President's Remarks
A Force for Good
Remarks by Suresh V. Garimella at his installation as the U of A’s 23rd President
Thank you.
Thank you for bestowing upon me this awesome responsibility… I accept with deep gratitude and humility. Thank you, Chair Cecilia Mata, Chair-Elect Doug Goodyear, Past Chair Fred DuVal and all the regents. Thank you to the search committee, our shared governance leaders, and all of the faculty, staff, students and friends of the university for entrusting me with the honor of leading this great institution. Thank you, Governor Hobbs, and all the assembled government leaders. Thank you also to those who have gone before me in this role, including, most recently, President Robbins. And to all of you who grace this occasion with your presence, some having traveled from afar, my sincere thanks. Wolfgang Mieder, Pablo Navas and Heather Wilson – you have my deep appreciation.
There are many I would like to recognize who have had foundational roles in my journey to this point. My parents have been a deep source of inspiration, encouragement and support. My father is here, and I know my mother is watching the livestream. My brother and sister and their spouses are here. Of course, my wife and life partner Lakshmi is here. And our pride and joy – daughter Shruthi and son Sanjay – are here.
Much of my professional success is due to my students who have taught me more than they could ever learn from me – several of them are with us here today. And my success is also due to my colleagues and collaborators.
I wish today to express my gratitude to all of my teachers, formal and informal. My doctoral advisor from UC Berkeley Pamela Eibeck is here. My Master’s advisor from Ohio State—and our long-time family friend—Richard Christensen is here. And my undergraduate mentor, Dr Vijayaraghavan, could not travel but is here in spirit.
I am grateful to have been blessed with inspiring, dedicated teachers throughout my K-12 schooling years, right from first grade, and then through college. They have had a formative impact on me, and I owe my success to them.
Of all the teachers and influences in my life, I particularly recall fondly my middle-school principal, Shriram Bhatta. At an impressionable age in fifth grade, his mentorship and special attention helped build my core values and strength. I recall a small strip of paper that he gave me – two inches long, and all it said in blue ink was “DO IT NOW.” The message conveyed to an impressionable boy was eloquent, incisive and urgent. I had that message taped on my desk for many years until it eventually disintegrated. But the exhortation has remained indelible, and it has become so much a part of me – consciously and unconsciously – that it inflects almost everything I do.
What a difference a single person who cares can make in your life. And this is why I hold mentorship in such high regard, and believe in the importance of taking time to connect with those whose future we are entrusted with.
Years ago, my university deployed the Purdue-Gallup poll to understand the most effective practices in education. It would not surprise you to hear that among the most formative experiences students identified was that “they had at least one professor who made them excited about learning” and that “they had a mentor who encouraged them to pursue their goals and dreams.” Being personally engaged with a faculty member had a strong impact on their life outcomes and preparedness.
With mentorship comes opportunity, and the National Science Board that I served on has relentlessly underlined the importance of providing opportunity. You can never hear a speech by my friend and National Science Foundation Director Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan that does not include the phrase “Innovation Anywhere, Opportunities Everywhere.” The message is simple – there is no dearth of Innovation in any part of the country or in any community, however remote or underserved. What can be missing is Opportunity. And this is what we as a nation must provide.
I have long been inspired by a quote from Thomas Jefferson, one of our nation’s founding fathers. He said, “Let us in education dream of an aristocracy of achievement arising out of a democracy of opportunity.” This democracy of opportunity is the fundamental responsibility of a great land-grant institution like ours. And by delivering on this responsibility, we will indeed foster an aristocracy of achievement and excellence. Not just a dream, but our inspiration.
As I stand here today, I am also inspired—and humbled—by the legacy we inherit at this amazing institution, rooted in the borderlands where desert, mountain, and the heavens converge, and where millennia of human history and culture infuse our daily lives.
What has the U of A done with this inheritance? We mapped the moon so that the Eagle could land in 1969, and most recently, we sampled an asteroid for the first time in U.S. history, revealing the presence of a range of amino acids, life’s building blocks. We established the scientific study of tree rings that transformed the study of climate. We model the ocean, mangroves, rainforests, grassland and desert in our Biosphere 2 to advance our study of resilient ecosystems. In healthcare, we owe to colleagues here the first artificial wrist joint, invention of lasik surgery, and use of a total artificial heart as a bridge to transplantation.
I am reminded that the beautiful Saguaro cactus is considered a keystone species, playing a crucial role in the Sonoran Desert ecosystem. Saguaros can live for 200 years, reaching impressive heights and size. They are the tallest plants in the desert scrub environment. They are exceptional, distinctive, unique, and a force for good. As our friends the Tohono O’odham and the Yaqui have known for centuries, the Saguaro provides food from its fruit, nectar from its flowers for pollinators, shelter for woodpeckers and owls, and shade and protection for all.
If the Saguaro population declined, the impact on many species that rely on it would be significant.
I put to you that as the flagship, land-grant, the University of Arizona is a keystone institution for our state, even predating statehood by decades.Like the Saguaro, we sustain our community. Through education, research, engagement, arts, athletics, and so much more, we help Arizona thrive. Our people are exceptional, the work we do is distinctive, our role is unique, and we will always be a force for good. Like the Saguaro, a keystone institution.
Governor Hobbs, I commit to you that the U of A will always be the University FOR Arizona, the greatest and most comprehensive research institution in the Southwest. And I sincerely believe that the success of our state is inextricably linked with the success of the University of Arizona.
The economic drivers for Arizona are featured on its seal and are captured in the 5 Cs – copper, cattle, cotton, citrus, and climate.
Today, I propose to you a set of five Cs for the University for Arizona: Cactus & Canyon, Curiosity, Community, Collaboration, and Culture.
Cactus & Canyon – our strengths are rooted in our home, as we help study, preserve and build upon the region’s unique and diverse ecosystems with our expertise in geology and sustainable mining practices, and environmental science and water conservation, protecting and promoting natural wonders like our iconic cacti and the Grand Canyon.
Curiosity – our discovery transcends boundaries, from sub-nanometer to light years in space, from attosecond to millennia in time, and from quantum networks to entanglement of people, communities, and histories… across cultures, across borders and across disciplines.
Community – we commit to helping ensure the wellbeing of Arizona. Through the excellence of our research and education, we provide for health, education, and engagement to support lives and livelihoods in our communities.
Collaboration – partnerships between our faculty, staff, students, businesses, and local communities help us work together on pressing issues in Arizona. Such collaborations and those with global partners seed startups, attract new companies, and help existing companies prosper – resulting in economic development that creates a stronger, more interconnected state.
Culture – we foster cultural exchange and bring the university’s human, social, economic, and intellectual capital to support the diverse heritage in these ancient borderlands, learning from and partnering with Native American and Hispanic traditions, and helping weave together the civic fabric of this great state.
So how do we move forward as a keystone institution and a force for good toward that bright future where an aristocracy of achievement arises out of a democracy of opportunity?
I propose we couple a sense of urgency with purpose built around three shared strategic imperatives: access and success for every student, research that shapes the future, and engagement with our communities to create opportunity together.
By student success, we mean the entire lifecycle of their education. We ensure bright students of all stripes and from all walks of life have access to an excellent, research-infused University of Arizona education. We support their holistic wellbeing while they are here. We offer them an excellent education and experiential learning that includes research, internships, and global study experiences. We help them develop critical thinking skills. We ensure they graduate on time and enter productive, fulfilling careers and then stay connected so that the U of A is their partner for life.
Our research, scholarship and creative endeavor transcends disciplines and solves urgent global grand challenges. Our art, science and scholarship span our region and the globe and orbit the sun! We will build on our greatest strengths and double down in areas that include advancing space science and national security; provisioning abundant energy and water through the commercialization of fusion energy; exploiting artificial intelligence and data science to enhance healthcare and biomedicine; and modernizing mining to provide sustainable access to critical minerals. We will do this by attracting the best faculty and staff, through government, corporate and global partnerships, and via strengthened collaborations.
Our responsibility as a public flagship and our land-grant mission of engagement call on us to bring our exceptional assets to bear on Arizona’s wellbeing, prosperity, and prospects. For 140 years we have done so proudly, engaging all of Arizona, from Nogales to the Four Corners, and from the fields of Yuma to the streets of Phoenix and Tucson. Our land-grant mission means ensuring Arizona has the trained workforce it needs, and it means attracting and supporting businesses through research and development and lifelong learning. With contributions from our comprehensive health sciences, the state’s only veterinary medicine college, national leadership as a Hispanic-Serving Institution, dedicated Native American and Tribal engagement initiatives, the distinctiveness of Arizona Arts, the excitement and joy of Arizona Athletics, and deep engagement with K-12 school districts in STEM, literacy, and teacher education, we don’t just serve Arizona – we work in partnership with fellow Arizonans. Together, we use the assets and impacts of our research, education, and engagement mission to bring the world to our state and Arizona to the world.
The wonderful tradition of an installation celebrates a new era. More than the installation of a new president, it is about marking an important transition and an expression of our collective will and aspiration to reach even greater heights. From me, you will get an unwavering and disciplined focus on our North Star and our strategic imperatives. Together, let us help this wonderful institution claim its place as a true force for good.
Thank you.