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Robert C. Robbins and Arizona
Athletics Director Dave Heeke
cheer on the UA football team poised to contribute to a new industrial “I think the individual parts may be greater
with students in ZonaZoo during revolution, Robbins says. than the sum of the parts at this point,” Robbins
the season opener against NAU. “If you think back to the so-called second says. “Even though there is a lot of collaboration
/ Chris Richards photo
industrial revolution, and what Cambridge and on the individual faculty member level, having a
Oxford must have been thinking when the steam bigger strategic plan about how we could codify
engine was being produced, I’m sure economists, more large-scale school-to-school and across-
sociologists, psychologists and engineers were the-entire-university collaborations will make
all deeply involved in asking, ‘What does that the sum of the parts greater.
mean for our changing world?’ I would like for us “There is an opportunity to step back and
to be the first university that embraces this idea think about the next five or 10 years and how
with regard to the fourth industrial revolution,” we are going to prepare our students, young
he says. inventors and applicants for research grants for
To do that, interdisciplinary collaboration this fast-changing world,” he says. “Right now,
— across the UA, as well as with Arizona’s other people graduating from universities probably will
state universities, community partners and have 10 to 15 different jobs in their lifetime. If you
collaborators outside Arizona – will be key, look at kindergarteners, 70 percent of the jobs
Robbins says. This will be a critical discussion that they will do over the course of their careers
point in the UA’s strategic planning process, an haven’t even been developed yet.”
endeavor that will get underway this fall.

30 ARIZONA ALUMNI MAGAZINE