PHOENIX - Gov. Janet Napolitano told the state Legislature Monday that education is her "first priority" and showed her commitment to higher education with a proposal to double state financial aid funding.

In her State of the State address, Napolitano also said she would be asking the Arizona Board of Regents to increase funding for state universities that increase the number of students who graduate "in a reasonable time." [Read article]

A new Pell Grant eligibility formula passed by Congress will save the federal government $300 million per year while shutting out thousands of students who depend on Pell Grants to help pay for college.

Under the new formula, announced in late December by the U.S. Department of Education, about 1.3 million university students across the nation will receive smaller Pell Grants next fall, while 80,000 to 90,000 are expected lose their Pell Grants altogether, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. [Read article]

Amid the shock and devastation left over from the tsunami that struck Southeast Asia Dec. 26, concerns raised about the safety of two faculty members in the UA department of planetary sciences, who had not been heard from since the tsunami hit.

Roger Yelle, professor of planetary sciences, and his wife, Caitlin Griffith, an associate professor of planetary sciences, were on a cycling vacation in the mountains of northern Thailand when the tsunami occurred. [Read article]

Ceremony disrupted despite warnings

The UA tradition of tortilla throwing returned to McKale Center for winter commencement, despite attempts by UA administrators to end the long-standing ritual.

During the fall semester, UA President Peter Likins tried to revoke the university-wide commencement ceremony for December, citing concerns about a lack of decorum during the ceremony itself.

Likins reinstated winter commencement after a compromise was made with Associated Students of the University of Arizona student leaders. [Read article]

With the state Legislature launching their 2005 session earlier this week, Gov. Janet Napolitano urged lawmakers to increase the state's contribution to financial aid in her State of the State address Monday.

UA administration and students, with support from the Arizona Board of Regents and Napolitano, are asking the state to double their financial aid contribution into the Arizona Financial Aid Trust next year. [Read article]

The unexpected tsunami, which hit Southeast Asia Dec. 26, has opened the hearts of UA student organizations in hopes of trying to help those who've lost their homes, family members and overall well-being.

Nearly 160,000 people have perished and an estimated five million are homeless from the earthquake and tsunami that struck Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and India, among other countries, leaving survivors in need of basic essentials. [Read article]

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