University of Arizona

Overview

The University of Arizona in Tucson is the preeminent institution for research in the Southwestern United States. To this end, it sets aside a generous annual budget towards undertakings in inquiry. It is also a space-grant college, one of 52 scattered across the U.S.

As a public university, the University of Arizona was established in 1885, making it the first university in the Arizona Territory. It is also one of the universities in the U.S. that benefited from the Morrill Land-Grant Act of 1862. The institution had a rocky start, though, as no party was willing to provide land for the university. Thankfully, two gamblers and a saloonkeeper donated 40 acres of land for what is now known as the Old Main. Until today, the rooms of this old building experience the hustle and bustle of lectures.

While the UA is known for its space-related programs, its psychology, speech communications, and physiology courses are also popular among students. In addition, many who are interested in anthropology and archaeology, Earth and sciences, philosophy, and mining engineering students also end up enrolling at the university.

Outside of its regular programs, the University of Arizona is well-known for its contributions to planetary missions. It has worked with NASA to retrieve asteroid samples from space and more. Indeed, the University is part of the OSIRIS-REx mission, which aims to collect a specimen from space, the largest since the days of the Apollo program.

Former and present faculty members of the University of Arizona have also helped make improvements in medicine. The institution has a long list of persons who are esteemed members of national societies in various scientific fields. They also have numerous research papers published in different journals.

The UA is not just focused on scientific advancement. A few Wildcats, as the UA students are called, famously excel in the field of sports. There is Adia Barnes, who was once a WNBA champion. Andre Iguodala, a name familiar to fans of NBA and basketball, also hailed from the university. There is also Steve Kerr, who won three straight championships with the Chicago Bulls from 1996 to 1998.

Of course, there are also notable Wildcats in film and TV. Jerry Bruckheimer is a name associated with blockbuster films like Black Hawk Down, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Pearl Harbor. Female actors Kate Walsh (Grey’s Anatomy) and Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids) also strolled the halls of the University of Arizona.

The University of Arizona continues to advance scholarship in many areas. It advocates interdisciplinary approaches to research and encourages entrepreneurial partnerships.