GCR Update

On January 29, the House of Representatives’ Women in STEM Caucus was launched with Arizona’s Representative Debbie Lesko as one of four co-chairs. The caucus is challenged with bringing public and congressional awareness to policies and initiatives that support women in STEM fields. The reception for the caucus’s launch was standing-room-only, evidence of the strong support for this bipartisan effort.

The Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) held several committee meetings and a special board meeting on Thursday, January 30th at ASU where several big UArizona items were covered. The February ABOR meeting will be held at ASU on February 13-14.

On January 13, 2020 Arizona’s Fifty-fourth legislature began the session.  President Robbins attended the opening day ceremony as a guest of House Speaker Rusty Bowers.  Later in the week Governor Ducey released his Executive Budget Proposal for FY21.

The final Community Partner Breakfast of 2019 was a spectacular one!  Held on stage at Centennial Hall, before a large group of captivated community leaders, Arizona Arts presented an overview of the ways they engage with the community and how they are carrying out the reimagined vision for the arts.

The Congressional appropriations process for FY21 is kicking off in the next few weeks, with the release of the President’s Budget Request expected the week of February 10th. While FY20’s budget saw growth for the majority of research funding and student aid accounts, FY21 is expected to be a leaner year for appropriations.

On September, 27, President Robbins and Provost Liesl Folks visited the Pascua Yaqui Tribe. This was President Robbins’ second visit to the Pascua Yaqui Tribe this year.

Katie joins the University of Arizona from the Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry. While at the Chamber, Katie managed the federal affairs agenda and assisted with all state lobbying efforts.

Federal Relations spends a great deal of time in meetings with the AZ Congressional delegation, research agencies and the Administration to advance the priorities of the University.

On Sunday, September 29, GCR and the Campus Community Relations Committee invited representatives of the neighborhoods around the University and city officials to participate in a moderated forum on livable communities.

Government and Community Relations attended Pinal Partnership Government Affairs and Transportation Committee meeting last week.