of the states, all of the nation and beyond can benefit from the education we offer," he said. 

As UVM president, Garimella prioritized access and affordability for students. The university froze tuition rates for all students during his first five years, while attracting record numbers of undergraduate applications and enrolling the most diverse and talented undergraduate students in the university's history.

A professor of mechanical engineering, Garimella also continued to focus on teaching and mentoring students during his UVM presidency, annually leading an undergraduate seminar class in civil discourse and continuing to supervise Ph.D. students. He has mentored over 90 graduate students and 50 post-doctoral scholars, 29 of whom went on to accept prestigious faculty positions around the world. 

The power of research 

Garimella said Friday that he is also a deep believer in the "power and promise of research" and recognizes the U of A's position as a global research leader. 

"The research at a university is done by and facilitated by our faculty, our staff and our graduate students, our postdocs and undergraduates, and so they are critical part of this vibrant campus community, and I look forward to building strong relationships and partnerships, because nothing that we work on together is beyond our reach," he said. 

During his time at UVM, Garimella nearly doubled the university's research enterprise.

Garimella himself is a highly cited researcher who has made significant contributions to the field of electronics thermal management and energy efficiency at micro and nano scales, and in sustainable energy systems technology and policy. He has co-authored more than 625 research publications and 16 issued patents. He also has been elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

He is a member of the National Science Board, which oversees the National Science Foundation and serves as an independent body of advisers to both the president and Congress on policy matters related to science and engineering. He also serves on the research advisory board of Sandia National Laboratories and is a member of the board of directors at Modine and the executive committee for the Council on Competitiveness. He has applied his expertise to national and international policy issues, having served as a Jefferson Science Fellow at the U.S. Department of State and as Senior Fellow for Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas.

Garimella has a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, a master's degree from The Ohio State University and a bachelor's degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras.

Prior to his time at UVM, Garimella was executive vice president of research and partnerships and a distinguished professor at Purdue University, where he oversaw Purdue's Discovery Park, a set of facilities and institutes focused on global challenges related to health and life sciences, sustainability, food, energy, and defense and security.

Bringing people together

As the next U of A president, Garimella said he hopes to bring a period of stability to the university, which has worked through financial challenges and experienced a series of recent leadership transitions.

"Things will settle soon," Garimella said, noting that one of the keys to his success will be building a  team that works closely together.

He also said he will seek input from employee and student governance groups, as well as alumni, donors and the regents.

Garimella said he also looks forward to learning more about the diverse offerings on campus – from Arizona Athletics to Arizona Arts.

"I'm truly looking forward to joining this wonderful community that is so comprehensive and offers every aspect of an education and a campus community that you could possibly imagine," he said.

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ABOR's decision to hire Garimella came after a national search and dozens of meetings of the U of A Presidential Search Advisory Committee over the last five months. 

"Today is a historic day as we usher in a very new era of discovery for this institution under the leadership of Dr. Garimella," ABOR Chair Cecilia Mata said during Friday's news conference. "Throughout a lifetime commitment to higher education, Dr. Garimella has demonstrated a unique ability to innovate and really pursue a lot of great things, while honoring traditions with a steadfast commitment to student development."   

The 18-member search committee included regents, U of A faculty and staff, a student, and community and business leaders. During the search, ABOR and the search committee engaged community members and stakeholders during 19 listening tour sessions, dozens of individual meetings, three public town halls, and through emails and a campuswide survey, resulting in feedback from more than 4,200 students, employees and community members.

Garimella said his conversations with search committee members and others during the process sent a clear message: "It just showed me there is great interest in moving forward and achieving big things, and it is hard not to get excited when the group has such big ambition. I thrive on ambition – on institutional ambition – and so I truly thank the folks who brought us to this position." 

Garimella's  bio and CV, along with statements of support from search committee members, can be found on the ABOR website. His start date is yet to be determined but is expected to be later in the fall semester, which starts Aug. 26.

He will succeed President Robert C. Robbins, who has led the university since 2017. Robbins drove significant improvement in student retention and success, oversaw an increase in annual research expenditures to $955 million and spearheaded the most successful fundraising campaign in the history of the U of A at nearly $2.3 billion. 

"I join our University of Arizona family in welcoming Dr. Garimella to Tucson," Robbins said. "His experience as a president at a public university and as an esteemed professor, researcher and published author will serve him well in his new role. In the weeks ahead, I look forward to partnering with Dr. Garimella and assisting him with the transition in any way possible. The U of A will be in good hands for years to come."