How do you begin to thank someone who has mentored hundreds of employees and students; built national models for how you serve students effectively via facilities/spaces, programs, and collaborations; brought in the best, brightest and most diverse classes in UA history; ensured that barriers have been removed and opportunities exist so that students, of all ages and backgrounds, can achieve their goals; and provided 40 years of respected leadership to the University - well, we start by raising $25,190! 

There will never be enough words to express our gratitude for all that Melissa has done or means to us, however, your contribution to this campaign is a significant way we can begin to let her know just that.

Thank you!

Thank you all, for honoring Melissa with your gift! As you can tell, we are close to our goal of $25,000. Last week, we heard from some individuals that they did not get an opportunity to participate in the campaign and wanted to, but could not make the deadline, so we have extended the deadline for making a gift to July 9th - next Monday.

If you know of someone who was not able to participate and wanted to, let them know they still can. We have just $968 left to raise and they can be the ones to bring it home. 

Happy 4th of July and Bear Down!

Yesterday, Melissa was treated to a wonderful tour around campus to many of the places where her vision and leadership has made an impact. Melissa was greeted by colleagues, students, family and campus partners who spent time letting her know how much she is appreciated. There were stops on her legacy tour that included acknowledgement of the award-winning programs and facilities that were created under her leadership (Campus Recreation, Think Tank, Student Union, Bookstore & Greek Heritage Park), and special recognition by the Greek community who named an award after her and honored her with a tile in the Greek Heritage Park and the Student Union who named a drink after her. The Arizona Daily Wildcat created a special front page in her honor and the Bookstore team created a t-shirt to honor her legacy. There were secret surprises tucked in along the way and she ended the day ringing the bell in the Student Union clock tower and a with campus-wide open house held in her honor.

Melissa heard quite clearly throughout the day how much her leadership, mentoring and vision is respected. We can all agree, she is a remarkable woman.

Our sincere thanks for letting Melissa know how much she means to you by supporting this campaign in her honor!

We are now 94% to our goal. Continue to spread the word and help us get to the finish line.

Enjoy a few photos from her Legacy Tour.

Hello Friends of Melissa Vito!

Thank you for celebrating Melissa’s career and the incredible impact she has had on students, her colleagues, University programs and services, and the Tucson community, with your gift to the Student Success District. We know for many of you, your gift is a way of saying thank you – thank you for being a mentor, thank you for being a good friend, thank you for fighting to ensure our students are being offered the best learning community and thank you for being the best example of what a Wildcat is! Others of you, may see this as an opportunity to celebrate the incredible woman she is –  smart, optimistic, innovative, a music lover like no other, hardest working person on the planet, wise, and always full of laughter. No matter the reason, it all boils down to letting her hear a giant collective shout out from all of us and hear our gratitude for all she has done and what she means to us and the UA!

We know that there are many individuals who care about Melissa just as you do, who may not know that she is setting off for new adventures and if they did know, they would also like to be a part of this effort to honor her. Please consider forwarding the link to this site, to those in your network you know who would be disappointed to not be a part of it.

We are 22% of the way to our goal, with 10 days to go. Help us share this opportunity with friends and admirers of Melissa.

Bear Down!