Faculty excellence takes center stage at the 2025 Luminaries Awards

Thirty faculty members were honored for groundbreaking research, service to the community and excellence in teaching and mentoring at the 2025 Luminaries Outstanding Faculty Awards, held Oct. 16 at the Stevie Eller Dance Theatre.

"Today, we honor and celebrate faculty excellence," said Provost and Chief Academic Officer Patricia Prelock at the ceremony. "We are proud to have outstanding faculty here at the University of Arizona, leaders in their fields, both nationally and internationally, who generously share their time, their talent and expertise to elevate teaching and learning across our campus."

The event was highlighted by the awarding of Regents Professorships, the highest faculty rank at the university. The designation is reserved for professors whose exceptional achievements merit national and international recognition. Regents Professor appointments are limited to no more than 3% or the university's tenured and tenure-track faculty.

Read the full story on the employee news website.

Three University of Arizona faculty members in academic regalia share a laugh before the Luminaries Outstanding Faculty Awards ceremony. Two hold water bottles as they chat in a brightly lit room with other participants in the background.
Five University of Arizona faculty members in academic regalia pose together and smile before a ceremony. They wear gowns in shades of blue, black, and red with velvet panels and caps, standing in a well-lit indoor space with other participants in the background.
A woman helps a man adjust his academic regalia before a ceremony. The man, dressed in a red gown with black panels, smiles slightly while the woman, wearing a red top, focuses on the adjustment. The background shows an indoor space with soft lighting and blurred details.
University of Arizona President Suresh Garimella speaks at a podium during the Luminaries Outstanding Faculty Awards ceremony. He wears academic regalia with a red gown and presidential medallion, with faculty members in similar attire seated behind him on stage.
Faculty members in academic regalia stand on stage during the Luminaries Outstanding Faculty Awards ceremony at the University of Arizona. A large screen behind them shows a live feed of the event, and banners featuring the university’s logo hang on the stage.
Guests gather for a reception outside the Stevie Eller Dance Theatre at the University of Arizona. People mingle around tables draped in blue cloths on the lawn beneath the building’s modern glass and metal façade on a clear afternoon.
A group of people stand outside the Stevie Eller Dance Theatre, smiling and waving toward the camera. The group includes men and women in a variety of professional and traditional attire, gathered in front of the building’s glass entrance during a reception.
Three people stand together smiling at a reception outside the Stevie Eller Dance Theatre. The man on the left wears a blue shirt and red patterned tie, the woman in the center wears a red jacket, and the woman on the right wears a patterned jacket and glasses. Other guests mingle in the background.
Oct. 21, 2025