University of Arizona

The University of Arizona (UA) is a land-grant institution of higher learning located in Tucson, Arizona. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885 when the state was still a territory. In 2005, total enrollment was 37,036 students.

Current State of the University

• A downturn in Arizona's economy in the 2000s, coupled to more severe impacts following the September 11, 2001 attacks, led to less money being allocated from state revenues to Arizona's universities. Academic programs were hard-hit, and the university was forced to consider extensive changes, beginning in 2002. As a result, a reorganization known as "Focused Excellence" aims to focus the mission of the university on research, graduate training, and more selective undergraduate education, in part, by eliminating and merging less popular and low-revenue academic departments. The closure of some programs, notably the innovative Arizona International College and the School of Planning, provoked widespread protest. There are plans to restrict undergraduate entry to the more able students, thus distinguishing the university from its larger competitor, Arizona State University. However efforts to improve academic performance and to encourage new research areas were not enough to stem a number of key departures from the academic staff in the early 2000s, and budgets are still tight.
• The University of Arizona is the only remaining PAC-10 conference school to not award plus and minus grades for courses. Currently, grades are given on a strict 4-point scale with "A" worth 4, "B" worth 3, "C" worth 2, "D" worth 1 and "E" worth zero points. This creates demands by students on academic staff to award "A"s and "B" grades, so that their overal GPAs do not suffer. Discussions with students and faculty may lead the U of A towards using a plus-minus grading system in the future. Administrators say that the change could occur as early as Fall 2006. http://wildcat.arizona.edu/papers/97/160/01_1.html
• Uncertainty currently surrounds the future of common commencement ceremonies for the entire student body. Critics of the large ceremony argue that the event has become marred by misbehavior of graduates; the administration has vowed to cancel undergraduate commencement in favor of individual college convocations if behavior does not improve. Partially at issue is the tradition in which graduates fling tortillas into the air (in a manner similar to throwing mortarboards) during the ceremony. Critics of this behavior argue it is disruptive, potentially dangerous, offensive to Mexican-Americans, and insensitive to the plight of the hungry and needy. Proponents of tortilla throwing argue it is a harmless and fun tradition.http://wildcat.arizona.edu/papers/98/67/03_3.html The future of commencement ceremonies at the University of Arizona will remain uncertain pending the decision of the university administration.