UA South in Sierra Vista Gets New Name
Effective this week, the UA South headquarters in Sierra Vista will be known as UA Sierra Vista.

By Alexis Blue, University Communications
Jan. 15, 2013

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The UA Sierra Vista campus is located about an hour and a half south of Tucson.
The UA Sierra Vista campus is located about an hour and a half south of Tucson.


The University of Arizona South location in Sierra Vista is getting a new name.

Effective this week, the UA South headquarters in Sierra Vista will be known as UA Sierra Vista. The new name more specifically reflects the UA’s long-standing presence in Sierra Vista, Ariz., about an hour and a half south of Tucson.

Signage reflecting the new name is being rolled out and is consistent with the naming of most other locations outside of Tucson where UA South serves students, such as UA Douglas and UA Santa Cruz in Nogales.

Founded as a UA branch in 1995 and given the name UA South in 1999, UA South administers 21 degree programs, with the bulk of them available through UA Sierra Vista. The programs are designed to serve transfer students who have already completed their first two years of college coursework and need to complete upper division or master’s level coursework.

The branch serves more than 900 students. The diverse student body includes a proportionately large amount of older adults, compared with the main campus, including many who have families and full-time jobs or who are serving in the military or have a spouse serving in the military. UA South also is designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution, with greater than 25 percent of its student enrollment defined as Hispanic origin, and more than 40 percent defined as having minority status. 

“UA South, and UA Sierra Vista in particular, are important parts of the University of Arizona in that they permit students from around the state who are not traditional students – a student who has a family, who works full-time, who doesn’t live in Tucson – to get a University of Arizona education,” said Jim Shockey, dean of UA South.

With its new name, UA Sierra Vista will continue to engage in ongoing efforts to provide access to affordable degree programs; to provide educational services in conjunction with businesses, industries and organizations; and to strengthen collaboration with Cochise College in Sierra Vista through the Cochise Cats and UA Bridge transfer programs, Shockey said.

Shockey noted that UA Sierra Vista will continue to reflect UA President Ann Weaver Hart’s vision of the University as an institution that works hand in hand with local communities, serves an increasingly diverse student body and engages students in a meaningful college experience while preparing them to be global citizens and future leaders.

Programs and degrees offered through UA Sierra Vista have gradually increased over the years in a response to industry and student degree demands.  The branch offers 19 bachelor’s degrees and two master’s degrees, as well as a wide array of continuing education programs and educational services.

Classes are held at UA Sierra Vista, as well as online and at learning centers throughout Southern Arizona, including centers in Douglas, Nogales, at the UA Tech Park and at several Pima Community College campuses.

Providing UA degree options to individuals across Southern Arizona, these locations have an important role in the UA’s economic development mission, Shockey said: “As the University seeks to meet the needs of outlying regions, these critical locations provide educational opportunities to meet the needs of our communities.”

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Sally Holcomb

UA South

520-458-2878, Ext. 2169

sholcomb@email.arizona.edu