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College and University Reviews
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University of Arizona Review, Information, Statistics & Resources - Go Wildcats |
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Introduction to the University of Arizona The motto of the University of Arizona is simply stated using two, plain and simple, yet extremely meaningful words – “Bear Down.” The University of Arizona also known as UA, U of A, or Arizona is a leading public research university and the first university in the state of Arizona. The school’s mission is “to discover, educate, serve, and inspire” the people of Arizona and the world in general. For hopeful students who wish to acquire an overall quality education, the University of Arizona offers limitless opportunities and provides a broad range of learning experiences for qualified individuals. With over 334 areas of study within its program listings, UA’s strongest academic programs are the following fields: optical science, astronomy and astrophysics, cellular and molecular biology, political science and government, and general psychology. Among all national universities in the United States, the University of Arizona ranked 120th in the 2011 edition of Best Colleges according to U.S. News and World Report. In 2005, an annual listing of Top 500 World Universities published by the Institute of Higher Education in Shanghai China, placed U of A 73rd worldwide and 47th in North America. U of A is one of the selected members of the Association of American Universities, a union of North America’s leading research institutions and the only representative from the state of Arizona. In addition, U of A is an affiliate of the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) - a group of universities and other organizations that manage astronomical observatories and telescopes The University of Arizona is actually managed by the Arizona Board of Regents, a constitutionally created organization that governs Arizona’s public university system. Arizona Board of Regents provides rules of regulation to U of A and its branch campuses, as well as to other public universities in the Arizona Territory. The Arizona Board of Regents is an entity that constitutes the same equivalent of the Legislature. Simply stated UA has no independent legal existence but is a mere extension of the Board. UA is considered a Public Ivy and is categorized as a Carnegie Foundation "RU/VH: Research Universities with a very high research activity. Carnegie Foundation is a structure for categorizing, or grouping colleges and universities in the United States. The key function of the framework is for instructional research and analysis, where most of the time, it is more significant to identify groups of more or less comparable institutions. As a highlight to UA’s research initiatives, U of A is awarded more NASA funding for space exploration than any other national university. In 2007-2008 fiscal year, the National Science Foundation ranked the University of Arizona 24th among all universities in the United States and ranked 16th among public universities in research expenditures, UA ranked 12th among public universities and 24th nationally in financial aid and endowment as recognized by the Council for Aid to Education. Furthermore, Campaign Arizona, an effort of UA to raise over $1 billion for the university, considerably exceeded the $1 billion target, and achieved its goal a year earlier than projected. As what may seem as a contrasting and interesting note for such a prominent science and research university, UA’s Poetry Center contains one of the country’s finest and extensive collections of contemporary poetry. Now this is a well-rounded university! Today, the University of Arizona boasts the 1,345-acre University of Arizona Science and Technology Park that houses various high-tech companies including 4 Fortune 500 companies such as IBM, Raytheon Canon USA and Citigroup, as well as a number of budding technology-based business enterprises: NP Photonics, and DILAS Diode Laser. Originally acquired from IBM in 1994, UA Tech Park has greatly influenced the growth of Pima County’s financial system contributes an approximately $3 billion annually and have been recognized as one of the region’s largest employment hubs. A Brief Look at the History of University Arizona A school of higher education with a long and interesting history, the University of Arizona is the oldest university in the state and was established when Arizona was still a territory. Below are significant dates of UA’s history. 1885 – The University of Arizona was approved by the Arizona Territory’s “Thieving Thirteenth” Legislature. 1891 – The University of Arizona opened its doors and the first classes were held at the Old Main, the first building constructed on campus. Thirty-two students enrolled for the first semester but only six were admitted to the freshman class. Due to the lack of high schools in the state of Arizona, the university maintained separate preparatory classes during the institution’s first 23 years of operation. 1892 – The dean of students requested the Board of Regents to ban the use of firearms on campus. 1899 – The University of Arizona football team played its first intercollegiate game on a Thanksgiving Day. August 1899 – University of Arizona’s former Horticulturalist's Cottage was remodeled and refurnished for classes in domestic science, and from then until 1908 it was recognized as the Domestic Science Cottage - a humble beginning for a later-day School of Home Economics. November 6, 1914 – UA’s 7-6 sensational football victory over Pomona College on Thanksgiving Day, led to the construction of the "A" on Sentinel Peak, west of Tucson. Albert H. Condron, a member of the 1914 team and a civil engineering student, suggested to one of his professors that a class project be made to survey Sentinel Peak for the location of an "A". The total cost of materials, equipment, and transportation for the project was $397. The taxing work was made by students, every Saturday, even though there were many difficulties and discouragements along the way. The "A" was finally whitewashed on March 4, 1916. From then on, Sentinel Peak was known as "A" Mountain. The "A" is 70 feet wide and 160 feet tall. October 17, 1915 – The original wildcat mascot was introduced to the student body at assembly in Herring Hall. He was the gift of the freshman football team who had raised the money amounting to $9.91 to purchase him. He was officially named "Rufus Arizona", after UA President Rufus B. von KleinSmid. January 21, 1920 – The Memorial Fountain in front of Old Main was dedicated amid a huge turnout of students, faculty, townspeople, and military who had come to honor the University's World War I dead and to welcome the guest of honor, General John J. Pershing. Located at the west entrance of Old Main, the Memorial Fountain, honoring those UA students who lost their lives in World War I, was a present from Alexander Berger, an uncle of Alexander Tindolph Berger, one of those to whose memory it is dedicated. 1920s & 30s – The sport of Polo was excelled-in and brought national recognition to the University of Arizona. September 1942 – The Navy granted a contract for the repair and rehabilitation of the UA's Old Main for use of the wartime Naval Indoctrination School. The entire structure was refurbished at a cost of $89,000. 2000s - A depression in Arizona's economy led to less funds being allocated by the state legislature to Arizona's universities. Academic programs were hard-hit, and the university was forced to consider extensive changes, beginning in 2002. U of A’s extensive changes resulted to the institution’s reorganization identified as Focused Excellence designed 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 academic programs at the university, particularly the innovative Arizona International College and the School of Planning, provoked widespread protest. Considerable measures undertaken to advance academic performance and to encourage new research areas were not sufficient to stop several major departures from the faculty in the early 2000s, all the while the funds remain limited. Focused Excellence quietly wound up and its website was removed. President Robert Shelton’s message to the University recommended further reduction of expenditure is vital in times of funding cuts. How the Educational System Works The University of Arizona is classified as a public research university governed by the Arizona Board of Regents. UA’s academic departments are organized into twenty colleges and eleven schools. Below is the list of UA schools, colleges and branch campus.
Program Listings UA offers 334 areas of study leading to bachelor’s masters, doctoral, and professional degrees for qualified individuals. Below is a list of undergraduate majors and degrees offered at the University of Arizona.
For more detailed information regarding the programs availability at this institution, visit the University of Arizona official website. Advantages of Enrolling at The University of Arizona One advantage of studying at the University of Arizona is the quality of education you will obtain, and at a highly competitive if not discounted price. UA’s tuition fee is appreciatively lower compared to other universities of the same reputation. In terms of comprehensive rankings in national and worldwide surveys, the University of Arizona is highly competitive and has proven and maintained its reputation as a premier educational institution. UA schools and colleges as well as the university’s academic programs also received various recognitions from several surveys conducted by prominent publications including Forbes Magazine, the Wall Street Journal, Playboy Magazine and U.S. News and World Report. In fact, the University of Arizona Eller MBA program has been ranked among the Top 50 programs for 11 successive years as considered by the U.S. News and World Report. Just recently, the U.S. News and World Report placed the James. E Rogers College of Law 42nd nationally for 2011. For those desiring an active and full social life, the University of Arizona offers a fantastic social scene for its student body. Playboy Magazine's May 2009 issue placed UA as the 5th best party school in the United States. Additionally, the U of A provides smaller class sizes for more intimate and personal interaction with fellow students and staff. This university has a fantastic student to faculty ratio of 18:1. A Glimpse of the Weather while Studying at The University of Arizona Tucson, Arizona enjoys a sunny climate with hot summers and warm winters making it a major tourist destination during holidays. If you are planning to study at the University of Arizona, expect favorable weather throughout the year and enjoy limitless time for outdoor activities due to the region’s warm, dry desert climate. Generally, snowfall is very rare in Tucson. It has plenty of warm, dry weather and only receives an average annual precipitation of 12 inches yearly. Average humidity during the spring and summer months is rather typical for the southwest United States desert climates at only 10% with July and August as the wettest months during the monsoon summer part of the summer. Unlike other locations around the country, Tucson amazingly enjoys five rare seasons namely: spring, dry summer, monsoon summer, fall, and winter. Spring occurs in late February to April and the days during this time of year are typically warm and sunny with cool nights. This is also the peak season for the winter wildflowers to add their colorful displays of lively color to the otherwise brown desert landscape. Leguminous trees and cactuses are blooming just before the end of the season. Breeding rituals for several local desert creatures and animals occur during happy spring time in this part of Arizona. Dry summer takes place from May-June where days are generally hot, and dry, but the nights remain rather cool. During this time, the majority of columnar cactus will blossom forth, offering their unique beauty to the environment. This is the time when the well-known buzzing of the insects called cicadas fills the air and your ears with the sounds of summer in the desert. Monsoon summer typically begins in the month of June and ends by September. Days frequently begin clear and very warm, but as the heat of the day builds-up, vast clouds form and tower high above, cooling occurs and but dramatic increases in relative humidity often dumps huge quantities of precipitation in a very short period of time. Monsoon summer sometimes brings wind and dust, lightening, thunder and flashfloods, but these are rather rare occurrences. Summer rains will normally set-off the second colorful wildflower show, this time composed of summer wildflowers and shrubs of the late season. Fall occurs from October thru November. Days during this time of year are rather hot at the beginning of the season, but night times become cool as the humidity leaves the area. Winter season normallystarts by December and ends in early February. Days are typically clear except when fronts move through bringing clouds and rain, and in rare cases snow. Daytime temperatures drop-off well to 60°F while nighttime temperatures average above 30°F but usually always below 40°F. Winter is still a rather comfortable season in Tucson, comparably speaking to other areas of the country, with December and January as the coolest months of the year. Is There Any Downside to Enrolling at University of Arizona? Perhaps one disadvantage to studying at the University of Arizona is the rather expensive off-campus housing, averaging $11,234 per year. For students on a budget, it is best not to move off campus in order to save a considerable amount of money, and to maintain your pocketbook for other general living needs and pleasures. Also, the school is considered by the U.S. News and World Report as highly selective with an acceptance rate of only 34%. This is generally due to the university’s difficult entrance exams and strict admission policy. Don’t worry, UA’s selective admission policy should never stop you from considering enrolling at this university, just keep the mindset - you won't get what you want without significant effort hard work. Additionally, the streets of Tucson can be a bit tricky to navigate during heavy downpours. In these parts of the desert southwest, heavy rain can turn dry river beds into raging torrents in a relatively short time. The region’s drainage system gets rather overwhelmed during the extremes of the monsoon summer rainy days. As a note of consolations, if you read the weather section above, you will already know that heavy downpours are actually rather rare in Tucson as it is a desert climate. A Final Word about the Quality of Education Offered at University of Arizona Aside from the university’s reputation as a premier research institution, UA has produced notable graduates and alumni that include five-term U.S. senator and 1964 Republican presidential nominee Barry Goldwater, former Unite States Secretary of the Interior, former U.S. Surgeon General , creator of TV series “Sesame Street” Raul M. Grijalva among many others. The Chronicle of Higher Education considered the University of Arizona as one of the Top 25 producers of the Fulbright awards in the United States. UA students are chosen as Flinn, Truman, Rhodes, Golwater, Fulbright, and National Merit Scholars. Recently, two current UA educators were included in the list of “Brilliant 10” by Popular Science Magazine. *Source:
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