Here’s to a new year, shared purpose and the work ahead. Go Jacks.
At Northern Arizona University, the new year begins with a renewed sense of purpose: to ensure that talent is met with opportunity by delivering an exceptional educational experience for all students. While our operating environment is increasingly complex, our student-first commitment is unwavering. NAU’s history is filled with moments when we met the challenge of the day and delivered for our community and our state – not by retreating from adversity, but by recommitting to our students, our community and Arizona’s future.
In 1899, NAU’s first president crossed the rugged Northern Arizona landscape by horse and buggy to recruit future teachers for a region desperate for them. During the Great Depression, the university refused to deny an education to students who could not afford tuition – accepting payment in potatoes from one student who otherwise would have been forced to leave school. These stories are not quaint relics; they are reminders of who we are.
And we are ready to deliver for today’s students: carrying forward that legacy of access, excellence and impact.
Arizona is one of the fastest-growing states in the nation, yet our supply of college-educated workers is not keeping pace with demand. Nearly 70% of jobs require education beyond high school, but fewer than half of Arizona’s high school graduates go on to college. At the same time, public funding now covers just 12% of university operating costs. The result is a widening gap between workforce need and educational access – one that threatens economic mobility, community vitality and the long-term prosperity of our state.
That is why NAU recently launched Elevate, a $300 million fundraising campaign designed to invest directly in students and in a future where higher education remains accessible, relevant and transformative. Elevate is not about growth for growth’s sake. It is about ensuring that talent – found in every corner of Arizona – can connect to opportunity.
I know personally how powerful that connection can be.
As a college undergraduate, I was a student parent. When my car’s transmission failed, I was days away from withdrawing from my engineering program. I had a job interview lined up at K-Mart and a drop slip in hand. Instead of signing it, a faculty member asked why I was leaving. He connected me to a financial aid officer who approved a $250 emergency grant. I fixed the car, stayed in school and completed my degree. That modest investment didn’t just change my life – it had a generational impact on my family’s trajectory. It’s a clear example of the type of impact we seek to deliver for all students who entrust their educational future to NAU.
In addition to student support, Elevate seeks to scale that impact across Arizona in areas of high demand and community need. One example is a critically needed new building for NAU’s College of Nursing. The state faces a shortage of nearly 30,000 registered nurses, with rural and Tribal communities hit hardest. Our nursing programs are nationally respected, yet our facilities are at capacity, forcing us to turn away an average of 200 qualified applicants each year, simply because we lack space.
A modern, purpose-built nursing facility will allow NAU to expand access, strengthen clinical partnerships, and prepare more nurses to serve communities across the state. The benefits will be immediate and enduring: a stronger healthcare workforce, improved access to care and better outcomes for Arizona families.
Elevate is more than a fundraising campaign. It is a call to action: to transform obstacles into opportunity and to ensure that NAU continues to serve as a powerful engine of economic mobility for Flagstaff, for Arizona, and beyond.
Here’s to a new year, shared purpose and the work ahead.
Go Jacks. FBN
By José Luis Cruz Rivera
José Luis Cruz Rivera is the president of NAU.
Courtesy Photo: Louie the Lumberjack welcomes students back to campus.
Leave a Reply