The UArizona / UAGC Joint Academic Advisory Committee (JAAC)

The Joint Academic Advisory Committee (JAAC) is charged to explore mutually beneficial academic partnerships and collaborations between the University of Arizona and University of Arizona Global Campus, operating under our 2020 affiliation agreement.  The JAAC will make recommendations and reports to the presidents and provosts regarding curriculum, new programs, discontinuation of programs, student success and support measures, as well as other areas of potential collaboration between the UArizona and UAHC.  The JAAC has equal numbers of faculty representatives from the two universities, and may stand up ad hoc subcommittees of faculty and staff as needed to address specific items of interest.

University of Arizona Global Campus

In August 2020 President Robbins announced a plan to expand our online reach through the formation of a new nonprofit corporation, the University of Arizona Global Campus (UAGC), which began with the acquisition of the assets of Ashford University.

University of Arizona Global Campus will benefit the University of Arizona in several ways:

1. Extending UArizona’s land-grant mission by offering online educational opportunities and access to a diverse group of students, the majority of whom are working adults.
2. Embracing the opportunity to serve students regardless of geographic location, leveraging the flexible online learning environments and resources of UAGC.
3. Positioning Arizona Online and UAGC together as preferred leaders in online education worldwide.

The Relationship between the University of Arizona and University of Arizona Global Campus

UArizona and UAGC are independent universities, each with its own programs, faculty and accreditation. UAGC is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) Senior College and University Commission, while UArizona is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).  However, UArizona and UAGC have a formal affiliation agreement under which mutually advantageous partnerships are contemplated, in support of expanded student access to education and increased academic success.

Arizona Online is core part of UArizona, offering online degrees to a growing student body which is seeking an alternative to the traditional immersive campus experience. Arizona Online and UAGC collectively offer 140 online degrees, with approximately 125 unique degrees between the two universities. Over time, we aim to minimize overlap to maintain largely complementary programs. We also aim to develop robust transfer pathways from UAGC to Arizona Online for those students seeking a degree from an AAU research intensive university.

Arizona Global is an essential component of UArizona operations, overseeing global admissions and recruiting, international student services, study abroad, and international faculty and scholars. In addition, Arizona Global runs a network of over 150 micro campus locations around the world, where we deliver in-person and online UArizona academic programs. Over time, we anticipate partnering with UAGC to provide additional online programs to students around the world through UArizona’s network of global locations.

Joint Academic Advisory Committee (JAAC)

The founding representatives from UArizona are;

• Craig Wilson, Vice Provost for Online, Distance and Continuing Education
• Lee Ryan^*, Department Head, Department of Psychology
• Catherine Brooks^*, Director, iSchool
• Yong Liu^*, Department Head, Department of Marketing

^* Nominated for the JAAC by the UArizona Faculty Senate Executive Committee.

The founding representatives from UAGC are;

• Iris Lafferty, Interim Provost and Chief Academic Officer
• Tony Farrell, Interim Dean, College of Arts & Sciences Arts
• Yvonne Lozano, Department Chair, Health Sciences
• Maja Zelihic, Interim Dean, Forbes School of Business and Technology

In February 2021, an ad hoc committee was convened to address a time-sensitive issue: developing recommendations on measures to improve the retention, progress and completion of online learning for students at University of Arizona Global Campus and Arizona Online. The members of that ad hoc group were: