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The following are news briefs from the ÁùºÏ²Êͼ¿â Board of Regents August 24, 2023 special board meeting. Full board materials are available 

Building on a Promise to ÁùºÏ²Êͼ¿â: Board Approves 2023 Annual Report 
The ÁùºÏ²Êͼ¿â Board of Regents and its public universities are operating on a simple premise: all ÁùºÏ²Êͼ¿âns should benefit from its public universities. The ÁùºÏ²Êͼ¿â Board of Regents Fiscal Year 2023 Annual Report, approved by the board today, details how the board is building on its promise to ÁùºÏ²Êͼ¿â by training its workforce, addressing its greatest challenges and expanding accessibility. .  

Commitment to Free Speech Outlined in Board’s Annual Free Expression Report 
The board and ÁùºÏ²Êͼ¿â’s public universities protect and ensure intellectual freedom and free expression at its institutions. Today, the board approved the Fiscal Year 2023 Free Expression Annual Report outlining university adherence to the policies. All three of ÁùºÏ²Êͼ¿â’s public universities maintain the highest green light rating from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), recognizing the commitment of the board and the universities to free speech. Read the report.  

Universities Save Millions through Cost Containment Measures 
ÁùºÏ²Êͼ¿â’s public universities continually focus on lowering costs and identifying innovative opportunities for savings. The Fiscal Year 2023 Annual Cost Containment Report details the actions taken by each university to contain costs and the savings associated with those actions. ÁùºÏ²Êͼ¿â State University’s measures have resulted in $7.4 million cost savings, Northern ÁùºÏ²Êͼ¿â University’s $3.3 million and the University of ÁùºÏ²Êͼ¿â’s $3.5 million. Read the report. 

University Research Benefitting ÁùºÏ²Êͼ¿âns  
Through the Technology and Research Initiative Fund, approved by voters in 2001, the board and its public universities are investing in research and workforce development that result in outcomes that benefit ÁùºÏ²Êͼ¿â. Read the report . Below are a few examples of the work this taxpayer funding is supporting: 

• Regents’ Research and Community Grants pair ÁùºÏ²Êͼ¿â’s public university researchers with government agencies and community organizations to address longstanding challenges in ÁùºÏ²Êͼ¿â. This year, the board approved nine grants to reduce cancer risk in firefighters, enhance ÁùºÏ²Êͼ¿â’s groundwater supply and more.
• ASU expanded its partnership with Applied Materials to create the Materials-to-Fab (MTF) Center. Representing a combined investment of $270 million, the MTF will provide researchers, industry partners and students access to state-of-the-art semiconductor tools. 
• Through its national security systems program, NAU is leading in the critical areas of cybersecurity and cyber solutions, developing new technologies to protect ÁùºÏ²Êͼ¿â’s businesses and consumers. 
• UÁùºÏ²Êͼ¿â researchers acquired 28 new patents and launched three new startups based on technology from TRIF-supported research, including development of a drug that has been licensed to the Tucson-based startup, Proneurogen, and has begun first-in-human trials for the treatment of vascular dementia, the most common form of Alzheimer’s disease. 

Board Approves Annual Personnel Report  
ÁùºÏ²Êͼ¿â’s public universities compete with hundreds of public and private universities throughout the country to attract and retain talented faculty and staff. The board’s Fiscal Year 2023 Annual Personnel Report provides details on employee population, compensation, turnover rates and market comparisons. Read the report. 

UÁùºÏ²Êͼ¿â Expands Adaptive Athletics with Additional State Funding  
UÁùºÏ²Êͼ¿â is expanding its adaptative athletics program — the largest in the United States — with support from the Fiscal Year 2024 state budget and university matching funds. The university plans to use the $160,000 budget, approved by the board today, to expand scholarship offerings, purchase sports equipment, and provide proper uniforms and travel support. UÁùºÏ²Êͼ¿â’s adaptive athletes are recruited from across the country and have competed at the top levels of sport, including the Olympics. Learn more here. 

ÁùºÏ²Êͼ¿â Teachers Academy Offers Free Tuition for Aspiring Teachers 
ÁùºÏ²Êͼ¿â’s public universities are working to address the teacher shortage by investing in future educators. Since 2018, thousands of teachers have earned ÁùºÏ²Êͼ¿â Teachers Academy scholarships, which offer free tuition for students who agree to teach in ÁùºÏ²Êͼ¿â schools. The program served over 3,250 students in fiscal year 2023, according to the Fiscal Year 2023 ÁùºÏ²Êͼ¿â Teachers Academy Report approved by the board today. Read the report. 

Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Request Focused on Health Care, Expanding Access and Workforce Readiness 
The ÁùºÏ²Êͼ¿â Board of Regents’ fiscal year 2025 budget request is focused on addressing the critical health care workforce shortage, expanding access to universities, and capital investments to repair aging facilities and meet the demands of a 21st century economy. The board voted to approve the budget request but may update the AZ Healthy Tomorrow budget items at a future meeting. Learn more here.