University Of Arizona

ABOR Names Ann Weaver Hart as UA Presidential Candidate After an extensive nationwide search, the Arizona Board of Regents today announced Ann Weaver Hart as the candidate for the president of the University of Arizona. Hart is currently the president of Temple University and has served as president of the University of New Hampshire and provost and vice president for academic affairs at Claremont Graduate University. Her prior appointments also include professor of educational leadership, dean of the Graduate School and special assistant to the president at the University of Utah.

"Dr. Hart is a dynamic leader with a distinguished resume and an impeccable track record of successfully managing and advancing world-class research institutions," said ABOR Chair Fred DuVal. "We are extremely pleased that Dr. Hart has agreed to pursue the presidency at the UA. Her extensive background as an accomplished chief executive officer and experience in academic medicine will be a tremendous asset to the UA and the entire state."

"A Consummate Leader, Educator and Administrator"

During her six-year tenure as president of Temple University - America's 27th largest university and home to the academic medical center Temple University Health System - Hart is responsible for taking Temple's academic reputation to new heights. She has significantly increased undergraduate and graduate applications while raising the academic qualifications of incoming students; produced an institutional record number of Fulbright scholars; improved the freshman retention rate and time to degree; grown research expenditures by nearly $30 million; fostered technology transfer and economic development efforts; and advanced Temple's ranking with the National Science Foundation seven spots. The Chronicle of Higher Education cites Temple's graduation rate as increasing at the second fastest rate among public research universities nationwide, a feat accomplished under Hart's leadership.

"Dr. Hart is a consummate leader, educator and administrator and embodies all of the leadership characteristics we are seeking in the next president of the UA," said Regent Rick Myers, co-chair of the UA Presidential Search Committee. "She has left indelible marks with each position she has held and has transformed Temple University into a higher performing institution at nearly every level and undoubtedly will do the same at the UA."

Dr. Hart also led the development of Temple's "Framework 20/20," a $1.2 billion campus development plan; produced a comeback in football and men's and women's basketball after hiring new coaches that landed numerous NCAA conference titles and led Temple's football team to two straight winning seasons and its first bowl game in three decades; increased the school's endowment; significantly expanded Temple's international presence; and implemented a complete redesign of Temple's community relations to strengthen relations with elected officials and further enhance the value of the university to the broader community.

In addition, Hart led the University of New Hampshire for four years, a research-extensive university with land, sea and space grant university designations. It also is the flagship of the University System of New Hampshire. Hart was responsible for providing a first-class undergraduate and graduate education to students and fostering the university's role as a major partner in research, development and outreach in every county in the state.

Poised to Make a Positive Difference

Regent Dennis DeConcini, UA Presidential Search Committee co-chair, stated, "We hope that Tucson and the entire state of Arizona will welcome Dr. Hart's candidacy with open arms. We have the utmost confidence that she has the ability to effectively guide the University of Arizona in providing a high-quality learning environment, advancing its ambitious research goals and agenda and leveraging the University to make a positive difference in the state."

Hart will visit the UA campus on Feb. 13 to meet with students, faculty, staff, administrators and members of the public before the Board makes its final decision on the UA presidential candidacy. A schedule will be made public when finalized.

Hart received a bachelor of science in history, master of arts in history and a doctorate in educational administration from the University of Utah. She currently serves as a member of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities Board of Directors and as a member of the APLU's Commission on International Programs, which she previously chaired.

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Alumni news:

Derrick Williams, a former Wildcat, began his NBA career last week, playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Timberwolves are 0-2 in the young season, with Williams averaging eight points-per-game.

Wildcat basketball

The Wildcats' put together two consecutive victories last week, defeating Oakland 85-73, and Bryant University 100-60. Jesse Perry led the victory against Bryant, scoring 16 points with 10 rebounds.

This week, the Wildcats prepare to take on the ASU Sun Devils in Tucson on Dec. 31. The inner-state showdown begins at 3:30 p.m.

What's up UA - University graduate breaks NFL record

Rob Gronkowski, a graduate from the University of Arizona, broke an NFL record this weekend for overall touchdowns in a single season by a tight end.

The Patriots announced that Gronkowski was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in the Patriots' 34-27 victory over the Washington Redskins.

Gronkowski caught six passes for a career-high 160 yards and two touchdowns against the Redskins. He extended his NFL record for overall touchdowns in a single season by a tight end to 16 (15 receiving and 1 rushing). His 14th and 15th touchdown receptions of the season established an NFL record for most touchdown receptions in a season by a tight end.

Wildcat basketball

GAME DATA: Arizona (7-3, 0-0 Pac-12) heads out of town for the final non-conference trip of the regular season Saturday vs. Gonzaga (5-2, 0-0 WCC) at Key Arena in Seattle, Wash., as part of the State Farm Battle in Seattle ... Today's game will be the third neutral-site meeting of the two schools in four games all-time ... In four neutral-site games this year, UA is averaging 73.2 points per game to go with a .452 field goal percentage (104-of-230) - both figures significantly higher than the Cats' season averages (+5.3 points/+14 percentage points) ... Kyle Fogg enters today's tilt just 16 points shy of 1,000 for his career, potentially the 46th Wildcat to reach the milestone.

THE RANKINGS: UA remains unranked in the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches' polls this week. The Cats were ranked 16th in both preseason polls, marking the first time that UA opened the year with a national ranking since 2007-08.

ARIZONA HEAD COACH Sean Miller . . . is in his third season at the University of Arizona and his eighth overall as a college head coach with a record of 173-73 (.703) and 53-26 (.671) at Arizona ... He guided UA to 30 wins and the 2011 Pac-10 regular season championship in a run that culminated in the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight ... He was named Pac-10 Conference and NABC District 20 Coach of the Year ... Appointed April 7, 2009, Miller came to Tucson after five successful years at Xavier University, where he amassed four 20-win seasons and four NCAA Tournament appearances ... His clubs won the three Atlantic 10 regular season championships (2007-09) and the 2006 Atlantic 10 postseason tournament title ... During his time at XU, the Musketeers won better than 71 percent of their conference games, including an .813 winning percentage (39-9) in his last three seasons ... Miller has made 15 trips to the postseason in his 18 seasons as a head, assistant or associate head coach (9 NCAA/6 NIT) and has an 9-5 (.643) NCAA Tournament record as a head coach ... He took two Xavier teams to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 (2008, 2009) with his 2008 club advancing to the West Regional final ... His 2007-08 team set a Xavier record for wins in a season with 30, helping him claim Atlantic 10 and NABC District 10 Coach-of-the-Year honors ... Since becoming a head coach, 17 of 18 players to complete eligibility under Miller have earned their degrees ... A standout guard for the University of Pittsburgh (1987-92), Miller was the Big East Freshman of the Year in 1988, won a gold medal on the 1991 U.S. World University Games team ... He is assisted by James Whitford, Emanuel Richardson and Joe Pasternack ... Miller is 0-1 vs. Gonzaga as a head coach.

LAST TIME OUT: Arizona shot it well, held its own on the glass and made key plays when it needed in a 63-47 win Saturday over Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl Basketball Classic. Led by Nick Johnson and Solomon Hill, UA shot better than 50 percent from the field for the second time this season and limited the Tigers to 32 percent accuracy. After Clemson cut an 18-point deficit to seven late in the second half, Hill dropped in four straight points in the paint and Johnson added a dunk to push the margin back to 15. Johnson was named Fiesta Bowl Classic Most Valuable Player.

SCOUTING GONZAGA: The Zags enter today's game with a 5-2 record (0-0 WCC) following last Saturday's 74-67 loss to Michigan State (GU hosts Oral Roberts on Thursday). On the year, Gonzaga averages 77.5 points, shoots 44.6 percent from the floor (150-of-336), 39.2 percent (40-of-102) from three-point range and 69.8 percent (125-of-179) from the line. Opponents average 66.2 points, are outrebounded by 4.0 boards per game and shoot 43.0 percent from the floor (144-of-335). Individually, three GU players average in double-figures, led by Robert Sacre's 16.5 ppg average. Elias Harris leads Gonzaga with an 8.7 rebounds per game average.

THE SERIES: Today's game is the fourth meeting of the two schools with Arizona holding a 3-0 lead in the series, which dates back to Nov. 29, 2000. The Wildcats won the last meeting, 69-64, on Dec. 14, 2008, in the Desert Classic in Phoenix, Ariz. All-time, Arizona is 1-0 in series games played in Tucson, 0-0 in Spokane, Wash., and 2-0 in neutral-site games. For more series information, please see page 47 in the UA media guide.

LAST MEETING: Arizona 69, Gonzaga 64, Dec. 14, 2008: Arizona used a 10-0 run early in the second half to take control of the game en route to a five-point win. The Cats held Gonzaga to 39 percent shooting and forced eight turnovers in the second half in leading by as many as nine points. Arizona did not trail over the final 17:31. It was UA's first win over a top-five ranked program since November 2001. Nic Wise scored 13 of his career-high 21 points in the first half, while Jordan Hill added 22 points, three blocks and three steals.

AGAINST THE WEST COAST CONFERENCE: All-time, Arizona is 29-14 (.674) all-time against teams that currently reside in the West Coast Conference. Arizona last faced a WCC foe on Nov. 26, 2010, downing Santa Clara, 82-59, in Las Vegas, Nev. For series information on the conferences, please see page 51 in the UA media guide.

BEWARE THE FOGG: Kyle Fogg guided Arizona to a split this week in a pair of games last week by averaging 13.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. The senior guard connected on 55.6 percent of his three-point field goals (5-of-9) to go with a pair of blocked shots and five assists. During the week, Fogg notched season-high totals in three-point field goals (4), rebounds (7) and steals (3). He opened the week with an efficient 19 points (7-of-11 FG/4-of-6 3-pt. FG), three rebounds and two steals in an overtime road loss at No. 12 Florida and added a strong all-around effort of eight points, seven boards, four assists and three steals in a win over Clemson. Fogg leads Arizona in three-point field goals (16) and three-point field goal percentage (.457). On the season, he averages 11.9 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.

LARGER THAN EVER: Despite scoring 63 points last Saturday - five points fewer than its season scoring average - Arizona downed Clemson, 63-47, which was UA's largest margin of victory this season. A solid defensive effort spearheaded the Arizona attack, especially in the first half as UA limited the Tigers to 22.9 percent shooting (8-of-35) in the opening period and only 16 points. Clemson equaled a McKale Center record for fewest three-point field goals in a half (0-of-9) last matched exactly six years earlier by Saint Mary's on Dec. 10, 2005.

ON THE MARK: The Wildcats shot 51.0 percent from the field (25-of-49) Saturday against Clemson, marking the second time this season that UA has accomplished the feat. According to the shot chart, 18 of Arizona's 25 field goals against Clemson were tallied in the paint, including 16 dunks or lay-ups. The ability to score close to the bucket was evident in the second half, as 11 of UA's 15 field goals in the stanza were dunks or lay-ups, as the Cats shot 57.7 percent (15-of-26) from the floor. Over its last four games, UA is shooting 100-of-207 (.483) from the field as a team.

COLLEGE BOARDS: Led by Solomon Hill (7) and Kyle Fogg (7), Arizona outrebounded Clemson, 34-30, on Saturday, marking the sixth time in 10 games that UA has outrebounded the opposition, and the Cats are 5-1 when winning the rebound battle. Through 10 games, Arizona averages 36.0 rebounds per game and holds a +1.6 rebound margin. Individually, UA's rebound leaders, Jesse Perry (8.2 rpg) and Solomon Hill (7.7 rpg) currently rank third and sixth, respectively, among Pac-12 Conference players.

AWAY FROM HOME: With yet another game away from home on tap for Dec. 17 - against Gonzaga in the State Farm Battle in Seattle - it's worth noting that in its last two games away from McKale Center, Arizona is shooting a cumulative .496 (56-of-113) from the field and averaged 77.5 points in those tilts, a figure that is 9.6 points higher than UA's season scoring average (67.9 ppg).

UA announces grant

The office of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords welcomed a $542,969 federal grant to the University of Arizona last week, that will research ways of improving the safety of the nation's food supply.

The funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture was among $10.4 million in grants to universities in 13 states that were announced today. The money will help address a broad spectrum of food safety issues, according to USDA officials.

"Millions of Americans contract food-borne illnesses annually," said Pia Carusone, chief of staff for Giffords. "We welcome this grant for the outstanding College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at the University of Arizona, which will help ensure that Arizona's farm products are as safe as possible."

The USDA said UA researchers will collect samples from the irrigation infrastructure throughout Yuma to test for the presence and levels of toxin-producing Escherichia coli and Salmonella bacteria. Current methods for preventing the growth and spread of the bacteria will be evaluated for their effectiveness and a microbial risk assessment will be conducted, federal officials said.

Yuma is Arizona's epicenter for agriculture and the winter lettuce capitol of the nation. During the winter months, Yuma produces about 90 percent of all leafy greens consumed in the United States.