Program Partners

The UA Alumni Association awards academic scholarships to students through its chapters and clubs program and with the charitable support of donors, friends and the Arizona community. All UAAA scholarships are available via Scholarship Universe to students attending the University of Arizona. Scholarship Universe is an advanced scholarship management system for UA students and departments. It matches Wildcats to thousands of UA and non-UA opportunities and UA scholarship applications are fast-tracked. Our mission is to support American Indian Alumni of The University of Arizona (UA) by providing networking opportunities, serving as a liaison between the University and our alumni membership, and by recognizing personal and professional achievement of our membership. In addition, AIA supports American Indian students at the UA through mentorship, community service and the provision of scholarship opportunities.

Questions can be directed to AIA President: Jonathan Rios, jonathanjrios1@gmail.com

Native SOAR is a mulitgenerational service-learning mentoring program that equips undergraduate students at the University of Arizona (UA) to mentor local middle and high school students. In the program's two-tier mentoring model, enrolled undergraduates are also mentored by current UA graduate students and professionals from within the Tucson and University community. Native SOAR was established in 2005 by Dr. Jenny Lee, Professor at the Center for the Study of Higher Education at the UA's College of Education, and Dr. Amanda Tachine, Postdoctoral Scholar at the Center for Indian Education at Arizona State University.

NASEP is a year-long program designed to provide Native American, Alaskan Native, and Hawaiian Native high school students with a vision of a career in a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) field; connects students with academic professionals and industry representatives from STEM-related interests; and catalyze the student's motivation to complete chemistry, physics, and pre-calculus before graduating high school. Through one-on-one college preparation coaching with university affiliates, building a computer from its essential components, interactive workshops, and family events, students learn how to effectively prepare for the college admissions process, receive important information about academic success, and are exposed to different STEM career paths. The introduction to the year-long program begins in the summer, with interactions continuing throughout the year via email, phone call, text messaging, mail, and social media that can be accessed through their awarded technology device. A few of the yearly opportunities outside of the summer experience have included college and scholarship advisement, conference attendance, and networking with STEM professionals.

The mission of the Office of Native American Initiatives (NAI) is to uphold the University of Arizona's commitment to its land-grant mission and inclusive excellence by advancing the academic aspirations of Native American students and faculty, and a tradition of service to Native Nations.

Launched in September 2020, the office of Native American Advancement & Tribal Engagement’s (NAATE) goal is to increase Native American awareness and increase the health and well being of Native American students, faculty, staff and tribal nations.  We recognize and acknowledge the contributions of Native Nations to the University of Arizona community and aim to create a physical space for the Center of Native American Advancement and Tribal Engagement and establish the School of Indigenous Governance and Nation Building.  These initiatives will establish new processes and lead the university to becoming the leading institution serving Native Americans.

The Indigenous Resilience Center (IRes) is supported by the Agnese Nelms Haury Program in Environment and Social Justice. IRes is part of the Arizona Institute for Resilience and aims to position the University of Arizona as a world leader in Indigenous resilience research, education, and outreach. Dr. Karletta Chief (Diné), Director of the Indigenous Resilience Center, explains, “The Indigenous Resilience Center is the University of Arizona’s commitment to giving back to local tribes who have stewarded this land for millennia. Tribes have endured and sacrificed so much in terms of land loss and social and environmental impacts, much at the hand of the United States. Universities have benefited from this through their physical infrastructure and have a responsibility to be a bridge — to ethically address the challenges those communities face in ways that build trust and transparency.”

The Agnese Nelms Haury Program In Environment and Social Justice was established in 2014, and seeks to honor the life and work of Mrs. Agnese Nelms Haury. Mrs. Haury believed in social justice, and sought to solve "wicked" societal and environmental problems facing our region and our world. The Haury Program is funded by a bequest from Mrs. Haury's trust, and is overseen by a Donor Advised Fund Board. 

We are now housed under the Arizona Institute for Resilience (AIR), where researchers, educators, problem-solvers, and innovators from diverse disciplines work together to develop innovative and practical solutions to the environmental and resilience challenges we face today.