Agreeing to send a spacecraft to an asteroid to bring back a sample was no easy decision, Dante Lauretta, the leader of NASA's UArizona-led OSIRIS-REx mission, told graduates. They, too, will face daunting opportunities in their careers, he said – and they should say yes.

Operation Hat Trick, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting wounded veterans, has again named UArizona the winner of its Excellence in Service Award. The university was recognized for  supporting service members and veterans through the sale of military-themed merchandise.

For the first time since the start of the pandemic, Commencement will bring all graduates together in person at Arizona Stadium. Dante Lauretta, principal investigator of NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission, will deliver the keynote address.

Seven undergraduates will earn four university-wide awards at Friday's Commencement ceremony. The awards recognize character, integrity, perseverance and academic achievement.

Led by University of Arizona alumnus Arthur "Barney" Maccabe, the Institute for the Future of Data and Computing will explore the societal questions driving how and why data is used.  By integrating data, networking and computing, he says researchers can target today's most complex and pressing challenges, such as precision health care, cyberspace security and climate resilience.