Southern Pride

Encouraged by their brand new name, officials at the campus formerly known as the University of Arizona in Sierra Vista are ready to challenge the future as the UA South.

"It's in everyone's best interest to pay attention and recognize the value of the campus in Southern Arizona," said James Duncan, associate dean of academic affairs at the University of Arizona South. "People didn't pay much attention to us, but it allowed us to develop and grow without much interference."

But the attention is coming. At its April meeting, the Arizona Board of Regents - led by hometown hero and Board President Judy Gignac - approved the campus' name change.

"The regents have been very supportive," Gignac said.

The Sierra Vista branch also gained financial support from Arizona Gov. Jane Hull and the Legislature, which recently approved funding to erect a multimillion dollar building at the UA South.

Recognition by state officials is one more feather in Randall Groth's cap. And the UA South's dean beamed as he spoke of the growing support for his dream in the desert.

"I think we've arrived," he said. "We've created a value with this campus - a sense of ownership, a sense of pride."

"While it's been a struggle, it's absolutely been a blast," Groth said.

UA President Peter Likins said "struggle" is an inaccurate term to describe the Sierra Vista campus' growth.

"It's a misconception that they have more difficulty than the rest of us," Likins said. "In the early 90's, Tucson operations were routinely cut. Now, things are better here, but they were desperate in the early 90s. Folks here in the Tucson campus felt abandoned too by the Legislature."

But Duncan, speaking from his relatively small office in one of two buildings that currently comprise the campus, said decisions were sometimes made by UA officials in Tucson without input from Sierra Vista campus administrators.

"We tended to be ignored by decisions made at the main campus that affected us," he said. "The fear from the main campus is that we draw dollars that would go to them but that's not the case. We lobby for our won funding."

Duncan did say, however, that the campus was always expected to progress. So far, it's exceeded everyone's expectations.

Set in the heart of Sierra Vista, the UA South has two one-story buildings and a parking lot. Those buildings house a bookstore, administrative offices, classrooms and the pride of the UA South -æits technological systems.

Through links with their office in Douglas and the UA's Harvill Building, students and teachers at the Sierra Vista campus can use the technology for interactive classrooms, live teleconferences and communication with colleagues.

Duncan added that the UA South will become a residential campus "within a short time." He said plans include erecting dormitory-style buildings to house their students.

A different breed of people than those found at the UA in Tucson, Sierra Vista students are generally around 30 years old, married with children and changing professions.

The UA South has graduated between 700-800 students during its existence. During last semester's graduation ceremony, Duncan said one spectator held a sign reading "Congratulations Grandma!"

Olga Yurchenko, a UA South marketing major, defines the term "non-traditional student."

While living in Cairo, she married a Sierra Vista man and left her home in Egypt.

Yurchenko, 27, has an 8-year-old son and aspires to enter the international marketing field. She plans to attend business school in preparation for her dream job.

"I'll take as many classes as I can here," she said, adding that marketing and writing classes are key.

But Yurchenko pointed out a problem with the UA South - a comparatively smaller selection of classes.

"I would like to take Arabic but they don't offer it here," she said.

Duncan said fields of study at the UA South include computer science, technology, business, education, language and psychology.

Eighty percent of the campus' $2 million budget pays for faculty members, many who came from the UA Tucson but prefer the UA South's emphasis on strong teaching skills, Duncan said.

"To make your way at the main campus, you have to prove yourself as much as a scholar as a teacher," he said. "We don't see it (scholarship) as one of our primary missions."

And with approval for a third building and a fourth in the works, Groth said the possibilities are endless.

"We won," he said.