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.

Miscellany

• The University of Arizona is called Arizona nałtsoos ízisgo baa ótad in Western Apache, a language spoken in Arizona.
• On April 24, 2005, an article by John Merrow entitled The Undergraduate Experience: Survival of the Fittest appeared in the New York Times. The article presented the disadvantages that some freshman and poorly performing students face at large educational institutions such as the University of Arizona. The University of Arizona administration has responded to the negative publicity of the article on the basis of facts and on the grounds that the article does not accurately depict the typical experience of most university students. The article takes exception to the University's size and population by criticizing the admission of 83% of applicants to the University. The article also criticizes large class sizes and resulting virtual anonymity of the students in these classes. In contrast to the picture presented by the New York Times article, the University of Arizona admissions office website reports that less than 4% of classes are larger than 100 students and the average class size is 29.https://admissions.arizona.edu/FAQ/FAQS.htm
• The University of Arizona marching band, named The Pride of Arizona, played at the halftime of the first Super Bowl.
• The movie Revenge of the Nerds was filmed at the University of Arizona. The school was also mentioned by Keanu Reeves in the movie Speed.
• The current school colors are cardinal red and navy blue. Before 1900, the colors were sage green and silver. The switch was made when a discount on red and blue jerseys was made available.
• The bell housed on the USS Arizona was rescued from the ship after the attack on Pearl Harbor and has a permanent home in the clock tower of the Student Union Memorial Center on campus. The bell is rung after football victories over all schools not located in Arizona.