Our Crowdfunding Groups
HISTORY
Every UA alumnus/alumna has a special place in their heart for the UA, and its 125-plus years of history. But what about future generations? In a wired world, where text messages replace face-to-face connections, will future generations continue the tradition of Wildcat Pride? If not, what might that mean for the future of UA?
Over fifteen years ago, UA alumni and supporters, including former CALS Dean Gene Sander, met to address this same issue. They were concerned about how to forge a lasting bond to the University for students. A proposal to offer a course about UA heritage and traditions was introduced. The enthusiastic group asked Dean Sander if CALS could be the academic home for the class.
TODAY
Today, each session of the two-credit course is compromised of 230 students. CALS has found that students who take the course remain more closely connected to the College and the University. Each class session showcases a guest speaker discussing his/her area of expertise. Favorite guests include the President of the University, the Provost, and the Athletic Director and the course teaches such things as the Bear Down story, the history of Wilbur the Wildcat, the original school colors, and more.
INVEST
Donor, UA Alumnus, and CALS friend, Tom Keating's longstanding hope for the students in the Heritage and Traditions class is to influence and encourage them so that ultimately, these future alumni will feel inspired to give back and become involved with the College and the University throughout their lives. To accomplish this, Mr. Keating has pledged up to $100,000 to create the CALS Heritage and Traditions Course Endowment. Each gift to the endowment from other donors will be matched dollar-for-dollar.
FUTURE
The endowment will last into perpetuity with only the payout earned each year being used to fund the course. This will ensure support for the course for many years to come, with vision that the course will someday fill Centennial Hall and be available online to all UA alumni.
The first school colors of the University of Arizona were sage and silver to symbolize the state’s mining industries. After a few short years, students voted to change the colors to cardinal red and navy blue!
John “Button” Salmon coined the phrase “tell them… tell them to bear down” shortly before his death in 1926. Today, the phrase is a rallying cry among Wildcat fans, alumni, and students.
The U.S.S. Arizona is marked around campus. The Memorial Student Union, completed in 2002, replicates features of the U.S.S. Arizona. In memory of the fallen on December 7, 1941, one of the Arizona’s two bells is enshrined in the Student Union tower.
Steward Observatory was officially established in 1916. Steward now operates or partners in telescopes in a number of Arizona locations, and locations in New Mexico and Chile. It has provided numerous instruments for different space and terrestrial telescopes.
The University’s mascot was founded after the first football team who “fought like Wildcats.” Pop McKale introduced the “Wildcats” to Tucson by leading them through the Main Gate at University Blvd.
The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences will welcome approximately 500 incoming freshman this fall.
